Passed a Mercedes CLS 550 the other day. I have to believe it is 99% of the car a Bentley continental gt is? Ok, maybe a cls63. Even so, isn’t the CLS about 1/2 the price of a gt? They sure do seem to have similar body styles.
If you are asking whether they share any parts, the answer is no.
Yes, the CLS is much cheaper than a Bentley GT, but when you buy a Bentley, you are getting many Volkswagen parts, and that is…priceless…
;-))
Her’s a head to head test for you to consider:
The Merc is a better deal, but if you have enough money, what difference does it make? And these cars tend to be the 4th or 6th in the stable. Note too that the Bentley was a year older. I plan to win the Megamillions $142 million tonight, and I’ll let you know when I test drive them.
If I owned a car costing $100K or more, it would worry me so much I’d get a ding when I parked it in a parking lot, I’d not be able to enjoy owning it. If somebody gave me one – like I inherited it or something – the first thing I’d do is sell it. To me, owning such a beast just wouldn’t be any fun.
The Continental GT is a re-badged VW Phaeton with a Bentley body. The Mulsane is the only “real” Bentley offed these days. I sat in a new one during a Toys for Tots party last week. Very, very nice. Weighs more than a Chevy Suburban and tips the scales at 6,000 lbs. With 505 HP and 750 ft lbs torque you would never know it. I’ll take it for a test drive next week. MSRP is only $385,000, The CLS is a nice car, but does not come close to the Bentley.
The CLS is the E-Class in a nicer suit, the Bentley shared a platform with the VW Phaeton. Both are very nice cars but they are at different price points.
“I’ll take it for a test drive next week. MSRP is only $385,000”
Hmmmmmmmmmm… must be nice!
And a Chrysler 300 is 90% of the CLS for half the price…we can play this game fior quite a while.
Hey, if I had the money I’d be test driving Bentleys too. I have no illusions of modesty. {
I have been fortunate to have test driven a number of very nice cars including the Bentley Mulsane and the new Lamborghini Hurican (another $320,000 car). I don’t, however, put down less expensive vehicles.
I recently test drove the new 2015 Hyundai Genesis with the 5.0 V8. It’s a great car and, yes, one that I would buy and enjoy driving every day. It’s RWD with an 8-speed automatic transmission with all the toys that Mercedes and BMW offer. These are available for under $50k, brand new with a 10 year warranty. If you have not driven one, go out for a test drive. I’d take it over a new CLS.
I liked the old Genesis, as it was very well equipped, nicely made, and an amazing deal, but it didn’t look great. The new one is even nicer and looks better, though it still isn’t very distinctive. These are mainly cars for Korean executives and for other countries that would rather have a car that looks generically Germany rather than having a unique look.
The top-of-the-range Equus is even more amazing inside, though they removed some of the best goodies from the US option list. No more fridge, phooey. The right rear seat used to be quite splendid, right up with the best sold. It had power everything, including the ability to move the front passenger seat forward and fold it’s back forward. From the back seat. I suspect it would refuse if the seat was occupied, but I never got to try. On the auto show circuit Hyundai had an Equus with all the goodies, and most of them powered. It’s very rare to get to play with such fancy toys.
Mercedes makes S-Classes with very similar features, but at an auto show they would have a more pedestrian model, and the vet it might be locked. The last couple of years Mercedes hasn’t even had a manufacturer-sponsored display at the San Francisco Auto Show. There local dealer had a small display with about four cars. A few years ago in the worst sales years several makes cut back on auto show participation, and not all have returned. That’s quite sad, as I used to be able to play with all the new models (exotica excepted) and now I can’t. Of course, I can’t drive, either, so it isn’t as if I have a need to form opinions.
To think about luxury cars is interesting. But, I am so used to sitting up high in my mini-van, I don’t think a regular car would suit me any more.
Several years ago, I asked about old, used Bentleys and RR. A man who had owned at least one of them said they aren’t that reliable; always need to be worked on and thus aren’t practical for most folks of ordinary incomes. Like a tail light lens might cost $1000.
"Like a tail light lens might cost $1000. "
A $1,000 tail light on a $300,000 Bentley is the same as a $100 tail light on a $30k Honda.
Many people buy a $25k used Mercedes, BMW or other expensive car that was $100k new. Yes, it’s a $25k car to buy, but it’s still a $100k car to maintain and fix. Depreciation does not affect parts and labour.
Looks like I am way off. The new amg s63 is $120k and the s65 is $180k? They are so far removed from my price range I did not look to closely.
@irlandes You might find that Rolls Royals and some Bentleys feel more familiar than most cars. They are very tall and the seating position is higher than average. I also like the seating height of minivans. It’s easy to slide right in without climbing or dropping. I’ve gone on several remarkably comfortable road trips in my brother’s Odysseys.