Bentley Azure

Good points: A major attraction getter, tremendous engine, smooth transmission, a legacy to give your children, rarity factor, old world charm.

Bad points: Old world charm, lack of storage room, poor ergonomics, dreadful stereo, large turning radius, overwhelmed chassis

Let’s get this straight right from the start. First, this Bentley Azure convertible costs a lot more than anything else, not including taxes. Secondly, if you have to ask you can’t afford it. Thirdly, if you own one they will come. Finally, this is the best way possible to trump any other car on the road.

We were constantly asked about the Azure as the masses stared at its luxurious interior, admired it old world charm, and gasped at its price. “I could buy a house for that much money,” was the laymen’s general comment. But, the Azure is not a car for those who relate value and miles per gallon at the upper echelon of their automobile buying rubric. This is a car for those who appreciate old world charm, the supreme feeling that all is right with the world, and the knowledge of knowing that only a few other people on the face of the earth are experiencing the joy of open air motoring this Bentley offers. In other words, it appreciating the Azure is subjective, right brain teasing, and downright ego building. Yes, you might buy a car with the money that this Bentley costs, but a Azure owner already has enough houses and wants something to reprise the spirit, soothe his spouse, or stomp some unsuspecting yahoo driving a German made wannabe.

Driving a 6700 pound car on a 17ft plus chassis is not nifty. The turning radius rivals front wheel drive vans. Corners can be mastered as fast as you dare once you understand that there's a whole lot of lean and not a whole lot of steering response. The open road is the Azure’s forte, with a turnpike ride only marred by a whistling air vent and a radio that probably belonged to Marconi.

The Bentley is not to be toyed with by those who assume that such a large vehicle does not have its pride. At your command is a 6.75-litre, V8 engine producing 400 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of smooth torque. Although we average barely 12 mpg in mixed driving, we had no qualms about letting the world know that the racing legacy of Bentley is alive and well. We went from 0 to 60 in under 6.5 seconds and the engine was just starting to let us know the joy of truly wonderful power plant. Once you feel the energy this Bentley offers you are never going to think about the advantages of cubic engines again. However, if the 6.75 liters isn’t enough, the Azure is also turbocharged. You can also defeat the traction control, but we wouldn’t.

Mom’s view: This is a genuinely gorgeous car with wood, leather, chrome, and sheepskin floor mats to create envy in the peasantry. There is a very deep center console with a secure shelf to hold a large mobile telephone. Unfortunately, many areas bothered me. Perhaps not having cup holders is a lesson to not eat in the car, but I missed them. When you sit in the back the front seat moves forward automatically, but we had a problem getting it to return to the original position. I also disliked the fact you had to have the key turned on to get the seats to move. I also believe the seats were from a BMW, which means they were very supportive.

I was nervous driving such an expensive car, but once I mastered the large turning radius, it was a lot of fun. The top (hood) came down with just a touch of a button and tucked itself away neatly under a flush-fitting hard cover. This storage area for the top took away from the trunk space, and the rear window was plastic. I understood the engineering choices that forced Bentley to make these two decisions, but I found them tacky nevertheless in such a large, gracious car.

Safety wise, there is a four channel electronic anti-lock system with anti-dive geometry, and performance brakes. Besides the security of being surrounded by so much steel, there is also driver and front seat passenger airbags, anti-side intrusion beams to doors, and seat belt pre-tensioners to front seat belts. Interestingly, there is no roll over protection or side airbags.

The tilt-adjustable steering column was easy to adjust and swings up when exiting the Azure. The dual level air conditioning worked well, but the air ducts were noisy. The Wilton carpet and lambs wool rugs, wood veneers and finishes, including burr walnut with straight-grained walnut banding, lumbar adjustment and two stage heating to front seats made driving an elegant experience.

Dad’s view: Driving the Azure is like combining the power of a speeding locomotive with the handling of a yacht. Honestly, this car leaves you almost breathless as it pulls up its skirts and dashes down the highway. You feel yourself going faster and faster, without a lapse in acceleration, until you decide enough it enough. If 150 mph in a three-ton car does not get your attention, you best book yourself on a Russian rocket, because nothing else comes close.

