Mulliner, as well as Bentley are two of the oldest names in automotive history, especially if we count only those that never stopped what they were doing for any significant amount of time. Naturally, when you put the two together, the result can be nothing short of perfection. It’s not surprising then that the 2018 Bentayga Mulliner was the most expensive Bentayga money could buy up until that point, and by some margin. But that’s as it should be since the Mulliner trim got customers a ton of bespoke features, some of which, like the interior, are among the most interesting ones ever made. Not to mention that having the Mulliner name on a Bentley by itself carries a lot of weight. And so do all the luxuries found in the Bentayga Mulliner, despite which it still remained in the top three fastest SUVs on the market in 2018. Now, since there are a ton of interesting details to talk about the Bentayga Mulliner, let's not waste any more time. That’s unless you are in the market for a Bentayga in which case take a quick break to look at the ones currently for sale here at Exotic Car Trader.
Back in the early days of the automobile before Henry Ford introduced mass production, many car manufacturers in Europe sold only frame chassis and engines. The bodies would have to be coach built by third party manufacturers, one of which is Mulliner. Mulliner has been making bodies mainly for Rolls Royce and Bentley since 1900. And even after car manufacturers began selling complete cars, Mulliner continued to make special versions of those cars and it even made standard bodies for a good number of brands. But since 1959, Mulliner has mainly been associated with Bentley and today, it’s Bentley’s personal commissioning division. Over the years, virtually every Bentley model could be had with the special touch of Mulliner and all special requests were done by it as well. Naturally, the Bentayga was to receive the Mulliner badge eventually and for the 2018 model year, that’s just what happened. And the model was so successful that the latest, 2020 generation Bentayga had the Mulliner trim on offer right from the first year of production.
The exterior of the 2018 Bentley Bentayga Mulliner had to be easily distinguishable from the rest of the range considering its astronomical price tag. And one of the key features that differentiated it from other Bentaygas, at least for a short while, is the two tone color scheme. On virtually all Mulliner Bentaygas the roof, the hood and the surrounding trim of the main grille was painted a contrasting color from the rest of the body. That said, the two tone color scheme was later available as an option on all Bentaygas plus customers could still have the Mulliner painted a single color. Still, the vast majority of Mulliners were optioned with a two tone. The next upgrade is the painted lower trim all around which usually comes in matte black, and the lower mesh grilles in the bumper came finished in chrome as standard. Also, the special 22 inch wheels were bespoke to the Mulliner and they had a much simpler and more timeless design unlike the rest of the lineup. The wheels could also be had in two tone colors, none of which was the boring brushed face with a black barrel.
Inside the Bentayga Mulliner is much more special than the rest of the model lineup which isn’t something that the exterior would necessarily lead you to believe. For starters, the interior leather colors are split between front and rear which isn’t found on virtually any other modern vehicle. In other words, the front seats are a different color than those in the rear with contrasting pieces all around to tie everything together nicely. Such a color split alone is enough to make the Mulliner Bentayga interesting. Furthermore, the Mulliner got more exclusive wood trims, with the most interesting one being the Ombre Burr Walnut. The Ombre Burr Walnut means the dashboard trim is piano black which continues half way through the front door trims before it starts fading into brown walnut wood. At least to our knowledge, such a transition isn’t found on any other vehicle ever made. The Mulliner also gets a bottle cooler between the rear seats with integrated interior lighting and crystal champagne flutes. The 1,950 watt Naim sound system comes as standard and so does the Touring Specification which gets the customer additional driver aids such as night vision and a heads up display.
Back in 2018, the W12 engine was the only one available for the Bentayga in the US. Consequently, that’s the only engine you can expect in a Bentayga Mulliner but unlike the exterior and interior, nothing about the engine and drivetrain is changed. Still, that doesn’t mean the Bentayga Mulliner is lacking anything in terms of performance. The giant 6 liter W12 makes 608 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. Even with the Bentayga’s 2.5 ton weight, the sheer power of the engine is enough to sling shot the Bentayga Mulliner to 60 in four seconds. The top speed is equally impressive at 187 mph making with only the Bentayga Speed being slightly faster with a top speed of 190 mph. That makes this ultra luxury SUV virtually just as fast as performance SUVs like the Lamborghini Urus and Cayenne Turbo. And thanks to its sophisticated four wheel drive system that comes standard on all Bentaygas, it can handle its own power in a very safe manner.
When it was new, the 2018 Bentley Bentayga Mulliner had a starting price of $298,000 in the US. That's quite a gap from the entry level Onyx Edition which had a base price of $195,000, and even the second most expensive trim, the Black Edition, was $59,000 cheaper than the Mulliner. And let’s remember that this is a Bentley we are talking about so there is doubt that many of them crossed the $300,000 mark with exclusive options and materials added on top of everything. Today, the Bentayga Mulliner is still the most expensive one even on the used market. Standard Bentaygas go for around $90,000, while higher trim levels go for around $110,000 to $120,000. On the other hand, the Bentayga Mulliner rarely sells for less than $150,000 even with relatively high miles. Still, that’s quite a discount considering that these are still essentially brand new vehicles with most of them having done less than 10,000 miles.
The Bentayga was never aimed at those who are looking for good value for money. On the contrary, it was aimed at customers who wanted to make a statement by buying the most expensive SUV on the market and the 2018 Bentayga Mulliner is the most expensive version of the most expensive SUV. But the customers did get a ton of interesting features for their money, especially inside which make the Bentayga Mulliner stand out even today. And if you are looking to buy one, Exotic Car Trader can help make the entire process as convenient as pushing a few buttons on your screen. Exotic Car Trader handles everything from escrow and first inspection to paperwork and delivery. All you as the buyer have to do is make an account and send an offer to the seller in just a few clicks. The same goes if you are looking to sell your car through Exotic Car Trader or even if you are looking to trade it with one of our current customers.
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