Reading in this week's Auto Express that the new Bentley Continental is being offered with 2 engine choices - the traditional engine (6 litres or so) and a new 4 litre engine which is more economical etc etc.
Now there has always been the argument that if you can afford a car like this then you can afford the fuel etc. However I have always felt that there is another argument that these cars are bought for looks and kudos and the engine will really never be exploited to anywhere near its limits, especially if its just driven by the WAG to go to the tanning salon.
So in my eyes this makes perfect sense to offer an alternative. OK I might not see Ferrari or Porsche following the trend but maybe your Mercs, Lexus and even Rolls Royce might?
Thoughts?
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Its probably due to some EU law. Reduce your average engine sizes or else sort of thing
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More likely to be in response to the proposed changes to the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) laws in the US which will penalise manufacturers who have an average fuel consumption below 25mpg as of 2011.
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When did anyone last see a modern Bentley driven with decent despatch, let alone in anger or even mild irritation? People just waft around in the things. That's what they usually did in Rolls-Royce ones too. There was a rapid Bentley Turbo but the thing was so gross somehow.
Anyway even with the ecologically-minded-wife-or-mistress-silencing cooking engine the thing can probably swim along all right among the mimsers, no problem. What's the question exactly? If you think you're a honcho and your accountant can simulate the money get thee 24-cylinder aircooled radial by all means.
I'd rather have a rustproof, narrow, wishbone-suspended, Chrysler pushrod V8-powered Bristol myself. Less hassle, less visibility.
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The same 'logic' which makes 20stone wobblers add a bottle of diet Coke to their cake-and-pie filled trolleys at the local Tesco.
"Yes, I want a bentley BUT I don't want to be seen as a bloated plutocrat who is damaging the eco-layers and causing global swaeting or something.
"So I'll just get the smaller one, and feel a trifle smug because I'm doing my bit."
You aren't fooling anybody else but yourself, you know!
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Given that the new 4.0 engine being co-developed with fellow VAG company Audi will be a turbo (all Bentley's will be turbos won't they?) and aimed at the top end A8 as well as the Bentley:
- it's going to have (I am guessing) easily 400-500bhp
- high emissions (but lower than the 6.0 litre W12)
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>> traditional .. (6 litres or so) and a new 4 litre engine which is more economical
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>> Thoughts?
Perhaps "they" want to be (a little bit) more economical from a "green" perspective.
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>> Perhaps "they" want to be (a little bit) more economical from a "green" perspective.
But would they be forced to? VAG other companies provide lower emission cars so that should sort out the averages. Unlike say Aston Martin having to produce the Cygnet (Toyota iQ based) to lower their average CO2 emissions.
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Sometimes people buy cars on impulse. Then they forget the price.
But when using it, the high fuel cost reminds them the hefty price paid over and over again.
Then they feel they shouldn't have bought the car in first place.
Then they regret their decision.
Bentley doesn't want to make this happen :)
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Will all the footballers now be rushing out to order the Continental GT? And we'll have a glut of second hand Bentley's on the road.
There have been more Continental GTs sold than the total of all Bentley's before it was launched. Mostly to footballers and their WAGs I think ;-)
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Bentley - engine choice - RattleandSmoke
