Does the Mulsanne have the same safety features, same luxury features of the S Class? How does one get an objective comparison between the two. I understand the 'attention draw' of the Mulsanne and the super fluff carpets/mats but, beyond that, how do they compare? How do they compare in things going wrong either in warranty or beyond?

 

I imagine here would be a very good starting place: http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/mode.../mulsanne.html

And, you must be joking about comparing a low production, hand built English vehicle against a high volume, ( mostly ) robot production line in Germany, vehicle when it comes to long term reliability...

Guess which one is more reliable....

 

How can you even compare them ??

 

You can't. Not in the same class.

 

Does anyone on this forum have any objective FACTS in response to my initial question? Not opinions.

 

The internet is your friend for getting ACTUAL facts for the questions you asked. Feel free to browse through MBUSA.COM and the Bentley website to get answers.

As for your reliability question: it is a well known FACT that low production, hand built cars are not as reliable as high volume, robotic built production line cars. And, English vehicles have ALWAYS had a reputation as being unreliable.

You don't buy a high end British vehicle for its long term reliability. You want a vehicle with great long term reliability, buy a Toyota Camry. If you can afford a Bentley, you can afford to maintain it. Mercedes reliability falls somewhere in between a Toyota and a Bentley.

Or, better yet...go out and test drive both vehicles.

Good luck with whichever you choose. But seriously, comparing those 2 vehicles is pretty much comparing apples and steaks. They are in completely different categories.

 

I had a 2013 Mulsanne - 3 year lease, 15,000 miles. I currently drive a 2009 Bentley Brooklands.

My wife had a 2009 S63 for 7 years - 50,000 miles - and currently drives a 2016 S63 Coupe - 12,000 miles.

To answer the OP's question: The S class and Mulsanne are both cars that can be driven daily without reliability issues.

My Mulsanne required only yearly oil changes/service and never had a mechanical problem of any kind. Please remember that this car is NOT the hand built exotic of yesteryear (2009 Brooklands with less than 500 built as an example). It is the first totally designed from scratch Bentley in 80 years. Using state of the art computer technology from Volkswagen, the Mulsanne has over 15,000 parts and shares only a few of them with other vehicles. What other car uses stainless steel for all the trim inside and out (no chrome)? What other car uses black glass for all the interior push buttons (no plastic)? The 6 3/4 Litre engine - designed in the 50's - has been continually updated to provide 530 or so horsepower with incredible torque at low rpm. Dual turbos and high tech engine electronics provides over 20 mpg if you have a light foot. Step on it and you accelerate faster than a Porsche Carerra, but pay the price at the pump. THIS was the car used to ferry friends to dinner....
Cost to drive: somewhere between $5 and $10 per mile. If you need to ask......

You know about my wife's S Coupe. It's a great car. Drivable every day. In the S63 configuration it goes fast, stops fast, and handles well. In 18 months it has been in for one oil change/service, and had some engine tuning issues worked on at that time. We probably put about twice to three times the mileage on the Mercedes as the Bentley.
Cost to drive: Somewhere between $2 and $3 per mile. Remember - the S63 is about 1 1/2 times the cost of the S550 sedan, and has high depreciation.

Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

RAV

 

I think you are off on this one.

First off, both Bentley and Rolls Royce are owned by German companies (Volkswagen & BMW) which have completely re-engineered the cars and its manufacturing processes.
While there are many build-by-hand processes, they are just as reliable as the MB. AMG engines are build by hand as well and they are certainly not less reliable because of it...

These cars are lower-tech primarily due to low production volume and the cost of re-design; for that reason they have longer generational life cycles, nothing else.

The Mulsanne and the RR Phantom have even longer cycles as they are not direct platform copies of their German counter parts, but the overall build quality is a notch from up their standard models. If you ever sat in a Mulsanne, you would see that quickly.

Bentley used the VW Phaeton as their platform while Rolls Royce used the BMW 7 series.

Back to the OP's original question: Yes, you can absolutely compare the S-Class to the Mulsanne and Motortrend Head2Head has done so with the W222 Maybach in which the Bentley barely won.

The S-Class clearly is a better car technically and from a safety aspect while the Mulsanne has much better interior quality. Not a surprise at a $70-200K premium depending on the model.
The better comparison would be Flying Spur at which point the S-Class is a dramatically better car.

 

Here is a starting point.

