200,000 euros cheaper!
Continental GT Speed: Fabulous Bentley, boys!
Bentley's twelve-cylinder was a force to be reckoned with. Too bad. But before VW's luxury subsidiary becomes a fully electric brand in 2035, the Brits have at least made the new generation of the Continental GT Speed the most powerful road-going Bentley ever and also a candidate as a World Performance Car. With four fewer cylinders. And two eyes.
During the test drives for the World Car Award in Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, we had the opportunity to look into its two remaining eyes. The Continental GT is the first production Bentley with individual headlights since the 1950s. Matrix, of course, with 120 LEDs.
This makes it look faster than before, even when stationary, because an LED strip wipes out of the light element like a car whizzing around the corner in a comic book. This magnificent coupé also looks tauter and more dynamic than before. The rear fenders are just as muscular as before, but the entire rear section now looks more coherent, unobtrusive and elegant. An extendable spoiler is not necessary due to the aerodynamically shaped trunk lid.
Elegance also applies to the new drive. Muscle too. The Bentley glides along almost silently when only the 190 hp electric motor (the press release omits the kW figure!) is working. The gross 25.9 kWh battery packs 81 WLTP kilometers, and up to 140 km/h is possible as long as the accelerator pedal is not depressed more than 75 percent. When the 600 hp four-liter biturbo V8 kicks in, it does so seamlessly and, if necessary, with absolute brute force. Up to 782 hp fly around your ears, plus a whopping 1000 Nm of torque.
The power delivery is as emphatic as it is relaxed. Perhaps even a touch more relaxed, sonorous and rumbling than the twelve-cylinder. Like a big cat, the GT accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, which is two tenths less than before, although the weight has increased to 2459 kg. But it also has 123 hp and 100 Nm more. The eight-speed automatic transmission: smooth to snappy, depending on what you want.
The steering is a dream
We weren't able to max out the 335 km/h top speed, as the Angeles Crest Highway above Los Angeles is too winding for that (even if the police are rarely seen here). But the Bentley shone all the more with its fine handling. Especially with its unagitated and unfeeling steering. It doesn't twitch nervously, but lets the front stoically follow the line. A bit like what we know from previous steering systems. The almost two and a half tons become a minor matter (even if they don't disappear completely).
The new dual-chamber air suspension with new two-valve shock absorbers, active 48-volt roll stabilization (Bentley Dynamic Ride) and all-wheel steering are responsible for the suppleness on the road.
Power is sent to all four wheels, distributed via an electronically controlled limited slip differential and torque vectoring (left/right, front/rear). In addition, the Continental GT has never been so well balanced: Because the battery sits behind the rear axle, the weight distribution is 49:51 in favor of the rear axle.
In Sport mode, the Continental GT Speed is brutal around corners, the all-wheel drive allows slip on the rear axle, but no real risk. Comfort is already very comfortable. The gentleman's recommendation for fabulous driving is the Bentley mode for full cornering composure. Life is hard enough, so it doesn't get rough even on rough bumps.
Ten-piston fixed callipers on 420 mm discs at the front and four pistons on 380 mm discs at the rear ensure weight- and performance-adequate deceleration as standard. Carbon-ceramic discs measuring 440 or 410 mm are available as an option.
Unique dashboard
Bentley achieves something that not many luxury car manufacturers manage to pull together: to design an interior that offers all the essential digital features, but still offers the classic that appeals to car fans, not just iPad fans. Although the 12.3-display also caters to the latter, the "Rotating Display" rotates either three analog instruments or an empty extension of the dashboard at the touch of a button. Like the interchangeable license plates on James Bond's Aston Martin.
Although the speedometer is digital, it displays round instruments, there are real buttons everywhere instead of touch units, and the organ-style controls for the air vents are a pleasure in themselves. As are the 20-way adjustable seats.
A word about charging: The 400-volt system charges with up to 11 kW alternating current in 2 hours and 45 minutes and the trunk holds 260 liters.
Price leaves room for several second cars
The absence of four cylinders opens up the possibility of buying a large number of cylinders for the Bentley, spread over several cars. The Continental GT Speed V8 Ultra Performance Hybrid has a base price (i.e. before you choose from several billion options) of 301,800 euros. The predecessor with a V12 engine came in at 500,576 euros. That's quite a difference. Incidentally, not all of the difference is due to the elimination of the NoVA: At 251,500 euros, the V8 is actually a net 48,160 euros cheaper.
Driving quote:
Compared to the third generation, 68 percent of this fourth generation is new. This includes the V8 plug-in hybrid. As much as the loss of the twelve-cylinder engine may hurt, the new Bentley Continental GT Speed has an excellent successor under the hood. It fits in with the times and yet the whole car is wonderfully classic. And it is hand-built by fabulous Bentley boys and girls in Crewe. Just like the convertible version.
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