Review of the new Bentley Arnage RL

The Bentley Arnage RL seems a straightforward proposition, effectively being an Arnage R with an extra 25mm (10 inches) grafted into the wheelbase. The trouble is, who does that extra space benefit? Certainly not the driver, who then has to park the thing. No, the Arnage RL is the sort of car you'd buy if somebody else was doing the driving and you were cosily ensconced in the back with a fine single malt, some mood music and a copy of the Financial Times to help track your portfolio.

Before we get too excited by the prospect of issuing orders from the back seat, a little perspective is in order. Exactly how much space is there in the back of this car, compared to some models we might have more of a mental handle on? The answer is quite a bit. A Bentley Continentalflying spur offers a relatively generous 980mm. The standard Arnage R offers 998mm of rear leg room. A smidgeon (the correct technical term) more is offered by a long wheelbase Jaguar XJ with 999mm but the Arnage RL trumps them all by some margin, serving up 1,181mm of room to stretch out. To top that, you'd need something like a Maybach 57 which costs £70,000 more and which has nothing like the same presence and provenance of this Bentley.

Given that this vehicle is likely to be purchased by somebody who will probably employ a man in a cap to drive it, how important is the driving experience? Certainly there's little to complain about when it comes to the sitting in the back experience. This long wheelbase model receives additional standard specification over the R including a rear centre armrest bottle cooler, a veneered rear centre cushion box, a rear Bluetooth master telephone system and a reversing camera which comes in handy for Parker up front when he's trying to slot the car into a space within striking distance of the RAC Club.

All of this would appear to hark back to an age of empire, a time when class definitions were rigidly adhered to and everybody knew their place. Surely such a car is an anachronism in this day and age? It would appear not. Arnage RL sales are climbing, possibly helped by a sharp influx of money from the East into the UK. What better way to embrace the finer things the UK has to offer than buying a Bentley?

"What's the Bentley Arnage RL like to drive? Who cares? It's great to ride about in the back though"

Whether these customers know it or not, they're buying a car that has had a lot of investment ploughed into it, albeit by different owners down the years. For 2007, the Arnage RL has been upgraded subtly. First a short history lesson. Back in 2004, Bentley realised the game had moved on. Even its prototype Continentalflying spur models were more comfortable, especially in the rear, than the existing Arnage models and if the Arnage was to maintain its place in the hierarchy, something clearly needed to be done. Rolling comfort was improved by dint of revised rear suspension geometry, changes to spring, damper and bush rates and the adoption of specially developed Pirelli P-Zero Rosso tyres. The engines for the Arnage Range at that juncture saw little change, the only key development being compliance with Euro IV emissions regulations.

With the ride quality squared away and the launch of the Flying Spur dealt with, Bentley then had time and resource to direct at improving the engines of the Arnage line up and this RL model now features a 450bhp variant of the engine that can be traced back to 1959, albeit in a '12 heads and 15 handles on this mop' manner. It's come quite some way from the original 6.25-litre unit that struggled to crack 200bhp. It was the introduction of turbocharging in the early 1980s that really started cranking horsepower figures skywards and the latest generation turbo system sees the twin blowers operating with greater efficiency at low engine speeds, reaching maximum turbine speed in half the time of their predecessors.

Both the camshafts and valve timing system have also been improved. It's easy to take progress for granted but some perspective is granted by the fact that the modern Arnage RL not only produces 250bhp more than its 1959 predecessor but only consumes 60 per cent as much fuel and, thanks to improved fuel injection and exhaust controls, its emissions output is an astonishing 99 per cent lower than Bentley's first V8.

Probably the biggest improvement to this year's RL is the introduction of a ZF six-speed automatic transmission to replace the old four-speeder. Each Arnage model has had its gear ratios especially tuned and the RL gets software to further smooth the shifts, Plus there is a more sophisticated locking torque converter that acts even more rapidly to throttle inputs, ensuring seamless acceleration. Three transmission modes (Drive, Sport and Semi-Automatic) allow the driver to take full advantage of the improved 'box. The semi auto mode works by allowing the driver to prod the lever backwards and forwards to select gears sequentially for ultimate control.

Where previous Arnage models featured engine and transmissions that were governed by separate electronic control systems, this generation features a much smarter Bosch unit. Going the other way are the sport modes for the suspension and gearbox which can now be activated independently of the other for better control. The traction control and ESP stability control systems have also been recalibrated to restore full power earlier after an intervention.

The figures may be impressive, but nothing prepares you for the moment you drop behind the wheel. Virtually everything is extravagantly, voluptuously over-engineered. The turned aluminium fascia and door inserts of the test car were beautifully finished, as was the pleated hidework on the doors and seats. You find yourself dipping switches and twisting exquisitely knurled knobs just to feel the sheer oily quality of their motion. Such is the overwhelming sense of haptic surprise and delight that merely operating the big Bentley becomes a pleasure in itself. Look closely and you might well spot the BMW-sourced ventilation controls sitting cheek by jowl with Audi-sourced audio controls but Bentley has done much to blend these apparently divergent design themes into a cohesive end result.

Even if you never take the wheel yourself, the Bentley Arnage RL never disappoints. There's something to be said for savouring the journey as well as the destination. When driving becomes a task for the hired help, you know that journey is going to be effortless.