The most cars the creaking old place managed in a single year was about 3,300. VW then said it would invest an extra £500m in Bentley to launch new models and to increase annual output at its Crewe factory by six-fold to 9,000.The decision to top up Bentley numbers by having cars finished at VW's fancy new factory at Dresden means Crewe's expansion is now history It was probably unrealistic in the first place. VW paid £470m for Bentley, sealing the deal with a £120m commitment to buy Cosworth Engineering from Vickers as well.That was only the start. The suggestion by Bernd Pischetsrieder that Bentley Motors will have some of its cars assembled at a Volkswagen factory in Germany is another reminder that car makers frequently don't know what they're doing. The VW group, Europe's largest car maker, is cutting costs to remedy the effects of its spending binge of the late 1990s. The Bentley development is a legacy of that over-indulgence.Having Bentleys made in Germany was not one of the many commitments made by VW to gain shareholder and public support during its takeover battle with BMW for control of Bentley and Rolls-Royce, which were put up for sale by Vickers in 1997.VW triumphed with Bentley by promising a great deal more than BMW, which ended up with the rights to use the Rolls-Royce name on an all-new range of cars. I was a bit nervous before I got in but it was so easy straight away. There was plenty of power there, but it was so smoothly delivered and it felt like it would stop on a sixpence.

The interior was pretty comfortable and there was plenty of head room, but the dash controls were a bit confusing. The thing that did annoy me slightly was the steering wheel, which seemed to obscure the dials however you tried to adjust it."Ivan Lear, 65, retired electrical engineer and Pat Lear, 57, administration assistant, from St Albans Usual car: Vauxhall CorsaIvan: "Compared to our Corsa it's just an amazing car. It's the first BMW and the first automatic I've ever driven but it was so easy to drive The lines are fantastic and it looks terrific in black I dared not put my foot down too hard. You could hear the power when you put your foot down, although it's very quiet otherwise."Pat: "I felt so special getting into this. It looks gorgeous and I love the fact that it's a convertible. It looks huge from the outside but it does not feel that big when you're driving. I could not see the speedo because the steering wheel was in the way.

It's a car for young, high-flying executives."* THE VERDICT: If you would like to take part, please e-mail motoring independent.co.uk or write to: The Verdict, Features Department, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, giving your age, address, phone number and details of the vehicle, if any, you drive. But I thought the finish of some of the interior was cheap for a car at that price Visibility was not that great either. I found it quite hard to reverse."Michael Feeney, 27, office worker, from St Albans Usual car: Old VW Beetle"The look of it makes you think of speed straight away It oozes class and sophistication. Driving it, there was a good mix of sophistication and sportiness; it stuck to the road like glue but it was extremely comfortable It's a great mix of power and refinement I was struck by how easy it was to drive too. The handing was good and it was incredibly smooth, much less notchy than the M3 I drove recently and the steering felt very direct It was also comfortable; it would be good on a long trip I love the shape too; it's far superior to the 5-series When I first saw it I thought of an Aston or Porsche 944 It was a natural car to drive I got straight in and had no problems at all It has a superb engine note I love the V8 It was quiet too, with the roof up or down. Audi's S4 cabriolet, by way of comparison, offers roomier rear passenger comfort, every bit as much class and refinement, plus a sense of rock-solid unshakeability with very similar performance figures, all for about £15,000 less.Mel Dunn, 54, company secretary, from St Albans Usual car: Mercedes CLK"It was fun It's a car to get noticed in I would definitely consider buying one. BMW claims a class-leading capacity but it comes in such an awkward shape as to be virtually useless.

Death would never get his scythe in there.The convertible differs most noticeably from the coup?n the driving sensation. Predictably, it feels a tad heavier and a mite slower than the coup?ecause of the extra weight needed to stiffen the long, roofless body.The resulting differences might be slight, but they are important. The half-a-second difference in acceleration to 60mph is noticeable but even more important is the ever-so subtle feedback your gut gives you that this is not quite as solid or as pin sharp as its metal-roofed cousin.This less visceral driving involvement may be understandable but if you're serious about spending money on a high-class four-seat convertible, it's likely to make you pause. This week's reader testers all mentioned the ease with which they took to it and the immediacy with which they felt comfortable in it.They liked the way its abundant and immediately available power comes wrapped up in silky smooth refinement. The 4.4-litre engine shovels out power and acceleration right through the rev range, while the automatic gearbox shifts crisply with an impressive lack of lurch or fuss. And, of course, there's a battery of electronic wizardry such as dynamic stability control, active steering and an active anti-roll system to help smooth and make safe the delivery of all that power.It's sonically refined too.

Roof down, there's little sense of being buffeted and there's minimal aural intrusion from the road with the roof up.The niggles that apply to the coup?re here too of course: the cramped back seats, the peculiar signal system, the steering wheel-obscured dash and the muted masculine interior.The boot space is necessarily compromised by the space needed for the roof, yet despite all this, it is disappointingly scant. It offers an unsettling road presence and passes like a wide, menacing shadow, accompanied by the thunder cloud rumble of its powerful V8 engine.There's no doubt it looks its imposing best in black, a colour that emphasises its barn-door width, the stern road-holding frown its headlights wear and which, thankfully, also hides that oddly-shaped bulbous rear end. But if it's a visually intimidating car, once you're behind the wheel it reassures utterly. Delightful car, though.BMW 545I SPORT £44,500 This is far more expensive than the Chrysler, but is it worth the extra money? Lovely V8 engine, curious looks, part-aluminium structure and cast-iron brand values make for a capable but enigmatic car..