Just about right

When it comes to sheer luxury, nothing beats the flagship saloons from Britain's two exotic nameplates: Bentley and Rolls-Royce.Even Daimler's stab into the ultra-luxury car segment with the Maybach hasn't really upstaged those two famous marques, which are so rich in heritage despite being owned by the Germans now (Volkswagen and BMW respectively).

So it's business as usual again for the Crewe boys, as it has developed the all-new Mulsanne to become the effective replacement for the Arnage. There was supposed to be an official launch of the Mulsanne in Thailand earlier this year at the British Embassy, but the street protests last April and May forced the Thai authorised agent to cancel the event.

So, for those who need to know, the Mulsanne has prices starting from B33m, which isn't that bad if you consider the fact that potential rivals like the Maybach and Rolls-Royce Phantom will ask for B40m and beyond depending on how you would spec the cars.

Despite its similar proportions and certain design cues, the Mulsanne is an all-new Arnage. The most significant difference in the skin is the new face which - for the better or worse - can be a good point of debate.

Wherever you drive on the Mulsanne on Thai roads, people just keep on looking. You start to wonder whether onlookers are taking a keen interest because it's a Mulsanne or "what on earth is that barge" and "it must be bloody expensive".

But as you drive and ride in it, the Mulsanne feels like a proper modern-day Bentley. Whether you're inside or outside the car, it feels superbly solid, from the way the body parts are put together all the way down to the smallest detail in the opulent cabin.

It feels remarkably luxurious - just like in any other Bentley - and the slabs of genuine wood really add up to the effect. In fact, it feels more expensive than both the Maybach and RR, unless you start counting the number of switches and features.

Behold, though, the Mulsanne is comprehensively equipped. The only personalised schemes left for potential buyers to choose are body and interior colours. You obviously won't need more than a 60GB hard drive or a 2,200W sound system from Naim, as such.

And even though the Mulsanne comes with a shorter wheelbase than its intended rivals, there's so much legroom for rear passengers, which also allowed Bentley engineers to fit chairs that can slide and recline.

You really won't be craving for more cabin room, despite the fact that there are long wheelbase variants of its competitors in the guise of Maybach 62 and Phantom Long Wheelbase. It appears that stretched barges in this segment have been done for the sake of image rather than plugging a deficiency in space terms.

It's a nice car to be chauffeur-driven in, and the Mulsanne's rear ambience isn't too gadget-laden as in the Maybach nor is it just plainly aristocratic as in a Phantom; it's just about right in terms of function and luxury.

True, most buyers will be sitting in the rear, but the Mulsanne is also a great place to take the helm. As said earlier, the driving environment feels peerlessly made and oozes top quality. The steering wheel also looks good and feels great to hold onto.

But the amount of switches on the console can look busy, and some time is needed in getting acquainted with them. And under glaring sunlight, it's hard to see the operation of some functions like those pertaining to the air-con system.

We (understandably) haven't had the chance to take the Mulsanne overnight, but we heard from the Bentley boys that the cabin looks very classy at night. We obviously think so, judging from the way it already appears during the day.

Crank the 6.75-litre (six and three-quarter in Bentley speak) V8 to life and note its gentle hum. Mind you, this is not the VW-developed W12 used in the Continental range, but Bentley's fabled eight-pot used for decades albeit tweaked to meet current emission standards and performance requirements.

If you really hadn't noticed, the motor feels like any other proper modern-day V8. Under a light throttle, the engine yields gentle performance which could be attributed to the fact that Bentley has added cylinder deactivation (from eight to four) when not all 512 horses are required.

Add more pressure and the engine still yields effortless performance from low down. Aiding out on such a high level of flexibility are two turbochargers.

In fact, this is what cars in this league are all about: wafting. The idea is to get moving around without having to use kickdown. Good proof of this engine concept is the diesel-like 4,500rpm redline and both of its rivals using bi-turbo V12 engines.

Sure, you can get some serious performance by stomping that gas pedal or engaging the eight-speed automatic into sport or manual mode. But the 1,000Nm-plus of torque is really meant for smooth driving and to overcome the car's heavy body.

You can feel the Mulsanne's sheer size and weight at low speeds, but the steering is usefully light around town even though that long bonnet in front of you reminds that this is no Bimmer or Merc.

The ride is obviously on the plush side, even if you're not in comfort mode of the three-step suspension mode. So for a nice, brisk drive at high speeds, it's best to choose at least the intermediate setting for a flatter ride.

The way the Mulsanne builds up speed is simply impressive. Performance just keeps on coming collectively, while body control and external noise suppression don't seem to be affected by speed. To put it precisely, the car has great cruising ability.

Probably the only downside about the car is tyre noise, although Bentley insists that our test car had been put to hard work in driving clinics held around the Southeast Asian region so as to explain the run-down contact patches of the 20-inch rubbers.

Does the Mulsanne handle as neatly as in an S-class or 7-series? Probably not, due to the weight that can be felt in corners. But that's not the point in the Mulsanne. And if you take the Maybach or Phantom into perspective, the Mulsanne has markedly better driving characteristics.

So where does that bring us with the Mulsanne in the end? First, it's a deservedly proper flagship for the brand, as well as an effective replacement for the Arnage. Despite some familiar credentials of yore, it feels modern in its own right.

As Autocar once nicely put it, people who can't decide between a Mulsanne and Phantom should simply buy both of them.

But in our eyes and brand image aside, the Mulsanne tends to mix the attributes of both the Maybach and Phantom by being not to extreme in either direction of its two rivals.

The Mulsanne doesn't look as Korean as the Maybach or as controversial as the bizarre-faced Phantom.

And while you sit more stately, but more uprightly, in the Phantom, you could almost sleep first class-style in the Maybach. But since snoozing off is never going to be on your agenda, the Mulsanne's has a good balance between seat comfort and convenience items.

In fact, that is what the Mulsanne is all about: a very fine balance between real-world function and sheer extravagance, be at the wheel or behind the front seats.