We've seen a couple posts like this, but they were always comparing the GT to the Coupe, but this is about the Sedan version.
So to begin.. family got a Bentley.. and I've always wanted to compare it to the W140 sedan. My most important observation was on comfort.
Bentley has 552 horsepower and torque to match with a W12 engine.
Mpg 11 city / 18 highway
W140 Sedan S500 - 315 horsepower, V8
Mpg 14 city / 18 city (11/15 if S600)
Being skeptical of any car being more comfortable than the W140, I sat in the Bentley a bit biased but the longer I sat there playing and tinkering.. it soon passed.. :surrender:
Size of the car, the cars are practically identical in length and width. The Bentley is roomier though. The engine bay is a lot shorter and cramped, leaving more room for the passengers. Rear passengers have the same amount of room as the front.
Comfort wise, the W140 has slightly plushier seats and I was about to give the W140 the definite win BUT the Bentley had so many seat adjustments including the angle your shoulders curve which let you set it up to fit you like a glove. The Bentley seats are slightly harder but once you get the adjustments right, it's more comfortable and can expect to be able to ride it for a long period of time.
Suspension, the W140 wins hands down on plushness and road feel. Bentley is a "I want to be a sportscar while looking like a Sedan".. so even in comfort mode, it's pretty dang firm. There was very little noticeable difference between sport and comfort mode too. On the W140 you can't feel the texture of the road, but you can on the Bentley.
Interior quietness, the Bentley wins. It's quieter inside despite the windows not being double panned. I saw photos of the door panel insides, there's a lot more padding in there than the W140. I can usually hear the AUX fans at their lowest speed on the W140, but can't hear it on high in the bentley.
Sound system, hands down W140. Bentley missing Bass and overall the sound feels a bit empty. The only sound systems I've heard to rival W140's are $4,000+ custom setups with subwoofers.
Trunk space, Bentely, it's like 2-3 W140 trunks AND you can access the trunk through a little slot behind the rear arm rest. You could install a minifridge in there too like the W140.
Power : The Bentley has ridiculous power and 4 wheel drive helps with the control. It's so much power, I don't see myself ever using 1/2 its power throughout its lifetime to be honest. I'm assuming this means the car doesn't need to get abused to get around even in short jumps of speed, perhaps making the engine last longer. A bit unfair to compare the two, but if you compare the V12 W140, the MPG is theoretically the same, so it should be compared.
Ease of Driving, I find the W140 is easier to drive. The steering wheel is stiffer on the Bentley and requires two hands to do a sharper angle turn. The gas pedal is also slightly less predictable, it goes from smooth take off at low speed, then it tries to get up to the next possible speed limit, then it blasts off. W140 has a linear acceleration which is likable. The bentley feels quite a bit heavier than the W140 interestingly enough, it can go faster and accelerates faster sure, but it just feels heavier..
Little fun things : The Bentley (this specific one) came with a solar sunroof, and not glass sadly. But what this does is, when the car is parked & turned off, it uses the sun's solar energy to spin the fans on the interior to circulate the air so it doesn't get too hot inside. I find that neat. Depending on which key you use, it knows the settings of the driver. There's 3 keys, each key is programmed with each driver's seat position, steering wheel position, radio settings, and comfort settings. The sunroof also sounds and feels sturdier than the W140, hoping there won't be any sunroof issues like this. The headliner is all leather, thick too, not the skimpy stuff. The Bentley has two car batteries in the trunk!
Road presence, it stands out more than the W140, but not by a lot. Both cars have an imposing presence to them. However, drivers definitely brake check you more when in the Bentley... I drive at a good distance from people, further than all my friends for sure, but it just seems they're out to get you more. People also take you more seriously when it comes to "Business" when you're in a Bentley. I was able to get business cards of quite powerful people recently only after they saw me in the car. Past attempts I made with my immaculate condition W140 they were iffy about giving their card out :crying:
Reliability, tough call. Engine & Transmission the Bentley wins in reliability based on posts from other forums. Electronics, the W140 wins aside from the wiring harness. The parts on the Bentley are actually cheaper than the W140's. The brakes & rotors add up to a whopping 2k compared to the W140's 1k. Electronics & Mass airflow sensors and etc is cheaper on the Bentley. The two absolutely stupid things though is that there are no instructions about fixing it yourself (people probably think if you can afford that car, you can afford the repairs without doing it yourself, but that's not ALWAYS the case.) An example being, the headlights, you can't replace them yourself.. They're so inconvenient & tucked away at an awkward angle that you need to pay $600 for the dealer to do it. To get a replacement key it's $500!! Aside from these expensive parts, a lot of the parts came directly from some other VW car, so if you can find the right part numbers, it's big savings.
Overall impression with all the things added up, and my final opinion :
The Bentley is better overall. More fun and appears to be cheaper to maintain, and more looks from people. (This opinion is without having seen the electronics go down south in about 10 years).
Reliability aside, if I had to pick ONE car to drive around DAILY, W140. It's plusher suspension and easy to turn steering wheel make commuting a lot less stressful. Though the seats aren't as comfortable, it's still a comfortable all day sofa.
Drive the W140's proudly, keep them maintained and no point in looking at new cars. If you want to be more modern and match the W140, switch to the Bentley or a Rolls Royce. Impractical in my opinion.
