2020 Bentley Mulsanne Speed

This year, the Bentley Mulsanne will bow out with a final edition model called the 6.75 Edition. It follows a period of dwindling sales as even the world's most well-heeled buyers turn to SUVs, including Bentley's own Bentayga. The Mulsanne Speed, a more powerful version of the regular Mulsanne, will also get the axe, so this is the last opportunity to take advantage of the only ultra-luxurious sedan in the world that cares as much about the driver as anyone occupying the back seat. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is the only other mega-luxury sedan beyond the $300,000 mark, but that car is more about being chauffeured around than doing the driving yourself. For its final run, the Mulsanne Speed continues with the long-running 6.75-liter V8 with 530 horsepower and a titanic 811 lb-ft of torque. It'll gracefully reach 60 mph in under five seconds while pampering its occupants in a fastidiously crafted cabin. The rapid performance hasn't affected the sublime ride, and each Mulsanne Speed can be customized to the buyer's exacting tastes. It's a car that will be sorely missed.

Nothing gets the message of the Mulsanne Speed's exclusivity across more than its MSRP of $342,300, and that's before taking into account added costs like tax, licensing, registration, and a destination charge of $2,725. With the ability to customize the Speed, the final price can soar beyond $400,000 easily.

The Mulsanne Speed's air suspension with continuous damping control provides the Bentley with a truly serene ride. It's easier to spot a bump in the road with the naked eye than to feel it through the absorbent suspension, so adept is this car at isolating its occupants. The effect is enhanced by the vault-like build quality, with wind/engine noise nearly absent and squeaks and rattles not a factor at all.

It doesn't fall apart in the twisties, either. The overall feel isn't drastically different from the regular Mulsanne, which means that a soft, secluded feel still dominates, but the steering wheel does actually feel connected to the front wheels; when in Sport mode, there is just enough weighting to the helm so that it feels like the car needs you there - unlike the Rolls-Royce Phantom, where the driver's presence almost seems optional. Most of the time, the 'Bentley' driving mode will suffice, striking the ideal balance between Comfort and Sport.

The brakes could do with a touch more bite, but they're also tasked with the enormous job of bringing nearly 6,000 lbs of car to a halt. So, a more deliberate stab of the pedal is sometimes needed to rein in the big Bentley.

Right at the end of its life, the Mulsanne Speed has aged like fine wine. Full-size mega-luxury sedans like this one are fast falling out of favor in the market, and it's a shame: these sedans often seat just as many people as their SUV counterparts and, sitting lower to the ground, are more enjoyable to drive. The regal Mulsanne Speed also marks the departure of the 6.75-liter engine that has been in production in some form or another for over half a century. In the Speed, it waves goodbye in perhaps its finest iteration, with over 800 lb-ft of torque effortlessly whisking the heavy sedan down the road. One also can't help but love that at a price point where many owners prefer to be driven by someone else, Bentley built a car with a focus on the driver. The beautiful cabin and the smooth ride are other plus points. We'll miss the magnificent Mulsanne Speed and, if you can still get your hands on one, you won't be disappointed.

Usually, we're circumspect about the options we advise buyers to take and which ones to skip. In the case of the Mulsanne Speed, which already starts at well over $300,000, we're more inclined to go with whatever the heart wants. Adaptive cruise control seems necessary on a luxury sedan of this ilk, so we'd tick that box. We'd also want the best possible seats, so ventilated and massaging will go onto our list too, along with the Entertainment Specification for the ultimate in rear-seat nirvana. Of course, those champagne flutes and the refrigerated bottle holder complete the picture.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom stands alone as the ultimate mega-luxury sedan, but if any car could legitimately challenge the status and luxury of the Rolls, it's the Mulsanne. At over $100,000 dearer than the Mulsanne Speed, the Rolls-Royce's price alone sets it apart from virtually everything else on the road. The Rolls has the novelty of a magnificent V12 engine with over 560 hp and similar performance to the Mulsanne Speed, but while the Phantom is unmatched in its ability to glide down the road, the Speed sacrifices a little of this smoothness for a more involving driving experience. With its rear-hinged coach doors and probably the most revered automotive badge there is, the Phantom is hard to beat. But at over $100k less, the Mulsanne Speed is the only car that gets anywhere close.

At around half the price of the Mulsanne Speed, the Mercedes-Maybach plugs the gap between the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the luxury sedan kings (the Mulsanne and the Rolls-Royce Ghost/Phantom). Being based on the regular S-Class is both a good and a bad thing for the Maybach, as it builds upon that car's magnificent cabin materials and truly special driving manners; on the downside, the Maybach doesn't feel as bespoke and exclusive as the Mulsanne Speed. You can get the Maybach with a sublime 621-hp V12 engine, though, giving it the ability to out-accelerate even the Mulsanne Speed. The German also exhibits surprising agility considering its bloated proportions. Although the Bentley's cabin is an extraordinary feat of style and quality, the Maybach's interior is just as meticulously crafted, and it also ships with far more standard features than the Mulsanne Speed. Logically, the Maybach S is simply more car for much less money, but the grand Mulsanne Speed still tugs at the heartstrings a bit harder.