Bentley Turbo R 1985–1999 car dimensions: 5278 mm long, 2006 mm wide and 1485 mm high. Unladen weight is 2,315 kg. Braked towing is 1,800 kg.
The cabin offers full leather upholstery with wood veneers, power windows and mirrors, and a radio-cassette sound system as standard. Air conditioning is fitted throughout, becoming automatic climate control on later cars, along with cruise control. Heated front seats with lumbar adjustment and memory appear from 1990. Dual front airbags arrive later in the run. No electronic parking aids or collision systems are listed.
Boot volume is quoted at 510 litres with the rear seats in place. The spare wheel moves inside the boot on 1995-on cars, reducing usable space slightly on those examples.
Self-levelling rear suspension is standard, with adaptive damping added from 1990 and a firmer setup overall for the Turbo R. Payload sits near 500 kg and braked towing near 1800 kg on published figures. The car is a luxury saloon rather than a work vehicle.
The cabin wraps you in Connolly leather, deep Wilton carpets and lambswool rugs with burr walnut veneer on the dash and doors. Slimline sports seats offer multi-way power adjustment, four-position memory and two-stage heating plus bi-level lumbar support. Dual-level air conditioning with rear outlets keeps conditions even. Rear seats are independently adjustable on long-wheelbase cars. The space feels club-like and quiet once underway.
Petrol V8 with observed economy in the mid-teens mpg and a 108-litre tank.
ABS standard from 1987 model year.
Driver and passenger airbags standard on later cars.
Double anti-side intrusion beams in the doors.
Hydraulic brake and self-levelling suspension systems use mineral oil only.
The 6.75-litre turbo petrol V8 drinks freely. Real-world figures sit in the mid-teens mpg on mixed roads, with urban running closer to 11 mpg US. A full tank lasts a few hundred miles at best.
Servicing centres on the complex hydraulic circuits for brakes and self-levelling suspension. These demand mineral oil and specialist knowledge. Regular fluid checks and filter changes keep the systems healthy. The engine itself is built for high mileage when oil and coolant are maintained.
Safety kit grew over the run. Four-channel ABS arrived in 1987 along with fuel injection. Later cars added full-size driver and front passenger airbags plus door beams. Orthopaedic seat design aims to cut driver fatigue. No official crash-test scores appear in period material.
Living with a Turbo R means budgeting for specialist labour and parts. Keep it driven regularly, watch the hydraulics and cooling system, and use approved fluids. Tyres and seat electronics can prove costly when they fail.
Length 5278 mm, Width 2006 mm, Height 1485 mm, Wheelbase 3061 mm (Turbo R 1985–1999)
Sources: manufacturer data, classicandsportscar.com factfile, carfolio.com, wikipedia.org and caranddriver.com.