Currently reading: Bentley considers diesel
Luxury car maker could use Audi-sourced diesel

Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn has dropped the biggest hint yet that Bentley is considering a diesel engine option for some models.

In an interview with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport this week, Winterkorn answered questions about the state of Volkswagen’s upper luxury marques, saying: “With Bentley we will react to the changing market conditions. I could well imagine a six-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel in a Bentley.”

Winterkorn’s comments oppose those of Bentley boss, Franz-Josef Paefgen, who recently told journalists that Bentley was not planning to introduce a diesel engine in any model.

The diesel referred to by Winterkorn is a new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 common-rail unit presently undergoing development by Audi. Rumoured to deliver over 300bhp and over 440lb ft of torque, it should be unveiled in the third-generation A8 at next year’s Frankfurt motor show.

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Colonel Snappy 28 November 2008

Re: Bentley considers diesel

Brooklands wrote:
Many years ago i owned a new Bentley, but i went off the brand due to too many cars (the Continental models) being produced for my liking. I now own an Aston Martin DB9 which i bought new in 2006 and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S bought new last year. As a former new Bentley owner and 5 friends who are regular new Bentley buyers, i think i am well placed to know what Bentley owners are saying.

LOL - ru Steve Steeles evil twin?

Brooklands 28 November 2008

Re: Bentley considers diesel

ThwartedEfforts wrote:

My response about knowing [insert random number] of Bentley owners was merely to illustrate just how imbecilic your boast was. Reading your recent messages it's clear that you are about 14 years old and should probably spend lest time telling strangers on the Internet that they only know about the "lower to middle of the market" and get back to finishing your geography homework.

For reference I am a Bentley customer - that's me, personally, not some property developer acquaintance of my father - and diesel is merely a fuel type, petrol not a cachet. Some of the best engines in the world are oil-burners and the question remains, why not put them in some of the best cars?

Incidentally, you can now buy an Arnage for less than the cost of a Mondeo. Does that catapult the Ford into the realms of the "top end of the market" or are second hand Bentleys just cheap? Idiot.

So i'm an idiot because 5 friends who really do own new Bentleys have views and you disagree with them. They are the Bentley owners and they don't like diesel engined cars. They think they are for the masses and not for low volume manufacturers and yes, Bentley are low volume when compared to Mercedes, BMW and Audi. You could say Aston Martin are high volume when compared to Bristol cars.

Many years ago i owned a new Bentley, but i went off the brand due to too many cars (the Continental models) being produced for my liking. I now own an Aston Martin DB9 which i bought new in 2006 and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S bought new last year. As a former new Bentley owner and 5 friends who are regular new Bentley buyers, i think i am well placed to know what Bentley owners are saying. There's no need to shoot the messenger Thwarted. Personally, if any of the low volume manufacturers started fitting a disel, i wouldn't buy their cars.

As far as some of the greatest cars being diesel, i can't think of any. If you look at the top 100 cars of all time, none are a diesel. With regards to residuals, nobody spends over £100,000 on a car if they are concerned about residuals and running costs. You lose a fortune in VAT and depreciation on all luxury cars anyway, fitting a diesel makes little difference. Although it would on a Range Rover or Land Rover Discovery which are a lot cheaper with most being company cars, Bentleys of course are mostly bought by rich private buyers. As far as an Arnage at Mondeo prices, since most Arnages do low mileage and are replaced every 3 years, that just doesn't stand up. A low mileage Arnage with full dealership service history would have to be old for that kind of money.

If they insist on fitting a diesel engine in Bentleys, then it most remain within the Continental models and never reach the 'real' Bentleys. I do agree with a post above in that i see Hybrid technology rather than diesel as the future. Anyway, we keep hearing talk coming from ministers they want to increase the cost of diesel to take away the benefits over petrol for none commercial vehicles. This because of the poisonous pollutants diesel emits causing asthma in the young and old and increasing attacks for asthmatics in built up large towns and cities. Diesel is not the future but petrol hybrids are. They are cleaner and quieter. Todays petrol hybrids have plenty of torque available when needed.

ThwartedEfforts 28 November 2008

Re: Bentley considers diesel

Brooklands wrote:
The reason i decided to take a 'snide' slant to ThwartedEfforts was he argued with no evidence whatsoever (i know 4750 or whatever owners on a forum LOL) and did it with such arrogance and lack of 'real' basis that i had no option to reply like that. I personally have nothing against ThwatedEfforts, i just think you need more evidence than just personal feeling or because a few mates down the pub thinks so kind of attitude to evidence. And then to say it with such arrogance is rather ignorant.

My response about knowing [insert random number] of Bentley owners was merely to illustrate just how imbecilic your boast was. Reading your recent messages it's clear that you are about 14 years old and should probably spend lest time telling strangers on the Internet that they only know about the "lower to middle of the market" and get back to finishing your geography homework.

For reference I am a Bentley customer - that's me, personally, not some property developer acquaintance of my father - and diesel is merely a fuel type, petrol not a cachet. Some of the best engines in the world are oil-burners and the question remains, why not put them in some of the best cars?

Incidentally, you can now buy an Arnage for less than the cost of a Mondeo. Does that catapult the Ford into the realms of the "top end of the market" or are second hand Bentleys just cheap? Idiot.