Faults:

The steering rack developed a leak after about 5 months. The company from which I bought it (a well-known London independent specialist) took the car back and reconditioned under warranty. A few months later, we took the car in for a regular service, and the company announced that they weren't happy with the reconditioning so replaced, again under warranty.

The rear cups that hold the kingpins have started to corrode, and needed replacing. Likewise the front negative camber bushes have needed replacing. Finally, the drive belt had started to stretch, and was initially tightened, then replaced.

These three items were "normal wear and tear" and thus we had to pay for the work.

General Comments:

The car puts a grin on my face every time that I drive it. At slow speeds, it is happy to waft along gracefully, and shows no signs of "wanting to go faster". However, when I decide that I want to up the pace, it responds incredibly smoothly, without a hint of turbo lag, and handles like it was on rails.

I had expected something like the Jag Sovereign, but a bit better. Instead, I've found it to be in a completely different league.

This is the long-wheelbase variant, and the interior space is incredible. When it rained, I could sit my baby daughter in her car seat, and then crouch down in front of her, in the foot well, to strap her in properly.

The pre-sales service from the (independent) dealer was excellent. We went up to look at their stock, but couldn't find quite what we wanted. A few weeks later, the dealer phoned to say that they had a car coming in that we might like, and then brought it down to us for a test drive later in the week.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong which wasn't faulty when I bought it from the largest reputable UK after-market Bentley dealer. It looked and drove perfectly, but I was conned. I had the bogged rust removed from all the wheel arches (US$15,000), and many initial repairs: steering rack, cruise control, stub axle and many more. I think the dealer swaps parts from car to car. The warranty is less than comprehensive if you ship overseas (parts only in reality).

General Comments:

Everything about this car is superb and it's amazingly fast and nimble.

Once sorted out these cars should be very reliable.

The interior and exterior are like new, and it's spectacularly well made in every respect.

It's perfect for daily use, shopping and taking the baby to kindy.

Forget fuel consumption while it's legal. If you worry about fuel consumption, this is not the car for you.

On the Autobahn it's unbelievable: stable, brakes superbly and corners exceptionally well.

Club insurance costs much less than for a VW!!

Get it checked thoroughly before you buy.