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2017 Bentley Mulsanne defines the latest in handcrafted luxury

It takes 144 craftsmen roughly 399 hours to build a Bentley Mulsanne. In today's world of automation and just-in-time parts delivery, such statistics sound ridiculous. But this old-school approach to vehicle assembly earns this beast its status as Bentley's flagship. It takes about a third of that time to assemble a Continental GT, for instance, which is one reason the Mulsanne is so expensive. It's also why Bentley moves more than five Continental models for every Mulsanne it sells. Bentley has a brand-new crown jewel coming soon to dealerships as a 2017 model, and it will debut next week at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. An Extended Wheelbase version joins the base Mulsanne and the Speed, pushing the lineup to three for the first time. Although Bentley officials take pride in the fact they are the largest producer of 12-cylinder engines in the world, the Mulsanne continues to soldier forth with the long-serving 6.75-liter V8. While this L-Series engine traces its roots all the way back to 1959, as evidenced by its cam-in-block overhead-valve design, it's been fully modernized with electronic controls and twin turbochargers. The result is 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque (or 530 hp and 811 lb-ft in the Speed), routed through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. This is the same engine that has powered flagship Bentleys since 2010, and it's effortlessly capable of pushing the Mulsanne from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds and all the way up to a top speed of 184 miles per hour. The upgraded Mulsanne Speed improves those figures to 4.8 seconds and 190 mph. That's plenty of performance for this kind of vehicle, weighing as it does nearly 6,000 pounds. With that kind of power and heft, a solid chassis is a must. Active engine mounts join new suspension bushings for 2017, and the air suspension system has been updated. Continuous Damping Control and a Drive Dynamics Control System with three factory and one custom setting are standard. Also new are tires codeveloped with Dunlop that have foam-filled cavities to reduce interior cabin noise. Where the styling of the outgoing Mulsanne is smooth and stately, the new one is more angular and modern. At the front, the traditional upright grille remains, but it's over three inches wider than before, and is slatted with vertical vanes in polished stainless steel that are meant to recall Bentley classics from the 1930s.

2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed previewed in official photos ahead of debut

The Bentley Bentayga Speed is about to be revealed (again), but this time it’ll be sporting all the upgrades applied to the 2021 model year Bentayga. Bentley provided us with a few official preview images of the SUV in camouflage ahead of its unveiling next Tuesday evening. You can check the three photos out in the gallery above. Differences between the upcoming Speed and regular Bentayga are plenty noticeable if you direct your attention to the rear of the vehicle. ItÂ’s sporting an aggressive, winged spoiler atop the roof that produces more downforce than the standard BentaygaÂ’s spoiler. Additionally, this model gets a unique quad-tipped exhaust design and rear diffuser. The front bumper is subtly changed to be a bit more pointy and threatening, but you need to look closer to see the differences here. The biggest change of all will be under the hood. This Bentayga will be rocking the uprated W12 engine that makes 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Since it was just released a little over a year ago, we donÂ’t expect the powertrain to be going through any major revisions. ItÂ’ll likely retain its crown as the “worldÂ’s fastest SUV” with a 190-mph top speed. ItÂ’s 0.5 mph faster than a Lamborghini Urus, so we considered them even. Maybe Bentley has gained something aero-wise with the revisions — weÂ’ll have to wait for the reveal to know. The 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds will likely remain unchanged, though. Expect all of the extra niceties announced for the standard Bentayga V8 to be making their way to the Speed, too. You can read our in-depth reveal post for all the details there. Watch out for the revised Speed to make its debut next week. Related video:

Face-lifted Bentley Bentayga bares it all on Instagram

Bentley's updated Bentayga unofficially made its global debut on Instagram. Leaked images confirm the company's best-selling model receives a subtly redesigned front end, and a handful of new tech features inside. Instagram user Wilco Blok posted the four images. Some look like they were scanned from a marketing brochure, while others were seemingly taken by a spy photographer. The quartet gives us a decent idea of what to expect from the SUV, starting with a new-look front end that gains oval headlights, a wider grille that's more neatly integrated into the rest of the fascia, and a reshaped lower bumper. The nip-and-tuck creates a visual link between the Bentayga and the Continental GT. Photos of its rear end weren't leaked.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by WILCO BLOK (@wilcoblok) on Jun 17, 2020 at 2:06am PDT Most of the interior changes seem to be technology-related. Bentley added a fully digital instrument cluster, and a wider touchscreen that displays an updated infotainment system. Above it, the climate control system's vents are now rectangular instead of round. Below it, designers rearranged the buttons on the center stack. Odds are there are other tweaks not shown in the leaked images. Something else that remains to be seen is what the face-lifted Bentayga looks like under the hood. It's currently offered with a 4.0-liter V8 rated at 542 horsepower, a 6.0-liter W12 available with 600 or 626 horses, and a 456-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain built around a 3.0-liter V6. These specifications could look a little bit different when the model breaks cover. Bentley hasn't commented on the images, and it hasn't announced when it will reveal the updated Bentayga yet. However, now the cat is out of the bag, an official introduction will likely take place sooner rather than later. Related Video: