2005 Bentley Arnage Test Drives

2005 Bentley Arnage T

The Bentley Arnage, a stately classic, is just about as charming and luxurious as cars get.

At a base price of around a quarter of a million dollars, the Bentley Arnage sedan may be older and cost less than the significantly more expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom from BMW and the Maybach cars of DaimlerChrysler, but it still is a comparative bargain, and certainly does not feel second-class next to those extremely exclusive vehicles.

Ridiculously expensive sedans such as these (the Arnage T we tested had a sticker price of $254,000, and the Rolls and Maybachs start at over $300,000 each) are frequently associated with chauffeurs. Both the Arnage and Maybach model lines offer optional, longer models that are intended as executive limousines.

Fortunately for the chauffeurs -- as well as the buyers of these cars, and us -- Rolls-Royce and Maybach, but especially Bentley, go out of their way to also make their vehicles "driver's cars." Bentley, of course, has a long racing pedigree, having dominated the Le Mans circuit in the 1920s and '30s. The Arnage's lines each have engines with 450 horsepower or more, so you can tell your driver to "let it rip" or "drop the hammer," or you can instruct him to sit in the passenger's seat and have the fun yourself.

Today, Bentley, which is owned by Volkswagen, offers three models in the Arnage line: the R, RL and T. The RL is the model with the extended wheelbase (the distance from the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheels) and is intended for use with chauffeurs. Our Arnage T loaner model, on the other hand, was the high-horsepower edition in the range -- the one that we had makes you feel like you're driving an invincible tank powered by rockets.

Read on to see if it's worth all that money.