You really know how to pick girlfriends,do you?

sorry my mistake, it is around 40K, it would be quite tricky to fill W221 with 70K worth of factory options.

btw its funny how volkswagen is trying to preserve the britishness of the FS even though theres none left really - some parts are sent to the UK for finishing then sent back to the phaeton plant in Dresden Germany where the FS is built. So really its an exercise in plaform and badge engineering but that doesnt mean a bad car.

Ive just seen way to many broken down chevy parts on trails to appreaciate that company. But the Duramax engine rocks! Dont even get me started on how the Cummins engine is wasted in the Dodge platform...whot he hell puts 20inch chrome rims stock on a work truck!



I found some pics of the bentley!!!

^ ^
dancingbenzos: priceless!

I wouldn't knock on the Phaeton interior. The quality of materials and fit and finish would make any Mercedes short of a S600 or CL500 feel mediocre.

I don't think the point is to knock the Patheon or Audi A8... they are AWESOME cars with AWESOME interiors... the point is that the "Bentley" is a glorified and better version of them.. that's all. I know a fellow member (RenntechV12) who's got one, and he'll be the first to tell you it's a higher end VW Patheon (at least under the hood) with lots of power, and a great interior.. but it's not the same as the Bentleys that were selling for $389,000 only a couple of years before.

The new S is probably a step below the Bentley, just because it's probably more on par with the A8.. and that's a dumbed down Bentley.

speaking of which (off topic), i was reading somewhere that VW boss Wolfgang Bernhard isn't going along too well with the Audi people - in fact, he was saying something to the effect that only dumb people buy Audi since VW is just the same thing at a lower price.

oh, and he came from Chrysler, no? back in 2001 =)

So I guess the Maybach is a glorified S class?? Platform sharing is here to stay... Go take a drive in a Dodge Charger or 300c... guess what tranny it has? Same one thats in your E class. In the years to come there will be more significant sharing between dodge and mercedes, its the only way to keep costs down.

If Bentley didnt share with VW then the GT would end up costing $400k...
The GT is a better vehicle than the past $400K Bentleys..
Yes the Arnage has the highest quality material but technology wise its way behind the GT.

There is a difference though in platform sharing. See a 300C is based of the W210 platform yes, but it does not share the same look and feel. The leather in the W210 is better than that of hte 300, the wood is better, and the interior design materials are better. The S-class and maybach may share the same platform, although i thought the Maybach was based of the W140, not the 220. Even if it is the 220, the maybach uses way different materials. The maybach's leather is softer, the woods are different woods, and there are a few other things different, the suspension has been retuned to offer a softer ride, the seats redesigned, and the carpets...dont even get me started on the carpets inside the maybach.

My beef with what VW is doing is that they arent setting apart any of the cars. They all use the same material, and same interior design for these cars. Its cheap, its something you would expect from Ford, or Chevy, not VW, Bentley and AUDI. A Conti GT can have better tech than a Arnage, but bentley has never ever been about having the most technology. Bentley has always been about giving you a ride almost on par with a Rolls Royce, but something that can hold its own in the corners. A Bentley has always supposed to have been a Sporting Rolls Royce. An Aston Martin of sedans basically. With these new cars, its a slap in the face to the old Bentleys, these cars are profit cars, to make as much as the can and milk this class for everything its worth, no matter how damaging it could be to the image of the car.

Sorry, but those $389K Bentleys of yesteryear were pieces of **** as were the old Rolls... VW and BMW were the best things ever to happen to Bentley and Rolls-Royce. I have an old issue of C&D where they compared the BMW 750iL (1st), MB 560SEL (2nd), Lexus LS400 (3rd), and Bentley Turbo R (4th) in a Best car in the world issue. They said that the Bentley had many quality issues in addition to a hood shake... I'll admit that the ancient pushrod 6.7 liter V8 used in those cars was a fine engine, but everything else was definitely sub par..
Eric....

your comparison must have been really, really old, eric. in fact it must, for the 560SEL was discontinued in 1991.

there was a more recent comparison (2000 or 2001) between S600 (W220), 745Li, LS430, Rangie, and Bentley Arnage, in Autocar Magazine - the reviewers felt the Bentley could justify costing 3 times more than the S - but the S won :p Bentley didn't lose because of quality, but because they felt it was just too powerful for its own good.

oh yes, i do think the Maybach is a perfect example of a car that shares too many parts with a lesser model - sharing the platform is still alright (yup it's from W140), but most of electrics and the "look and feel" are from the W220 and that really does knock down the value of the car, no matter how nice the wood and leather etc etc.

Agreed. As much I love the Arnage. I would buy a Flying Spur over it. Much more modern and better engineered car. Not to mention the reliability will be a 100 times better.

You are 100% correct... the GT is lightyears ahead of the old Bentleys..

technologically, and engineering wise yes... of course it is. Its German! The old Bentleys were more like a piece of unique Jewelry though, with their coach work, and an emphasis on hand workmanship everywhere (never as good as production line from a reliability standpoint), but that's what made them a Bentley..

you guys just don't get it I think... If we want a superior car.. no body is debating whether this new "Bentley" is superior as a "CAR".. but it's a whole different type of car than the older "pieces of ****"

If Bentley was still an independent company, no one would complain about the Continental GT/Flying Spur. That's all I have to say apart from the fact that I would choose C-FS over the W221.

I would knock it. Push on the area right about the instrument cluster.... can you say rubbermaid?

Complain as some purists might, VW was the best thing that ever happened to Bentley and Lamborghini, just as Ford was the best thing that could have ever happened to Aston Martin.

^ Agreed. ^

I hate the new Bentley Continental's. I like the way a nameless Bentley VP stated it- "Those who buy the new Bentley's have no idea of the heritage of Bentley and are buying it just because of the name on the grille."

And that Grill, which was legendary for it's mass, and heft.. made of solid metal is now PLASTIC!

I was told that was a european pedestrian crash test safety thing. Apparently the metal ones have a similar effect to a cheese grater. As for Heritage, the CGT is closer to the Bentleys of the past than that awful Rolls designed tank. Go look up the Continental R-Type. British design and german engineering, and people are complaining?

Somehow, I think the arguement would be reversed if this thing had a three pointed star on the hood and was broken down on the side of the road. :p

I doubt that's the reason.. those guide lines play into how a ped is rolled off a vehicle rather than how it's constructed (materials) wise..

this is COST CUTTING, nothing more.

Here's the article where I read that...

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102346

Those are "their" words, and I'm sure it's a convenient excuse.. but I find it hard to believe the material a grill is made of is going to save a persons life.
Just like MB saying they're removing SBC for safety reasons, and not because it costs $1000 more per vehicle!

After all, the grill only occupies (I'm guessing) 30% of the frontal surface of the car, what are we to believe... the lights and remaining sheet-metal are also break away?

Sorry.. sounds like PR.

Vw have gone and brought back the true original meaning of betley

Just like ford have done with the Aston Martin

Performance along with high quality

The interior of the bentley is exquisite, the S doesnt used hand stiched leather for starters from itialian leather. All the bits like that add up.

But then you are comparing cars from a different class, just look at teh price difference.