Long gone are the days when a manufacturer of upmarket cars could survive with two or three model ranges.

A combination of exploring various niches together with the increasing popularity of premium badge cars has led to a proliferation of models from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz that have made it harder for mainstream brands to compete.

There’s a school of thought among many motoring writers and journalists that states that the entry-level model of any car range is more often than not the best of the bunch

For the last half century readers of car reviews the world over have been told by both the great and the good, and those of us still learning the ropes, that Porsche’s 911 is at its best when it's two-wheel drive, devoid of spoilers and comes with a manual gearbox. Forget the GT3 a bog-standard Carrera is really the purest way to experience what Porsche call “driving in its purest form”.

According to those in the know it’s that same story for the BMW 3-series, the Range-Rover and the Ford Fiesta too. So what exactly any of this got to do with Bentley Continental you see before you?