Can You Daily Drive a Bentley? (5 Pros & Cons Explained)
The steep prices aside, Bentleys are excellent daily drivers as they faithfully fulfill their mission of ferrying the driver and passengers from A to B in luxurious comfort.
Bentley’s Positives as a Daily Driver
#1 Excellent Balance of Comfort and Performance
Bentley vehicles strike a delicate balance between comfort, refinement, and respectable performance.
Bentleys aren’t sports cars, but they generally have quick-enough steering that makes them feel smaller than their size.
Acceleration is brisk in Bentley sedans and SUVs: the Flying Spur can sprint 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, while the Bentayga can reach the same speed in a scant 3.8 seconds.
Most Bentleys share the turbocharged V8 or W12 powertrain; even the smaller of the two can capably haul its burly weight (5,000 lbs or more) effortlessly and the passengers in supreme comfort.
The seats are supportive, supple, and immensely comfortable even over long distances.
Wind and road noise in the sedans and SUVs is minimal too; the cabins are typically whisper-quiet on the highway.
#2 Exquisitely Crafted Cabin and Voluminous Interior
The opulent interior is why Bentleys are supremely comfortable daily drivers and a joy to spend time in.
Bentley sedans like the Flying Spur, Mulsanne, Brooklands, and Arnage have spacious cabins with a premium feel that few cars of their respective times can match.
There is also ample headroom and legroom in the midsize Bentayga SUV, ensuring a comfortable ride for the passengers.
However, cargo capacity isn’t one of Bentley’s strong points.
They are typically below-average compared to cars of similar sizes in the luxury or mainstream segment.
Bentley’s Negatives as a Daily Driver
#3 Massive Fuel Bill
It is doubtful that fuel economy is a major concern among Bentley owners.
Still, Bentley cars come with big engines that consume premium fuel in a hurry.
For example, the Bentley Flying Spur with a W12 engine registers a 15 mpg average, while its V8-powered version returns a marginally-higher 17 mpg combined.
The Bentayga SUV, with its 600-plus horsepower 12-cylinder power plant, is similarly thirsty, achieving 15 mpg combined.
Opt for a V8 Bentayga for a higher fuel economy – it’s considerably cheaper yet is abundantly powerful and doesn’t lack any of the W12’s off-road capability.
Better still is the hybrid Bentayga, introduced in 2020; it returns a marginally higher 19 mpg in mixed driving.
Despite the average gas mileage for the number of cylinders, the manufacturer tends to provide mpg calculations on the optimistic side.
The use of premium fuel is a must for most Bentleys.
#4 Prohibitive Pricing
Unless you opt for a used Bentley that has bottomed out in its depreciation curve, Bentleys are expensive ultra-luxurious daily drivers.
Brand-new Bentayga, Continental GT, and Flying Spur, in their base form, retail for around the $200,000 sticker price.
On the other hand, large luxury sedans like the Lexus LS 500 and BMW 7-Series can be yours for under $100k.
They are as comfortable and luxurious at considerably less money.
#5 Relatively Steep Value Depreciation
Luxury vehicles lose their value quickly, and Bentleys are no different.
The Bentley Bentayga SUV loses 54% of its value after five years and 77% after ten years.
The Bentley Continental GT, with slightly stronger value retention, depreciates 45% after the initial five years and 63% at the decade mark.
Let’s see how Bentleys compare with other luxury cars:
| 5-yr Depreciation | 10-yr depreciation | |
| Rolls-Royce Wraith | 39% | 64% |
| Lexus LX 570 (SUV) | 41% | 65% |
| Bentley Continental GT | 45% | 63% |
| Rolls-Royce Ghost | 46% | 64% |
| Bentley Bentayga (SUV) | 54% | 77% |
| Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 55% | 81% |
| Audi S8 | 61% | 86% |
Rolls-Royces are as expensive as Bentleys, but they hold value better.
Specific Bentley Models:
Daily Driving a Bentley Arnage
2009 was the final model year for the Arnage.
It was an impressive luxury vehicle when it debuted more than two decades ago. Still, the Bentley Arnage is now a relatively poor daily driver with a petrol-guzzling engine, and it lacks the tech and safety features found in today’s cars.
That said, it is surprisingly agile for such a powerful touring sedan.
Daily Driving a Bentley Bentayga
It was Bentley’s first SUV and represented the first generation of super-luxury SUVs to hit the market.
The Bentley Bentayga meets plenty of daily-driving criteria, making it a superb choice for an everyday vehicle:
- Comfortable seats with excellent ride quality.
- Silent cabin even at high speeds.
- Good forward visibility with its relatively upright body and slim pillars.
- Impressive build quality.
- Adequate storage (17 cubic feet with the foldable rear seats in place).
Its notable drawbacks include the high sticker price and poor fuel economy.
The Bentayga has a hybrid powertrain, but the net mpg gain is unimpressive.
Daily Driving a Bentley Brooklands
It was a limited-production model and an evolution of the Arnage sedan.
The Bentley Brooklands luxury coupe is a poor daily driver with an expensive price tag, massive size, and an ultra-large appetite for fuel.
But if you can stomach the high fuel consumption, the Brooklands’s cabin is spacious and ultra-luxurious with plenty of hand-finished leathers and high-gloss veneers, ensuring a plush ride with little road noise.
It handles well despite its colossal weight.
Daily Driving a Bentley Continental GT
If you can live with the less practical layout of a two-door coupe or convertible, the Bentley Continental GT can make a reasonably good daily driver despite some flaws:
- Handles well through the corners despite its ample mass.
- Sublimely comfortable cabin.
- Limited outward visibility, especially out the back.
- Pricey (new models start at a quarter-million dollars).
Daily Driving a Bentley Flying Spur
The Bentley Flying Spur is suitable for daily driving with an expert mix of performance, comfort, and ultra-luxury:
- Eminently comfortable and luxurious.
- Spacious front and back seats with wide doors that make access and exit easy.
- Quick steering, making it feel nimbler than it is.
- Average outward visibility with the slim pillars, but the high beltline limits the window height.
The Flying Spur has a gas/electric plug-in hybrid version, but it has a negligible mpg performance gain.
Daily Driving a Bentley Mulsanne
Like the other Bentleys, the Mulsanne sedan is a reasonably good choice for daily driving with its stately ride quality and plenty of thrust from its turbocharged V8.
However, the trunk (under 16 cubic feet) is small for a large sedan, limiting the car’s daily practicality to an extent.
Alternatives to Bentley for Daily Driving
The luxury car segment has several viable alternatives, often as luxurious as Bentley for less:
- Rolls-Royce (similar price points to Bentleys)
- Mercedes-Benz
- BMW
- Lexus
- Porsche (the Panamera sedan and Cayenne SUV are excellent choices)
References:
https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models.html
https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/past-models/bentley-brooklands.html
https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/past-models/arnage.html
https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/past-models/mulsanne-past.html