2003 Bentley Arnage Review

Specifications

Does Life Get Any Better?

Its like being transported into another world, one steeped in old-world tradition, unquestionable style, tasteful opulence, unsurpassed quality and breathtaking performance. Its the world of Bentley, and few, even among automotive scribes, have the opportunity of living it, if only just for the briefest of moments.

Nevertheless the gods smiled upon me after the planets shifted, and a rare opportunity to drive the recently enhanced Bentley Arnage R and T through Northern Californias serpentine coastal highway system was offered.

A row of vintage Bentleys stood guard at Half Moon Bays Ritz Carlton parking lot as I arrived in the back seat of a gorgeous black Arnage T, sending my classic loving heart into rapid palpitations when I first gazed upon them. The pounding only increased once the Bentley boys took us out on the road, first in a 1928 XR-3337 4.5-Litre, similar to the cars that raced and won Le Mans an impressive 5 times.

After a wonderfully stimulating jaunt I switched over to a 1931 YR-5091 8-Litre that produced an intoxicating exhaust note, especially when ripping up the highway at over 80 mph. But it was the 1925 UP-8014 Boat-Tailed Tourer that overwhelmed my senses. Ive been driven in roaring twenties cars before, but none that offered the sense of high-speed stability and engaging agility offered in the 3-Liter Bentley.

The same needs to be said for Bentleys new cars. Just consider for a moment that the Arnage T, which weighs a considerable 5,699 pounds, sprints away from the blocks with the jump of Kim Collins, reaching 60 mph in a stimulating 5.5 seconds, before dancing circles around much smaller sport sedans.

To prove the latter point I asked my amiable co-driver, 5-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell, to take the wheel during a particularly sinuous stretch of tarmac. After all, while I was there to experience as much personal time as possible behind the wheel in order to compare it to its peers, only a person of Dereks skills can expose what the big Bentley is truly capable of.

From the passengers seat the rushing scenery was hypnotic, a mesmerizing blur of eucalyptus trees, golden fields and abbreviated rocky crags that suddenly dropped off to the crashing waves and deep blue seascape hundreds of feet below. At such speeds the prospect of hurtling off the precarious roadway would have normally been a little unsettling, but with Dereks seasoned hands guiding the wheel I was allowed the opportunity to sit back and take in the moment.

From this perspective the Arnage T defies reason, snaking us through the tight two-lane highway as if in the parlor car of a high-speed locomotive, but with the grace and composure of ride that steel wheels cant produce. The car is wonderfully smooth despite its aggressive damping, a more purposefully firm setup when compared to the softer sprung Arnage R. It annihilates intimidating road imperfections to the point where I occasionally found myself wondering what all my worry was about, but fortunately found face in the realization that we would have probably been airborne in a lesser car.

A quick scan of the specifications shows an extremely sophisticated suspension system, incorporating a front subframe made up of pressed steel and cast aluminum with an integrated steering rack mounting. The componentry included a double wishbone setup with lower wishbone compliance hydrabush, also up front, plus a pressed steel subframe supporting rubber isolated upper and lower wishbones in the rear.

The wheels and tires need to be large in diameter to not be overshadowed by the large car. The standard package includes 8 by 18-inch 5-spoke aluminum alloy rims shod with 255/50 R18 performance tires, while especially bold 8 by 19-inch wheels are optional, featuring 255/45 R19 rubber.

Safety goodies such as a traction control system (ASR), engine drag torque control (MSR) and electronic stability program (ESP), manage overzealous throttle oversteer on the fly - or more precisely protecting those going into a corner too fast without the knowledge of what to do to get out of it alive - all in an almost completely unnoticeable process, as it should be.

After a thrilling display of car control, Derek eventually left my side to expose the Bentleys talents to some other unwary journalist. I have to admit to feeling less intimidated alone, with just me, myself and the car to laugh at my now obvious lack of grace.

Needing to snap a few extra photos I shot up an extremely narrow mountain road with only a few minutes to spare before dinner. The pavement was as bumpy as any Id previously dared charging down at near highway speeds, with dips and undulations that could have been unsettling in most other cars. The Arnage Ts combination of sheer mass and perfection in suspension tuning made the stint hardly climactic, biting into the crumbling road surface from corner to the other, and eating up the intervals in between with the ferocity of a famished cheetah.

If you havent skimmed down to the bottom of the review and glanced at the Ts specs yet, youll be impressed at just what makes it so fast. The twin-turbocharged 6.75-L V8 stirs up 450-hp and an even more overwhelming 646 lb-ft of torque, more than adequate even for the Bentleys stately girth. Even off the line it gathers up speed at an alarming rate, but once momentum kicks in the rate of acceleration is relentless.

