Elite Traveler March-April 2015

DISCOVER

GAC Witstar A Chinese concept car paraded at NAIAS in January featured a point-to- point autopilot mode and a fishtank

Motoring

First Drive: BENTLEYMULSANNE SPEED It’s on my second day with Bentley’s new flagship model that it strikes me that the boffins behind it have missed a trick. Bentley’s engineers are some of the brightest in the business, so why did no one think to fit a “clone” button? I spent all the time I was with the car wanting to be in two places at once. When I was driving I envied those luxuriating in the rear and when I rode in the back, I longed to be back behind the wheel. Cloning is the only way owners can really enjoy all the car’s delights. Those delights are pure Bentley. The firm has long been synonymous with “turbo-charged armchairs”, but the Mulsanne Speed ups the ante. This is a new RPG. Welcome to Bentley’s rocket-propelled gentleman’s club. Like all the best clubs, there is more to it than opulence. For all the quilted leather and built-in wine coolers, there is plenty of tech, including wi-fi, iPads and Bluetooth keyboards. Luxurious seats are matched by a sensational, 20-speaker Naim hi-fi. With this tech on board the cabin can be either a cinema on wheels or a functioning office. This blend of heritage and modernity extends to the mechanics as well. Under the hood is Bentley’s brilliant 6.75-litre, V8 with a heritage stretching back to the middle of the last century. Thanks to some fancy tweaking (twin turbos and variable valve timing, for a start) it also manages to be an utterly beguiling modern masterpiece. The bald numbers tell half the story. It boasts an immense 811lb-ft of torque at 1,750rpm and 530bhp. And it leaps from standstill to 60mph in 4.9 seconds and on to 190mph. But thanks to a recalibrated automatic, eight-speed gearbox all this extra power and torque is surprisingly easy to handle. Stamp down your right foot and the sensation feels like the moment in Star Trek when warp drive is engaged. The lack of increase in noise or vibration is a shock. It’s as if the world outside has slowed down. If only they could devise a way to allow us to drive it from the comfort of the back seat. $338,325, bentley.com

Clone ranger Owners will want to be in the front and back at once

All-terrain car Driving in the city or country is a delight

Welcome to the rocket-propelled gentlemen’s club