Behind The Wheel: The Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental GT doesn’t a lot drive over tarmac as eat it. This isn’t a automotive for a fast run to the outlets – though it might simply be pushed every single day. It’s a automotive to spend hours in as you drive from one aspect of the nation to the opposite.
It is because the Continental lives as much as its ‘Grand Tourer’ moniker in each manner. It’s easy, trendy and, due to an advanced four-wheel drive system, will deal with just about each terrain and climate warning you’ll throw at it.
The unique automotive, debuted in 2003, is extensively thought to have saved Bentley from the brink of collapse, so the place does this all-new mannequin slot in, and can it have an analogous affect on the famed British marque?
What Is It?
Bentley’s first-generation Continental was in manufacturing (together with a facelift in 2011), for 15 years. In a world of annual iPhone releases and dwindling consideration spans, that is fairly a imply feat. In fact, there have been no iPhones in 2003, however this longevity is testomony to the automotive’s immense enchantment. It rapidly turned Bentley’s finest promoting automotive ever and has continued to be the cornerstone of the model. Vehicles merely don’t have that form of a shelf life, not any extra.
So, understandably there’s was fairly a little bit of strain when it got here to unveiling an all-new one. Bentley needn’t have anxious. What the Crewe-based workforce dreamt up is arguably essentially the most luxurious automotive on sale at the moment, with the appears to match. It’s a W12-powered 5-star resort on wheels that’ll appeal you if not with its outright tempo, then with its class – each on the street and in your driveway.
The Really feel
The Continental GT is a giant automotive. It’s almost two ft longer than a Ford Focus and an entire foot wider, so assume twice earlier than you try that parallel park. It’s a pleasant large although, and any pent up nervousness dissipates the second you get behind the wheel and drift away.
The sleek steering really feel and the candy hum of the engine fill you with rapid confidence – as does the 360 diploma top-down digicam that may be deployed anytime to see simply how far you might be from scraping these diamond-cut alloys. However the Bentley does beg for wider, emptier roads, away from the automotive hoi polloi of a built-up metropolis.
No matter the place you might be although, folks will look. The GT has a whiff of an idea automotive about it with its gaping, fantastically completed grille which extra carefully resembles jewelry than a functioning a part of a automotive. It’s laborious to think about a automotive trying extra elegant and poised – the glossy aspect profile alludes to the velocity achievable but additionally has a sure class to it that was lacking from the earlier technology mannequin.
The outside is an amuse bouche to the inside’s major course, although. Sit behind the wheel and your notion of what ‘luxurious’ is will shift. It reduces you to a small youngster: you’ll wish to contact, twist and prod all the things out of curiosity, such is the tactile high quality Bentley has executed right here. Massaging leather-based seats, stunning knurled steel and even a rotating James Bond-style dashboard will maintain you occupied, lengthy after you’ve turned the engine off.
The Efficiency
The Bentley is fast, however you already knew that. The dual-turbocharged 6.Zero-litre W12 propels it from standstill to 60mph in three.6 seconds, and gained’t cease till it maxes out at 207mph. Accelerating on this automotive is just not a shock although; actually, it’s a surprisingly acquainted feeling.
Whenever you press laborious on the best peddle the GT surges ahead in the identical manner a Boeing 747 does throughout takeoff. It’s a relentless, easy pull that continues via each gear change. The place it does shock is with the brakes, which boast the biggest diameter disks in manufacturing, and gradual the automotive in a manner that belies its mass. Which turns out to be useful when for those who unintentionally slip into triple digits on the motorway.
The Verdict
Few vehicles are extra fascinating than the brand new Continental GT. And there are few vehicles that may problem it. The Aston Martin DB11 springs to thoughts, as does the Rolls Royce Daybreak, however the Bentley boasts a mix of velocity, cornering skill and opulent consolation that’s unmatched by the 2.
Sure, it’s costly, ludicrously massive and gained’t win any prizes for effectivity any time quickly, however for those who care about any of these items this doubtless isn’t a automotive for you. If as an alternative you’re after a 626bhp floating mattress that you simply’ll wish to spend extra time in than your precise residence, your search is over.
Prime Velocity: 207mph
Acceleration (Zero-60mph): three.6 seconds
Engine: 6-litre, twin-turbo W12
Energy: 626bhp
Value: From £159,100