猩式車評：2016款 賓利 慕尚 SPEED

THE CLARKSON REVIEW: 2016 BENTLEY MULSANNE SPEED

猩式車評：2016 BENTLEY MULSANNE SPEED

Torque of the town, but quiet as a mouse

力拔城鎮威震四方，寂靜如斯鼠聲似常

PEOPLE WHO live near a busy road often moan about traffic noise, and they have my sympathy. I』d rather listen to a wounded hare than a motorway. And I』d rather live in Svalbard than near a busy roundabout.

住在主幹道旁邊的人們經常抱怨噪音的問題，他們也確實引起了我的同情。我寧願去聽一隻受傷的野兔也不想去聽主幹道引擎的轟鳴，而且我就算待在無人踏足的小島也比住在繁忙的路口旁要好

There are many reasons why traffic makes such a din. Motorbikes are a big source, and so far as I can tell from my vantage point in west London, they』re getting even louder. When I come to power, the banishment of these hideous and ugly machines from the roads will be near the top of my 「to do」 list.

關於道路上的噪音有很多種原因。摩托車就是一個嚴重的噪音源，而且就從我住在倫敦西部的位置上看，我能告訴你他們變得更響了。一旦我當權，對於這些愚蠢醜陋的機器的放逐措施一定會出現在我的「城市規劃」的頭條

Buses are noisy too, and I think it would make sense to get rid of them as well. This would force poor people to use bicycles instead, and that would cause them to be less fat. Which would mean there』d be less of a drain on the National Health Service. Speaking of which — ambulances. Do they really need sirens that can be heard 20 miles away?

說到這裡，公交車也很吵，我覺得取消它們也是可以理解的。這樣窮人就不得不去騎自行車，同時也能讓他們鍛煉身體。這也意味著在國民醫療保險制度上能少點開銷。說到這裡，我想吐槽一下救護車：它們真的需要那種20英里以外都能聽到的警笛嗎？

With cars it』s a different story. With the exception of some found in extremely expensive supercars that you never really encounter, modern-day engines and exhaust systems are pretty much silent. Bob Seger once sang about being on tour — 「You can listen to the engine moanin』 out his one-note song」 — but he』s wide of the mark. Because in fact between 75% and 90% of the noise made by a car on a motorway comes from the tyres. It』s not just the sound of the rubber gripping the road; it』s the sound of the air in the tread pattern being compressed, and it』s all amplified because a tyre is basically a big echo chamber.

但是在汽車這方面，情況又不太一樣。除了一些你基本遇不到的稀有超跑以外，現代的引擎和排氣系統很安靜很文明。Bob Seger曾經長了一首關於巡演的歌：「你可以在一路上聆聽引擎發出低沉的單調音符。」但是他的話有些誇張了，因為實際上汽車在馬路上的噪音75%-90%都來自於輪胎。不僅是橡膠與地面的摩擦發出的聲音；還有胎面花紋中的空氣被壓縮，輪胎本身也會放大噪音---因為輪胎基本上可以看做一個封閉的迴音室

And that brings us to the Bentley Mulsanne Speed that you see photographed this morning. It was delivered to my office by two earnest chaps, who were at pains to point out the various interesting features. But the one that stopped me in my tracks was the Dunlop rubber, which, they said, had been tuned for quietness.

這時候就要祭出我們的神器慕尚極致版了（你能看到今早剛照的照片），它一大早就被兩個熱心的小伙送到辦公室，小伙們還費盡心思指出車上各種有趣的細節。但是有一個讓我停下腳步的原因是這輛車的鄧祿普輪胎，據小伙們說，是為整車的靜音感特製的。

They weren』t kidding. At 70mph this car is as near as makes no difference silent. It』s a huge thing, with the aerodynamic properties — and weight — of a house, but it barges its way through, and over, the elements with all the aural fuss of a butterfly alighting on a buddleia petal.

他們並沒有開玩笑，這輛車在70MPH（112KPH）的速度下幾乎沒有聲音。這輛車很巨大，還有宮殿一般的重量和氣動效應，但是它能像遊艇一樣划過路面，而且車內能聽到的動靜如同蝴蝶落花

It』s not just quiet for the occupants. It』s quiet for everyone. So quiet that after just 30 miles on the M4 I made a mental note to make sure that when I take control of No 10 those tyres become compulsory for all cars. They』re brilliant.

