Cruising in the Mulsanne feels more natural than breathing. Wolf Barnato may have defeated Le Train Bleu back in the famous 1930 race, but the journey in the rear of the Mulsanne resembles the elegant atmosphere in the French night express train.
As for what goes on up front, the one behind the wheel gets to play with a Drive Dynamics Control System, which control the suspension and steering. A rotary switch next to the gear shifter offers three main settings: “Comfort”, “Bentley” and “Sport”. The one in the middle is basically a combination between the other two. Just in case you’re not fully satisfied by any of these, Bentley also offers a “Custom” mode.
The Bentley Mulsanne’s ride shows plenty of polish, matching the comfort offered by the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Alas, the Bentley falls short of the Rolls in terms of the steering. In fact, this is true for the driving experience altogether. The car isn’t afraid to show its mass. This was also true for the Ghost, but the Rolls simply felt livelier on twisty roads.
The chassis is well sorted out and, for a car of this size, you can enjoy the driving part. Nevertheless, not for one second will you mistake the Mulsanne for anything else than what it is: an ultra-luxurious sedan with a little crush on its driver. Remember - “it’s just a little crush”.
We’re not quite sure if taking a Bentley Mulsanne out in the desert is a thing a Bentley Boy would do, but this doesn’t matter - we’re already deep into this part of the test drive now.
We’ve put the electronics to sleep and Bentley’s Mulsanne drifts with grace. Once you get acquainted with the new gravity generated by the Mulsanne’s mass, you’ll easily master such stunts. Mind you, the
ESP cuts in very early when its on - this car is only secretly good at going sideways.