An Automatic Ride Control provides computer control of the suspension dampers to optimize ride comfort and handling, but it really serves it purposes best on highways. There is a lot of cowl shake on speed bumps and pot holds bothers her concentration. A firmer foundation for the old girl might be in order.

The four speed electronically controlled automatic gearbox with torque converter lock-up is very good. It is capable managed by a computer to produce smooth gear changes. There is even a “sports” mode to enable the engine to rev higher. Combined with the massive engine, the Bentley can surprise its neighbors.

The Azure has some interesting functions. For example, you can select either a city or country sound to the horn (louder is better), and you can turn off the traction control. The key is on the left side of the steering wheel, the gearshift lever has to be pulled up to change out of park, and the sheepskin rug encourages shoeless driving. The Azure’s Automatic headlamp system actuates in low light conditions and switches off as light intensity rises. This system may also be programmed to actuate after windscreen wipers have been in use for 30 seconds or more. The alarm and headlamp operations are programmable to the owner's individual preferences.

Bentley has an Adaptive Shift Control that they claim modifies the gear change points in 'normal' mode according to driving style. Also onboard is an Electronic Traction Assistance System that monitors traction with wheel speed data. The Azure is said to react to the changes via fuel metering to individual cylinders faster and more precisely than conventional throttle or brake intervention systems. There is also a viscous limited slip differential to eliminate the need for individual wheel control.

To me, the Bentley’s engine is tremendous. The exhaust driven turbocharger and liquid-cooled charge cooler with digital boost control system, must be experienced to be believed. However, the handling, even with the 7.5Jx17 aluminum alloy wheels fitted with directional 255/55WR17, is best described as controlled leaning. It lets you know that you are attempting to get a nose heavy, three ton plus, exotic machine around a corner in direct defiance of the laws of physics.

Working teenage boy’s view: The 4x40 watt tuner-cassette audio system, with six CD changer mounted in the center console armrest and eight-speaker system stereo is nowhere. The radio reception is nowhere. The lack of technology, such as GPS is no where. In other words, this is a car that doesn’t take its hat off to modernity, preferring to rest it laurels on charm and the big stick that it carries under the reverse opening hood. The back seat has room for two adults. You do get a fair amount of wind buffeting in the rear seats at speed. You also have access to your own window lift mechanisms. Something not to many convertibles offer and one that is truly appreciated. The lined convertible top fits well, and didn’t flap at speed. It seemed to hold the weather out as much as possible for a cloth top. Okay, now that you asked, I would love to own the Azure. It is cool looking, irresistible to the opposite sex, and it shouts you’ve arrived without having to arrive. Most definitely, a ride for those who treasure the difference between needs and wants.

Female graduate student: This is how Bentley describes some of the Azure’s features: “laser-cut stainless steel matrix grille, hide-covered steering wheel with matched hide-covered dashboard cowl… seats with lightly ruched panels front and rear.” There is even a remote control of the in-car entertainment system for rear seat passengers.

Excess may not be the right word, but it comes close in defining a car that exists to clearly show the definition between the pretenders and royalty. You have to love this big girl. Overweight, overdressed, and out of fashion, she lets her pure heart and high cheekbones create a desire that has even young boys yelling, nice car. The bottom line here is that the Bentley Azure is something to aspire too. In other words, the Bentley is a living testament to the good life.

Family conference: The Bentley is no slouch when it comes to performance. It makes hills disappear with its enormous capacity to produce torque. The inside is palatial in everything but size. It only lacks in ergonomic refinements, a sound system, and a firmer chassis to make it downright sensational. As it is, the Azure is as much funky as it is classy and certainly deserves a long look by those who want to leave a legacy to their children in much the same way as the buyers of Dusenbergs left their expensive and powerful cars to their heirs.

Written by The Car Family