不僅是車內的靜謐感，它在各方面都很安靜。以至於在M4高速上巡航了30英里之後我提醒自己這些輪胎只是普通輪胎，但是它們工作得太棒了

And so, for exactly the same reason, is the 6.75-litre V8 engine in this automotive leviathan. Amazingly, it was designed before I was born. And, on paper, you can tell. Words such as 「single camshaft」 and 「pushrod」 are from a time of rationing and diphtheria.

驅動這頭龐然大物疾馳的6.75 V8也十分出色。驚人的是，它是在我出生前設計的。而且在紙面上，你能看出這些字眼 類似「單凸輪軸」和「推桿」來自於那個計劃經濟和白喉盛行的年代

Eighteen years ago, when Volkswagen took control of Bentley, it said this venerable old V8 would have to be discontinued in the near future because it simply couldn』t be tuned to meet various emission regulations. But it was wrong.

18年前，當大眾收購了賓利之後，他們說這具尊敬的老V8必須停止生產，因為它不能滿足未來幾年的排放標準，但是大眾錯了。

It has fitted a couple of Mitsubishi turbochargers to provide forced induction and added a system that shuts down half the cylinders when they』re not needed to save fuel. And you』d imagine that all this tweakery would cause it to become feeble and weak. But it doesn』t.

它裝上了一對三菱的渦輪來強制進氣，同時還引入一套系統，在它不需要太多馬力的時候關閉一半氣缸來省油，那麼你可以想像所有的這些都讓這台V8變得虛弱無力，但是你錯了

The numbers are incredible: you get 530 brake horsepower and, at just 1750rpm, a truly colossal 811 torques. There are bulldozers with less than that — 811 lb ft is planetary force. It』s hysterical force. And you』d imagine that its creation would cause an almighty din. But astonishingly it doesn』t.

數據是極為驚人的：530匹馬力，在1750轉就能產生高達811磅尺（1095NM）的扭矩，推土機的引擎可能都不如這架引擎有力，這是一股超越自然的龐大力量。那麼你又會覺得它一定很吵，但是震驚的是它並沒有想像中的喧鬧。

If you really stab the throttle deep into the inch-thick carpet, there is a barely discernible hum. But at all other times it』s as silent as a sleeping nun.

如果你真的把油門踩到底，你能聽到發動機沉悶的怒吼，但是在其他的大部分時間它就像一個睡著的尼姑一樣安靜。

So this is a quiet car. And no matter what setting you choose for the air suspension, it』s a comfortable car too. It』s also good-looking. The aggressive new front end is especially impressive.

所以這是一輛安靜的車，而且不管你把空氣懸掛設在哪個檔，它都能帶給你無比的舒適。慕尚的外觀也很棒，具有攻擊性的新前臉真的很震撼。

And it is extremely well equipped with all manner of things that you didn』t even know were possible. The rear touchscreens, for instance, rise silently from the back of the front seats. And then there』s the 2,200-watt stereo. That』s not a misprint. The manufacturer has fitted this completely silent car with a sound system that could blow your head clean off.

而且它的配置也附帶著那些你能想到和想不到的所有東西。比如說後排的多媒體觸摸屏，無聲地從前排座椅的靠背處升起，而且這輛車還配備了2200w的音響，你沒有看錯，這輛手工打造的完全靜音的豪華轎車配備了一個能把你腦袋轟掉的音響系統。

However, it』s precisely because of all this equipment and all these toys that I would buy a Rolls-Royce Ghost instead.

然而，正因為這些裝備和玩具讓我反倒樂於選擇Ghost。

Someone at Bentley obviously believes that luxury can be measured in the number of buttons. They think that a house is palatial if you can run a bath from the garage and open the front gate using your television remote. And that is probably true — if you are a footballer. But I』m not.