So to begin.. family got a Bentley.. and I've always wanted to compare it to the W140 sedan. My most important observation was on comfort.
Bentley has 552 horsepower and torque to match with a W12 engine.
Mpg 11 city / 18 highway
W140 Sedan S500 - 315 horsepower, V8
Mpg 14 city / 18 city (11/15 if S600)
Being skeptical of any car being more comfortable than the W140, I sat in the Bentley a bit biased but the longer I sat there playing and tinkering.. it soon passed.. :surrender:
Size of the car, the cars are practically identical in length and width. The Bentley is roomier though. The engine bay is a lot shorter and cramped, leaving more room for the passengers. Rear passengers have the same amount of room as the front.
Comfort wise, the W140 has slightly plushier seats and I was about to give the W140 the definite win BUT the Bentley had so many seat adjustments including the angle your shoulders curve which let you set it up to fit you like a glove. The Bentley seats are slightly harder but once you get the adjustments right, it's more comfortable and can expect to be able to ride it for a long period of time.
Suspension, the W140 wins hands down on plushness and road feel. Bentley is a "I want to be a sportscar while looking like a Sedan".. so even in comfort mode, it's pretty dang firm. There was very little noticeable difference between sport and comfort mode too. On the W140 you can't feel the texture of the road, but you can on the Bentley.
Interior quietness, the Bentley wins. It's quieter inside despite the windows not being double panned. I saw photos of the door panel insides, there's a lot more padding in there than the W140. I can usually hear the AUX fans at their lowest speed on the W140, but can't hear it on high in the bentley.
Sound system, hands down W140. Bentley missing Bass and overall the sound feels a bit empty. The only sound systems I've heard to rival W140's are $4,000+ custom setups with subwoofers.
Trunk space, Bentely, it's like 2-3 W140 trunks AND you can access the trunk through a little slot behind the rear arm rest. You could install a minifridge in there too like the W140.
Power : The Bentley has ridiculous power and 4 wheel drive helps with the control. It's so much power, I don't see myself ever using 1/2 its power throughout its lifetime to be honest. I'm assuming this means the car doesn't need to get abused to get around even in short jumps of speed, perhaps making the engine last longer. A bit unfair to compare the two, but if you compare the V12 W140, the MPG is theoretically the same, so it should be compared.
Ease of Driving, I find the W140 is easier to drive. The steering wheel is stiffer on the Bentley and requires two hands to do a sharper angle turn. The gas pedal is also slightly less predictable, it goes from smooth take off at low speed, then it tries to get up to the next possible speed limit, then it blasts off. W140 has a linear acceleration which is likable. The bentley feels quite a bit heavier than the W140 interestingly enough, it can go faster and accelerates faster sure, but it just feels heavier..
Little fun things : The Bentley (this specific one) came with a solar sunroof, and not glass sadly. But what this does is, when the car is parked & turned off, it uses the sun's solar energy to spin the fans on the interior to circulate the air so it doesn't get too hot inside. I find that neat. Depending on which key you use, it knows the settings of the driver. There's 3 keys, each key is programmed with each driver's seat position, steering wheel position, radio settings, and comfort settings. The sunroof also sounds and feels sturdier than the W140, hoping there won't be any sunroof issues like this. The headliner is all leather, thick too, not the skimpy stuff. The Bentley has two car batteries in the trunk!
Road presence, it stands out more than the W140, but not by a lot. Both cars have an imposing presence to them. However, drivers definitely brake check you more when in the Bentley... I drive at a good distance from people, further than all my friends for sure, but it just seems they're out to get you more. People also take you more seriously when it comes to "Business" when you're in a Bentley. I was able to get business cards of quite powerful people recently only after they saw me in the car. Past attempts I made with my immaculate condition W140 they were iffy about giving their card out :crying:
Reliability, tough call. Engine & Transmission the Bentley wins in reliability based on posts from other forums. Electronics, the W140 wins aside from the wiring harness. The parts on the Bentley are actually cheaper than the W140's. The brakes & rotors add up to a whopping 2k compared to the W140's 1k. Electronics & Mass airflow sensors and etc is cheaper on the Bentley. The two absolutely stupid things though is that there are no instructions about fixing it yourself (people probably think if you can afford that car, you can afford the repairs without doing it yourself, but that's not ALWAYS the case.) An example being, the headlights, you can't replace them yourself.. They're so inconvenient & tucked away at an awkward angle that you need to pay $600 for the dealer to do it. To get a replacement key it's $500!! Aside from these expensive parts, a lot of the parts came directly from some other VW car, so if you can find the right part numbers, it's big savings.
Overall impression with all the things added up, and my final opinion :
The Bentley is better overall. More fun and appears to be cheaper to maintain, and more looks from people. (This opinion is without having seen the electronics go down south in about 10 years).
Reliability aside, if I had to pick ONE car to drive around DAILY, W140. It's plusher suspension and easy to turn steering wheel make commuting a lot less stressful. Though the seats aren't as comfortable, it's still a comfortable all day sofa.
Drive the W140's proudly, keep them maintained and no point in looking at new cars. If you want to be more modern and match the W140, switch to the Bentley or a Rolls Royce. Impractical in my opinion.
