Frankfurt 2009: Bentley Mulsanne

The slow dripping of information on the Bentley Mulsanne is officially over. Bentley has been teasing the new Mulsanne (don't call it a replacement for the Arnage, according to Bentley) for quite some time, with it finally making a reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance show last month. That show brought us a few exterior images of the car, but no interior shots or specifications. That's what the Frankfurt Auto Show is for!

Look at all that wood. Bentley calls it the "ring of wood waistrail." The Mulsanne's interior was definitely worth the wait. If you were expecting a groundbreaking and revolutionary change on the Mulsanne over the Arnage, this isn't it (revolutionary and Bentley usually don't go into the same sentence). It didn't need to be though - the Bentley interior look is classic, and the Mulsanne builds on that.

Modern switchgear, a new steering wheel and huge expanses of wood are perhaps the most evident changes. The biggest difference from the Arnage though is a very important one - space. Space is a luxury and the Mulsanne has it in spades.

The Arnage didn't offer a lot of room for it's size. In the Mulsanne, a bigger emphasis has been put on the rear seat area, which is amazing. Available legroom is large - check out that huge, backward-swept door panel!

A 14-speaker audio system with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and 6-CD autochanger is provided as standard while the Naim for Bentley premium audio system may be specified as an option. The Naim sound system is the world's most powerful - a  2200 Watt system with in-car amplifier, eight dedicated DSP modes and 20 custom-made speakers.

The engine specifications though are perhaps even more amazing. The Bentley Mulsanne's powerplant generates 752 lb-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm - an insane level of torque. The "totally revised" 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-8 develops 505 horsepower and is mated to a 8-speed automatic transmission.

The latest technology is used on the Mulsanne, with the engine utilizing variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation. There is more in the whopping specifications department - how does 16.54-inchcarbon ceramic brakes with eight-piston calipers in the front sound? They are the largest ever fitted to a production car!

The Mulsanne takes 400 hours (or around 16 days) to build, 200 of which are for hand-built parts - and out of that 160 for the interior alone. The process works out to be 15% longer than the Arnage overall. There is a new Drive Dynamics Control system that allows the driver to select three driving modes - "Bentley’, "Sport" and "Comfort". How about that, a suspension setting named simply Bentley.

It's clear Bentley has upped the ante with the Mulsanne -  this is every bit a worthy competitor to the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Some are saying that they are still warming to the new styling, but I quite like it. Based on what I see visually, I'd probably go with the Mulsanne over the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Think differently? Let us know in the comments.