Warranty is easy to compare and a quick check of their websites will give you the answers. When it comes to reliability questions, checking the respective forums may provide the best answers.

 

Correction to an earlier comment. The Bentley continental and flying spur. is based off Phaeton structure. The Mulsanne definitely does not and actually dates back to when RR and Bentley were same company. It replaced the Arnage. The engine in the Mulsanne is very updated old RR technology.

 

Wolf, thank you for response.

 

I did state that neither the Mulsanne wasn't based on the Phaeton...

 

Sorry my misread

 

This.

I'm dumbstruck for how many times maintenance and related costs are brought into question when inquiring about purchasing vehicles of this [very high end] caliber... These things shouldn't even be a thought in your head if you can afford to purchase a 6 figure car.

I also don't get why people ask others which car to buy between vehicles x, y, & z. Read/watch some reviews and take opinions from the professionals, sure, but how you like driving the car should be your deciding factor.

 

#1- RAV, thank you for the personal feed back based on your experience with both Bentley and MB. Much appreciated.
#2- reference maintenance, the closest Bentley dealership is 4 hour away so, yes my question of maintenance was based on time to go and come as well as time for tech attention. Not based on money. I am fully aware of costs involved in such a piece of equipment.
#3-so, out of 10-11 replys to a simple question of objective comparison between the two marques, Only Wolf and RAV answer the question.

 

While I agree that maintenance costs, etc shouldn't be a factor when buying a car in this class (i.e. if the normal maintenance costs are too much for you, you really can't afford the car), I don't think it is a completely bad question to ask. Part of buying any car for me is how reliable and problem-free it is. All cars need maintenance and break over time of course but if a car spends a lot of time in the shop because that model/make is more prone to issues, I would probably choose another model/maker. Not commenting on the cars mentioned here specifically just a general opinion. If I can't drive it because it's in the shop or I can't depend on it, it isn't for me. I've had those cars and it is no fun. I suspect most would agree.

For the record I'm very pleased with my S550.
Thx

 

...the closest Bentley dealership is four hours away....

You really don't care how far away the dealership is. If you are a new Bentley owner your car will be picked up and delivered on a flatbed. A loaner will be provided if requested. If you are a new MB owner they will drop off a loaner and drive your car to the dealership. MB customer care is fine. Bentley customer care is in another league. Part of the 50 to 100% cost difference...

RAV

 

This.

 

Speaking of maintenance costs I was surprised to read that oil changes can run into four figures, and even high four figures, on some high end sports cars...article.

Personally, I can still be frugal about maintenance costs, and costs in general, with a lowly S550, and if I were in the market for something higher end, I'd still shop hard for the best deal, and consider cost of ownership too. I would definitely be put off by the $3000 or $8000 oil changes mentioned in the article.

 

I had a new Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible in 1987. I left the gas cap on the pump one night and only discovered it the next day. RR wanted $170.00 for the cap. Turns out that the cap is EXACTLY the same as used on a Chevy of the same vintage, which can be had at PepBoys for about $5.00. When I asked RR about this they said that they put each of the gas caps they use through a rigorous testing process to make sure it conforms to their high standards. That was such a load of horse SHxT, just like $8,000.00 oil changes. The makers of these ultra luxury cars know you have the money and they just jam it to you every chance they get.

 

They know that most of us do not mind.

 

I think it may have something to do with how someone comes about their wealth and how they were raised. My dad came from a dirt poor immigrant family of ten children and was raised in Chicago during the Great Depression. I was raised middle to lower middle class and money was always tight. I started with nothing and made my own way. No matter what I can now afford, I have a huge problem with being ripped off and I hate wasting money. Many may not mind, but I do.

 

Bentley Mulsanne incentives are too many evocative to buy this car.

 

The one where the break room does not have a Lucas refrigerator.

 

Interesting discussion, wife and I have talked about what kind of car would be an upgrade to our S-class? I know the sales manager at the local AM/Rolls/Bentley place and we've stopped in a couple times to look over Bentleys. But only recently did I look in detail at the specs and found that a Flying Spur does not have seat massage or heated armrests/steering wheel. These are a couple of my wife's favorite things on the S.

In the arms race of advanced features, I think small volume companies like Bentley are at a real disadvantage. They make a beautifully crafted product, but can't hope to keep up with the Germans on features and technology, is how I see it.