Automotive Einstein

Having made its entrance in the rarefied environs of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and its worldwide public debut at last fall’s Frankfurt auto show, the Bentley Mulsanne is now ready to hit the streets. We’ve had a chance to do just that, but in this case the streets were the narrow village lanes, undulating country byways, and wide-open dual carriageways (divided highways) of Bentley’s home turf in the U.K. The car won’t be rolling onto U.S. roads until sometime this fall.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Bentley Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

Warning: the information and images on the following pages might antagonize you to no end. As you read about the most anticipated cars of the next four years, you might become frustrated by wanting what you can’t yet have. Just remember — good things come to those who wait. For now, dig in to the details, the spy photos, the informed illustrations, and the future-teasing concepts of our annual Sneak Preview. Thanks to our probing questions and well-placed sources, there’s plenty to dream about.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Sneak Preview – 131 Future Cars – Automobile Magazine

Having made its entrance in the rarified environs of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and its worldwide public debut at last fall’s Frankfurt auto show, the Bentley Mulsanne is now ready to hit the streets. We’ve had a chance to do just that, but in this case the streets were the narrow village lanes, undulating country byways, and wide-open dual carriageways (divided highways) of Bentley’s home turf, in the U.K. The car won’t be rolling onto U.S. roads until sometime this fall.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

With a car like the Bentley Continental GT, it’s not difficult to predict the evolution of the species. White hot expensive coupe starts proliferating in Beverly Hills until seemingly everyone in town has one. Naturally a convertible comes next (GTC), and then go fast versions of each body style (GT Speed, GTC Speed). Finally, there’s the super duper exclusive variant (Supersports), with the latest in evolutionary line being the 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible seen here.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible – 2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

You don’t need a high-riding SUV or crossover to get the winter traction benefits of four-wheel drive. There are a myriad of sedans, wagons, coupes, and even convertibles that offer four-wheel drive (usually called all-wheel drive in passenger cars) either as standard or optional equipment. We’ve gathered up a complete list of AWD passenger cars; the list is long and the choices are many. Although the advantages of four driven wheels are obvious in slippery road conditions, the technology comes at a cost. There is usually a cost premium associated with all-wheel drive, and almost always a fuel economy penalty as well. So for each car listed, we’ve indicated the extra cost of the all-wheel-drive option, or the cost differential compared with the equivalent two-wheel-drive model, as well as its EPA gas mileage ratings, and the fuel economy penalty versus the two-wheel-drive version of the same car.

Photo Gallery: AWD Vehicles – 4WD Coupes, Sedans, Wagons, Sports Cars for Winter – Automobile Magazine

With conspicuous consumption suddenly out of vogue, 10,000 sales a year is no longer a realistic goal for Bentley – today, anything beyond 6000 units is considered optimistic. The only way out of this dilemma is down – down in size, down in price, and down in ostentatiousness. For a brand like Bentley, down means the $110,000-to-$130,000 bracket, a curb weight of less than 5000 pounds, and no more than eight cylinders under the hood.