Bentley Mulsanne Speed

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Bentley Mulsanne Speed in standard-wheelbase saloon form, with the 6.75L twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, 530 bhp, an eight-speed automatic gearbox and rear-wheel drive, built at Crewe from the 2014 reveal to the end of Mulsanne production in 2020. It does not cover the standard Mulsanne with the less powerful version of the same engine, the Extended Wheelbase car, or the Mulliner variants and the 6.75 Edition built as the final run. Where those differ we say so below, because an advert that says only "Mulsanne" can describe any of them.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Bentley's own press item on the end of Mulsanne production, PistonHeads' April 2015 road test of the Speed, and the government recall checker. We also read PistonHeads reports on the 2016 facelift (23 February 2016), a used Speed (31 January 2022) and a cancelled-order car (26 November 2015), plus a specification table on Ultimatecarpage, and we flag every point that rests on them. Where sources disagree we say so rather than pick a winner quietly. We give no prices, because the used market moves and we have no reliable current data.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 6.75L twin-turbo V8 petrol, a 90-degree, two-valve, pushrod engine with an aluminium block, mounted at the front and lengthways. PistonHeads prints 6,752 cc and Ultimatecarpage 6,750 cc, so we store the rounded 6750 cc.
• Power: 530 bhp. Bentley's press item gives the Speed as 537 PS (530 bhp / 395 kW), so the metric and imperial figures describe the same output. PistonHeads prints 537 hp at 4,200 rpm, which we read as the metric figure because it matches Bentley's 537 PS. Our own check agrees: 537 divided by 1.01387 is about 530 bhp. Ultimatecarpage prints 529 bhp, a rounding difference.
• Torque: 1100 Nm, which Bentley prints as 1,100 Nm (811 lb ft). Our check: 811 x 1.3558 is about 1100 Nm. PistonHeads says the peak arrives at 1,750 rpm.
• 0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds. This is not a measured 0-100 km/h time. PistonHeads prints 4.9 seconds for 0-62 mph, and 62 mph is 99.8 km/h, so we use it as the 0-100 km/h figure. Ultimatecarpage prints 4.8 seconds for 0-60 mph, which is a different test point.
• Top speed: 305 km/h, which is the 190 mph that PistonHeads prints. Strictly, 190 mph converts to about 305.8 km/h, so a catalogue that shows 306 km/h is converting from miles per hour, while 305 km/h is the figure Ultimatecarpage prints. We could not read a Bentley specification page that states the figure, so this is a published claim, not something we have measured.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive through a ZF eight-speed automatic, with a front-mounted engine. This is not a mid-engine car.
• Weight: 2,685 kg on the PistonHeads spec box and on Ultimatecarpage, although PistonHeads' text says about 2,700 kg.
• Fuel: a 96-litre tank. PistonHeads lists 19.3 mpg on the NEDC combined cycle and 342 g/km of CO2, and says the Speed's efficiency gains add roughly 50 miles of range over the standard car.

How the Speed differs from the standard car

Bentley revealed the Speed at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, and the road test we cite is dated April 2015. PistonHeads says the Speed gets more power and torque than the standard Mulsanne and that its torque peak moved to 1,750 rpm from 2,250 rpm, where the standard car gave 752 lb ft (about 1020 Nm). Other pages we saw only as search snippets put the standard car at 505 bhp, which is consistent with that torque figure, but we did not read them in full. The Speed also has a firmer suspension tune and its own gearbox software, a black stainless steel grille and a two-piece Speed badge, according to PistonHeads.

Mechanically, Ultimatecarpage lists self-levelling air suspension, double wishbones at the front, a multi-link rear, ventilated discs and 265/40 ZR21 tyres on 9J x 21 inch wheels. Treat that table as a pointer: we read it by summary and it is not a Bentley document.

