Bentley claims the Brooklands is the only production coupé in the world whose interior is fully trimmed with leather. All that hide, some deep-varnished wood and a light scattering of polished decorative stainless steel create a richly opulent ambience.
A sat-nav screen folds out of the leathered top roll. This and its ill-matched remote control are quite the most unsatisfactory design in this Bentley, and we can’t report on its functions because the test car’s didn’t. Far more successful are the arrangements for rear seat occupants, who enjoy almost extravagant lounging space, pads in the C-pillars to support snoozing heads, individual electric recline and lumbar controls and a beautifully crafted central divider. All occupants are provided with decent on-board storage, but the boot, though pretty big, lacks depth and volume considering the car’s size.
You might, however, struggle to achieve £230,000’s worth of comfort up front, your quest compromised by seats whose excess firmness cannot easily be compensated for via their extensive electric adjustments. The standard-fit massage facility is more necessary than you might think.
Given the car’s limited edition status and the rate at which the 550 units are selling, residual values could prove relatively resilient. But the 465g/km CO2 output and its potentially fearsome thirst for fuel will make this car a money gobbler. During our admittedly extreme testing the Brooklands turned in 6mpg, but 18.1mpg is possible at a more restrained pace. We averaged 13.6mpg, which gave us a rather poor 240-mile range.