More on the monster Bentley’s engine

Since Bentley gave us our most expensive test car ever, at Dhs 1.3 million, I figured I’d write a bit more on it. Considering Aston Martin wanted proof of age, website demographics, blood group, etc, just to take out their Dhs 800,000 DB9 for 6 hours (which they never did give eventually), it was a leap of faith for Bentley to give us their Arnage R for four whole days on request, no questions asked. But all things considered, the 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 is one hell of a motor.

The basic design of this slightly-unruly engine dates back to 1959! Updates came over the years, with the most significant being the electronics upgrade earlier this decade, and a switch to Mitsubishi turbochargers in 2007 for a 50 hp gain.

While we usually rag on rough-running motors such as any Peugeot 2.0 or Audi 1.8T four-cylinder, the brute force of the Bentley engine is enough to quell any complaints, drowning out any whining with its thunderous roar. We occassionally left the windows open just to listen to the motor. It is the first car we drove that combined the roar of a V8 with the cool whoosing sounds of a twin-turbo setup.

Turbo lag? What’s that? While its peak power of 450 hp comes on at 4100 rpm, more impressive is the impossibly-high 875 Nm of torque, all dumped through the rear wheels at only 1800 rpm! Just press in the throttle a bit and the car gives you a back-ache with its massive kick. And even then, it is easy to control in traffic due to its decent throttle pedal feel, unlike the crap drive-by-wire setup in cars such as the jumpy Mercedes-Benz CLS500.

Turning off the traction control, I couldn’t get a good 0-to-100 time because even a mild launch at 2000 rpm starts a squealing burnout even before I take my foot off the brake pedal. I gave up trying for a better time because burnouts on public streets are never a good idea. This one will take practice and a few extra sets of rear tyres. Interestingly, overtaking power on the highway is enough to scare Porsches, as the Arnage R only needs a couple of seconds to jump from 100 kph to 140 kph, while still managing to give you a back-ache.

One cool side-effect of this power was that this car never understeers. Rather, it does mild slides around roundabouts if you touch the throttle even a little bit. However, it behaves itself if the stability control is left on, so elderly buyers need not get worried. The handling itself is surprisingly flat and sporty for its size, although it does show its weight once in a while. I’ll write more on that in the actual review.

I miss the feel of this car already. It is amazing how monstrous the Bentley feels. Though I’ve never driven a 1970s muscle car, I am sure this is probably how it felt like. However, the Bentley probably handles a hundred times better, and offers a million times more comfort. Make that one-point-three million.