The 2016 facelift

PistonHeads reported the facelifted Mulsanne on 23 February 2016, ahead of its Geneva show debut. The nose was new from the A-pillar forward, with a grille 80 mm wider and all-LED lights with adaptive beam patterns. Inside there was updated infotainment with a 60 GB hard drive and, for rear passengers, two 10.2 inch Android tablets. New insulation made the car four decibels quieter. PistonHeads described the Speed as little changed, with the same 537 hp and 811 lb ft as before, plus its own suspension tune and gearbox software. For a buyer that means two visual generations under one name, with the same quoted output. The 2018 example we use as the photograph has the later look. Ask which one you are viewing and check the registration date against the build.

Driving character and what the road test says

PistonHeads describes the Speed's firmer suspension and sharper gearbox, and it also noted that hard use with heavy throttle can leave a slightly wilting brake pedal, and recommended the ceramic brake option. The article does not say whether that option is standard, so check the car's build specification rather than assuming. The same piece observes that many owners sit in the back, which is worth remembering when you inspect the rear seat, the rear entertainment equipment and the door shut feel.

Running costs and ownership

We found no published servicing schedule, parts price list or reliability data for the Speed in any source we read, so we cannot quote any. What we do have is a second-hand report. PistonHeads, on 31 January 2022, described a 2016 car with 25,067 miles and six previous owners, said fuelling the V8 had proved prohibitive, and wrote that the Speed depreciated almost as fiercely as it accelerated. That is one writer's view of one car, not data, but it fits the 19.3 mpg figure above. A cancelled-order car reported on 26 November 2015 shows another risk: an unregistered car can come with the first buyer's specification choices, so confirm the colour, trim and options suit you.

How many were built

We have no reliable count for the Speed alone. Bentley's press item says over 7,300 Mulsannes of all kinds were handcrafted in Crewe and that the final 6.75 Edition was limited to 30 examples, and the penultimate car was a Speed 6.75 Edition on the 21 inch five-spoke Speed wheel. Another database says 15 Speeds were built in 2014, but we do not trust it, so our catalogue gives no production count. Bentley's press item says the Mulsanne was revealed at Pebble Beach in 2009, which is why the Speed's own start year needs a note: we keep 2014 for the reveal, while Ultimatecarpage dates production to 2015 and PistonHeads tested it in 2015.

What to check before buying

• Confirm it is a Speed and not a standard Mulsanne, and that the car is a standard-wheelbase saloon, from the VIN, the build sheet and the badges.
• Work out which generation it is: the pre-2016 look or the facelifted look with the wider grille and LED lights.
• Ask for the full service history from a Bentley centre or a recognised specialist, and the number of previous owners.
• Inspect the brakes, including whether ceramic discs are fitted, and listen for any pedal softness on a long test drive.
• Test the air suspension, the infotainment and the rear entertainment equipment thoroughly, since these are the items a second-hand buyer cannot easily judge from photographs. This is our general advice, not a finding from the sources.
• Look at tyre wear on the 21 inch wheels and whether all four are matched.
• Get an independent inspection from a specialist who knows the Mulsanne.
• Run the registration through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker, because we are not looking at a specific car. The page says that for a car you use the registration number on the MOT checking service, which shows outstanding safety recalls and the MOT history. If you do not have the registration, the recall checker needs the manufacturer, model and year. The page also says you will be told by the manufacturer if a car has been recalled for any reason other than safety. We found no recall notice for the Mulsanne Speed in any source we read, and absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health. Ask a Bentley centre whether any open campaign applies to the chassis number.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a 2018 Mulsanne Speed in Glacier White, photographed in April 2019 while for sale as pre-owned. It is a facelifted car with a Hotspur interior, and the photograph carries a CC BY-SA 3.0 licence from Mr.choppers on Wikimedia Commons. We cropped and resized it. It shows no people and no registration plate, only the dealer's plate frame reflected blurrily in the showroom window.

Verdict

The Mulsanne Speed in this guide has 530 bhp, 1100 Nm, a quoted 4.9 seconds to 100 km/h and 305 km/h, rear-wheel drive and a front-mounted V8, wrapped in a long, heavy luxury saloon. It is fast in a very relaxed way, and its documented weak points are fuel use and quick depreciation, not a published fault list. If you are shopping for one, confirm the generation and variant, insist on a full history and a specialist inspection, and treat every published figure as a claim with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.