Bentley Azure
Ratings
3 stars
Summary
Average. Vast, vastly expensive and less able than the GT-C
Review
This is not the sort of car that anybody is going to need to buy. Like a luxury yacht, it will be bought by the super-rich as an indulgent plaything - indeed Bentley reckons that Azure customers will already own at least five other cars. And for this rarefied group of customers, the Azure's massive pricetag won't matter.
Nor, probably, the fact that it is clearly inferior in most ways to its own sister, the Continental-based GT-C. The Azure's styling is clearly similar to that of the Arnage saloon, sharing its sister's slightly convoluted front end and massive proportions. To get a real impression of the car's massive 5.4 metre length you need to view it from the rear three quarters and over the huge bootlid.
Yet despite being enormous on the outside it's less than spacious within. Front seat occupants enjoy a reasonable amount of space, but rear legroom feels very limited considering the vast external dimensions. The cabin is finished to a very high standard with what feels like acres of wood trim and a couple of milking sheds-worth of leather.
Performance comes from an effortlessly understressed 6.75 litre V8 engine, which pits its prodigious output against the Azure's vast bulk to produce impressive acceleration - although the power-to-weight ratio is barely that of a modern hot hatch. Steering is far less vague than that of previous Bentley coupes and handling is responsive enough, but the very old-fashioned automatic gearbox only has four ratios.
And as for running costs? Well, if you need to ask, then you undoubtedly won't be able to afford them.
Ratings Breakdown
Styling
3 star
Big and brutish, the Azure sticks closely to the same visual script as its Arnage sister. Handsome - but a bit OTT for most.
Handling
2 star
The Azure musters plenty of grip, but driver involvement is limited by over-light steering and the car's enormous bulk.
Comfort
4 star
Wonderfully smooth and wafty at lower speeds, although the cabin suffers from pronounced buffeting when running with the roof down at a faster pace.
Quality & Reliability
4 star
Hand built to Bentley's usual high standards - the cabin is a really special place to spend time. But we'll have to wait and see if it suffers from the same gremlins that affect the Arnage.
Performance
4 star
Okay, so it's nothing like as rapid as something with 450 bhp should be - but the engine's enormous torque makes for effortless progress.
Roominess
3 star
Light, spacious and airy in the front - but the rear is tighter-fitting than it should be in something this size. At least the boot is massive.
Running Costs
1 star
Keeping the Azure on the road will cost more than supplying the habit of a cocaine-addicted elephant - steep depreciation, massive insurance bills and horrendous fuel economy.
Value for money
1 star
Azure buyers really are paying for exclusivity here. Bentley's own GTC is a far better car in pretty much every regard and is nearly £100,000 cheaper.