To be more specific 30 to 50 mph takes only 2.0 seconds, while 50 to 70 mph needs just an additional 3.8 seconds. Altogether attaining 100 phh from standstill takes a mere 13.5 seconds, with its maximum speed limited to 168 mph.

More than the thrust accessible at the rightmost pedal, I appreciated the Ts controlled stopping power. Driving normal speeds around town the Bentley braked easily, with little pressure needed to initiate and keeping level with the road all the way to a full stop - the latter partly due to its automatic ride height control with auto load compensation. That horizontal profile remained even under aggressive braking, while fade wasnt even noticeable after repeated applications while approaching curves. In panic situations the massive 13.7 inch diameter front and 13.6 inch rear ventilated discs bring the T down from 120 feet in only 2.63 seconds, again an amazing feat considering the size of car and the full load of luxury appointments inside.

As I stated previously, the Bentley is otherworldly. Just what do I mean by that? Ive had a few people ask, since my return, if any car could be worth $228,990, the entry price for an Arnage T. The fact that about 80 percent of new Bentley owners pay cash for their cars, almost the exact opposite of the normal purchasing trend for less expensive vehicles, says a great deal about the brands clientele. To them, the car is evidently worth every penny.

And I have to agree. Having had the opportunity of traveling to and from the airport as a passenger, I took the liberty of poking around, touching all surfaces, opening and closing vents, ashtrays and cupholders, and generally getting a literal feel for the automobile.

While Ive experienced cars from BMW, Audi and Porsche that offer full leather packages, authentic wood trim and beautifully crafted metalwork, nothing could have prepared me for the attention to detail and stunning craftsmanship within the Arnage T. The inlaid wood veneers werent just strips of trim for decorative purposes, but seemed as if part of the structural integrity of the dash and doors - though a Morgan this is not, the doors are steel reinforced. The T sports a mix of regular and perforated leather surfaces, even across the headliner, itself a classic piece of automotive art.

The dash is awe inspiring. Specific to the Arnage T, dash panels, console and door trim feature machine turned surfaces that bring memories back to the classics of yesteryear. The look matches the cars drilled-aluminum brake and accelerator pedals and chrome finished switchgear to a T, excuse the pun, each item finished to perfection in the way a master artisan would painstakingly create the setting for a prized jewel. And Im not overstating myself. The sheer weight of the knobs and buttons is unlike any of its rivals, even the cupholders are made out of metal - and incidentally work quite well.

And thats where I get back to answering my friends questions about the Arnage Ts value proposition. I searched high and low, and couldnt for the life of me find one item made of plastic other than the pop-up navigation system atop the dash, heating, ventilation and air conditioning buttons on the HVAC interface, audio system knobs and row of ancillary switches just below - that incidentally appear very BMW-ish, attesting to the Bavarian marques involvement in engineering the Arnage/Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph models that debuted in 1998. Even the sliding shoulder belt adjusters attached within the B-pillars are metal, covered in what appeared to be a soft suede-like material. Possibly only the Rolls-Royce Phantom could make this claim, the Maybach cant.

But to compare apples to apples the R-R and Maybach arent drivers cars are they? Theyre luxury conveyances, cars to be driven in, not mastered by their owners. Bentleys have never been limousines, unless of course youre the Queen of England who just happens to own one or two. For the most part a Bentley has always been the motorized equivalent of an Arabian steed; fast, agile, yet fortunately nowhere near as cantankerous.

And like the Arabian, the Arnage T is beautiful to look at. Its not as rakish as some of its contemporaries, but then again next to the R-R Phantom its as aerodynamically efficient as a Lamborghini. OK, so I stretched that one a bit. Still, I couldnt help continually looking over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of its elegant sheetmetal from a new angle, crouching down low to the ground for a different perspective. Each view only reiterated my initial reaction; the Arnage T is a stunningly attractive automobile. From its wire mesh grille to its four round headlamps, across its strong shoulder lines to its classically formal C-pillars, and then cresting downward past its sculpted rear trunklid and tastefully integrated rear taillamps to its robust twin exhaust pipes, its a powerful statement of cultured good taste.

But such should be expected of a car that costs more than most peoples homes. Yet for those privileged enough to acquire a Bentley, a quarter million most likely seems a reasonable price to pay for handcrafted perfection and rarified exclusivity. Really, does life get any better?