有些賓利的高層很顯然地認為豪華可以由功能的數量來衡量，他們可能還覺得一座能在車庫洗澡，能遙控打開電動鐵門的房子也是極為豪華的。如果你是一名足球運動員，那麼以上的描述一點毛病沒有，但是我不是。

I have criticised Bentleys in the past for being a bit 「last week」 when it comes to electronics. The Continental GT Speed, for example, doesn』t have a USB port, and that, in this day and age, is obviously nuts.

我曾經用「明日黃花」這個詞批評賓利的電氣系統，就拿歐陸GT極致版舉例，這輛昂貴的GT跑車居然沒有USB介面。在目前的數字化時代，這種做法無疑是一種落後。

The problem is that with the Mulsanne Speed, Bentley』s gone berserk. So you now have two satellite navigation screens in the front that can be operated from the dash or the steering wheel or by touching the screen itself or by using your voice. Eventually, I』m sure, you could machete your way through the operational complexity that results, but I suspect it would take many years.

而在慕尚極致版上，這個問題開始變得令人抓狂，你將得到兩塊多媒體屏幕（一塊儀錶盤一塊中控），可以用方向盤或觸控或聲音來控制。最終，我能確定的是，你將用你自己的方式來適應這些複雜的操作，不過我估計這個過程將會耗費很多年。

Happily, there is a USB port. But it』s in a little drawer that can』t be shut if you』re using it. Then there』s the charging point, under the central armrest, which also can』t be shut if it』s in use.

幸運的是，這回USB孔不缺了，但是它被設置在一個小抽屜里，如果你在使用它就沒法關上抽屜。然後車裡還有一個充電口，在中間的扶手箱，如果你在用的話同樣也是關不上的。

You get the sense that asking Bentley to fit modern-day electronics is a bit like asking David Linley to reprogram your iPhone. Or Bill Gates to make a chest of drawers.

你會有一種感覺：讓賓利去設置一套現代的電氣系統就像讓David Linley（林利子爵，創辦同名公司，主營高檔傢具設計）來幫你的iphone重新編程或者讓比爾蓋茨來做一套抽屜那樣，怎麼看都不合適。

The result is daunting. You sit there, behind the wheel, confronted by hundreds and hundreds of buttons and switches, and you can』t help thinking how much better this car would be if only it were less complicated.

這輛慕尚就是那麼讓人望而卻步，你坐在車內，面對著數百個按鍵和開關，你的下一個想法一定會是如果這輛車不那麼複雜，它將會變得更加美妙

And maybe a tiny bit smaller. On the A40 in west London, where there are narrow lanes to 「protect the workforce」 — that』s never there — I was recently unable to pass a coach for miles. Which was a bore.

或許更小一點也更好。在倫敦西部的A40公路上，總有車道被佔用來保護永遠不在那裡的「工人」。我最近在那超不過一輛長途客車，實在有些無聊。

It』s annoying. I like the idea of a Bentley more than the idea of a Rolls-Royce. My grandfather had a Bentley R Type, and it was the first car I drove. I like the idea, too, of telling people I drive an 「MFB」.

但是煩心的是，我喜歡賓利多過勞斯萊斯。我的祖父擁有過一輛賓利R TYPE，這也是我開過的第一輛車。我也喜歡告訴人們勞資TM開著一輛大賓利

But I never once drove this car as a Bentley could and should be driven. I never felt obliged to put the suspension in its Sport setting and unleash all those torques. I just wafted about in it. And if I want a large and luxurious car in which to waft, I』d rather have the simpler, airier, more tasteful Ghost.

不過我從來沒有真的把一輛賓利開到極限。我從來沒有把懸掛調到運動模式然後釋放它所有的扭矩，我只是在靜靜地品讀它。如果我想買一輛大型豪華「魔毯」，我會選擇更簡單，更高端也更有品位的古斯特。

Because when you sink into one of those, you say: 「Aaaah.」 Whereas when you sink into the Mulsanne Speed, you think: 「Oh, for God』s sake. Where』s the button that shuts the bloody sat nav woman up?」

因為當你陷入一輛勞斯萊斯，你會塌在柔軟的真皮里享受著說：「啊~」，但是當你進入一輛慕尚極致版，你會想：「額，我的天哪，哪個按鍵能讓該死的導航閉嘴？」

翻譯：GearKnobs字幕組—@飄落的芹菜葉子

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