New Car Clash

Prepare for the car world's Clash of the Titans!

All-new models from top British marques Rolls Royce and Bentley are going head to head to achieve the ultimate blend of power and refinement and take the title of best car in the world.

Some may think that it's overstating the case to suggest that the launch of Bentley's imposing new Mulsanne is a strong contender for car event of 2010.

But a combination of the company's reputation for exceptional engineering with the fact that the Mulsanne will be the first 'grand Bentley' the firm has developed for 80 years makes it hard to doubt that it will be a landmark motoring moment.

Set to be an even longer car than the Arnage it replaces, Bentley clearly intends its new four-door flagship to have ultimate road presence.

Harking back to graceful Bentleys of old, but giving the look a modern, sleeker spin, the Mulsanne has a much more upright face than the firm's smaller Continental and is dominated by a pair of huge round headlights together with a traditionally imposing broad, mesh grille.

But with a name that highlights the company's 'second home' in France and the firm's victories at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, it's clear that this new car will be no lumbering limo.

Providing the power will be the company's famous 6.75 litre V8 engine, freshly re-engineered for the Mulsanne, which is expected to carry the luxury cruiser to a top speed in excess of 200mph.

For a car of its size, there's no doubt that would be an extremely impressive achievement.

To ensure the V8 is put to best use, greater stability and traction will be gained by the Mulsanne sending its power to all four of its enormous wheels.

Inside, the new Bentley will blend all the latest in-car technology with the company's trademark quality leather and wood trim, exemplified by how the screen controlling the car's 'infotainment' system disappears behind a veneered dashboard panel when not in use.

Altogether, the new Mulsanne looks set to be a difficult package to beat. But Rolls Royce thinks they have the answer, in the form of a new 'baby' model called the Ghost.

Sitting below the majestic Phantom limo in the company's range, the Ghost is designed to be a smaller and more nimble. More of a driver's car, that will nevertheless match the Phantom's levels of interior comfort.

Similar, backwards-opening rear doors to the Phantom's will give the Ghost's lucky passengers access to a top quality cabin replete with the typically abundant leather trim and wood panelling associated with the marque.

Surprisingly for the company with the grandest reputation, the Ghost will be priced to undercut the new Bentley. But perhaps more predictable is that the Rolls will target the ultimate levels of ride comfort most associated with the company's cars rather than compete with the sheer speed of the Mulsanne.

But that doesn't mean the Ghost will lack pace, as power will be provided by an exclusive 6.6 litre V12 engine.

For those with the money to seek the ultimate combination of power and refinement, choosing between these new offerings from Rolls Royce and Bentley is going to be a difficult task.

From Bentley to Mini and electric cars to supercars, 2010 is proving a bumper year for new model launches in the British car industry.

After the credit crunch inflicted temporary closures and cutbacks on the major UK car plants, a range of ground-breaking new models are breathing fresh life back into the sector.

In an exciting series of launches, all-new metal from iconic British brands like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Land Rover, Mini and Jaguar - and many more manufacturers besides - are set to roll off UK production lines.

In this first of a series of articles, we take a look at new developments at two of the world's most prestigious and revered car brands that are leading the way from the very peak of the industry - Bentley and Rolls Royce.

The final appearance on the roads of Bentley's hotly antipicated new Mulsanne will be a landmark moment in the car world - a worthy candidate, even, for car event of the year.

Not only does the company's reputation make the all-new model very likely to be a stunning feat of engineering, but as the first big Bentley to be independently designed and built by the firm for 80 years its emergence will be a truly historic motoring moment.

Named with a nod to the company's Le Mans racing heritage and stretching to a greater length than the outgoing Arnage, the company's imposing new four-door flagship seems set to give the rival Rolls Royce Phantom a run for its money even when it comes to sheer road presence.

Featuring a much more traditional, upright face than the smaller Continental, the Mulsanne's front end is marked out by a pair of huge round headlights and enormous chrome mesh grille.

Like all flagship Bentleys for the last 50 years, providing the power will be a mighty V8 engine. A newly uprated version of the company's famous 6.75 litre powerplant is expected to carry the hand-built limo to an impressive 200mph top speed for a car this size and weight.

But not even Bentley can ignore the frugal times into which their new car will be born. To save fuel and emissions the engine features cylinder deactivation technology and in common with the Continental, for greater traction and stability, will send its power to all four wheels.

Even the wheels themselves are remarkable. At 20 inches they will be the largest currently available on a production road car.

The Mulsanne's interior will blend cutting-edge gadgets such as a powerful 60Gb hard drive audio system with the company's trademark hand-prepared wood and leather trim.

Cars for the model's first customers are already being crafted at the company's base in Crewe, Cheshire, ready for delivery this summer.

But not to be outdone by their former prestige stablemate, Rolls Royce have this year unveiled a new 'baby' model and given it a name last used on its cars a century ago - the Ghost.

Designed as a smaller companion for the company's huge ultimate limo, the Phantom, the modern day Ghost will be faster and more powerful yet will aim to match the ultimate luxury of the flagship model's interior.

Rear-hinged doors will be carried over from the Phantom and passengers in the new Ghost will be met with a cabin finished with only the finest materials and trimmed with traditionally generous Rolls Royce quantities of wood and leather.

Set to undercut the new Bentley on price, the Ghost will however aim less for ultimate performance than for unmatched ride comfort.

Rolls Royce claims that their new baby's chief weapon in its battle with the Mulsanne to be named the world's best luxury car will be its intelligent air-suspension system, which will aim to balance agility at speed with the ultimate levels of ride comfort expected from the company's cars.

But the focus on ride doesn't mean the Ghost will be short of power. Up front will be an enthusiastic 6.6 litre V12 engine exclusive to this car.

The only blemish on the 'compact' Roller's otherwise impeccable credentials looks set to be the use of company owner BMW's much-criticised iDrive cabin control system. But every other element of the new car's cabin will be unique to the British manufacturer.

As ever with a car wearing the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, an endless array of optional extras will be offered including individual lounge seating, classic veneered picnic tables and a cool box complete with integrated champagne glasses.

The Ghost is being built on its own dedicated production line at Rolls Royce's state-of-the-art factory in historic Goodwood, West Sussex.

If you're among the lucky few in the market this year to spend a few hundred thousand on a cutting edge, powerful but refined luxury limo, one thing is for certain. You face a tough choice!

In part two, coming soon, we look at similarly ground-breaking new car developments at fellow iconic British brands - Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini.

In order to do a new car comparison, it is important to compare apples to apples. In other words, it would be foolhardy to compare SUVs to compact cars. Any new car comparison should take similar classes of cars and look at how they stack up against each other.

Let's take the coupe market first and compare the Volkswagen Golf, Dodge Caliber, Kia Soul Exclaim and Mazda 3S Sport. These cars are priced between $17,000 and $19,000. One difference is that the Golf has a 2.5 liter engine while the 3S Sport has only a 2 liter engine. The Exclaim Soul and Sport have significantly lower displacement than the Golf or Caliber. And, if safety is a consideration, the Kia does not have front side airbags but the other 3 do.

There are similarities and differences at the other end of the spectrum as well. Two very similar cars are the Rolls Royce Ghost and the Mercedes Benz S-Class. But, the prices of the two cars are not very similar. The Ghost starts at $245,000 while the S-Class starts at $133,000.

Let's now take a look at four vehicles in the SUV market: the Kia Sportage, Suzuki Sportback, Nissan Rogue, and Mitsubishi Outlander. These SUVs range from $19,000 to $22,000. Some of the difference can be seen in the horsepower in each vehicle. For instance, the Sportage has only a 140 horsepower while the Rogue has 170. Another difference is the highway miles to the gallon with the Sportage coming in last at 25 mpg while the Sportback leads the pack at 30.

When you do a new car comparison, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. A Mini Cooper is not in the same class as a minivan and shouldn't be treated as such.

Will Smith in the recently released Hancock notwithstanding (the superhero flies in this one, so no super car here), generally, you can always associate superheroes with the super cars they flaunt - be it Batman's Batmobile or the X-jet Blackbird or even, the Harley from Ghost Rider. The innovative minds fashioning these mean machines leave no stone unturned, and these super cars' accessories and design would probably match up to your wildest car-fantasies.

Let us take an in-depth look at some of the most popular super cars but please bear in mind that all the details we are going to discuss are fictitious and are the figment of the creator's imagination!

First up, the Batmobile - the trusty steed of the Dark Knight needs no introduction. With an armour plated chassis and rocket boost-enabled high performance engine complemented by special devices and mounted weapons, the Batmobile is a powerhouse with good space to manoeuvre and resistant to enemy attacks and obstacles. To add to these features, there are also those additional little nuggets like a forensic kit, tiny helicopter, a remote and computer linkage to the Batcave. The Batmobile is also frequently referred to as being powered by a nuclear generation of electricity.

Next, we come to the X-men. Armed with all the latest technology, courtesy Dr. Xavier, the X-men use the fictitious aircraft, Blackbird (later renamed as the X-jet). It was quite obviously modelled on the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a long-range, strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The original aircraft line was in service for over three decades - from 1964 to 1998, wherein 32 models of the aircraft were created. The X-men version of the blackbird was different on a couple of major aspects - the X-jet could seat multiple passengers and it was modified for 'Vertical Take-off and Landing.'

After that we come to the newest super 'vehicle' - not quite a car, but more than worth a mention on our list. Although the movie Ghost Rider didn't make such a lasting impression, his ride definitely did. In the movie, Nicolas Cage aka Johnny Blaze rides a 'Buell' motorcycle to double up as a stunt cycle, and Grace', a heavily customized hard tail chopper, which transforms into the "Hell Cycle" - spewing fire and with a blazing skull at the front. The Ghost Rider's skull flames were meant to display any emotion other than rage, and hence designed to become smaller and blue.

Another superhero vehicle which catches your eye is the Swat Kats' jet - the Turbokat. Razor and T-bone love taking it out for a spin while fighting crime at the same time. The aspects of the jet include the latest weapon system plus the Vertical Take-off and Landing feature - it's a two-seater though. Also, the Turbokat holds a couple of small motorcycles within, which are used by the Swat Kats when needed.

A special mention here of Robin's motorcycle - conferred with the title of 'Robin-mobile' is a disgrace to the batmobile and a hot contender for the worst superhero vehicle ever. However that notorious title is conferred on Spiderman's All Terrain Vehicle, christened Spidermobile - how could the writers even imagine a situation where Spiderman drives an ATV?