Quite a way to spend a couple of days, roaring around in Bentley’s fourth-generation Continental GT Speed, convincingly the quickest production car the Brit has yet conceived. And while literally it does roar when set in the Sport mode, it’s not the famed W12 under the hood. In its place, an updated 4.0 twin-turbo V8 allied to a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Much of the time there’s no noise at all, for this can operate as an EV.
Bentley started out with supercharging, moved to turbocharging and with this latest powertrain is “electrocharging”. Not that it has abandoned turbocharging. And electrocharging is essentially a fancy term for hybrid tech; there’s a motor inside the eight-speed twin-clutch transmission that adds 140kW of stomp down low to compensate for any turbolag from the engine. Total system power of 575kW (771hp) is aided and abetted by 1000Nm of torque to propel this 2.5 tonne 2+2 coupe. That’s almost 20 per cent more power than the W12 made. You can have the exact same mill in a cabriolet GT Speed if you want. But that will cost even more than the $516k asking price for the hardtop.
Naturally, that’s just the beginning for Bentley which has made an artform of accessorising. Our particular demonstrator, admittedly with most of the option boxes ticked, eventually settled on $678k. One particular chap at a local golf club got quite hot under the collar when told of this. He stormed off while muttering something about not paying house prices for a car.
And he’s right, it is a vastly considerable sum but then the GT Speed is quite an exquisite thing…apart perhaps for the hero paint colour. Green is fine in a British Racing hue, but this particular tone, Tourmaline Green, not so much. Still, there are 62 other exterior hues on offer.
Inside is familiar, while seats and infotainment are updated. Our particular drive car featured carbon fibre inserts rolling around into the door cards. Some reckon Bentley dashes should be full of wood. However, this is the performance model.
On the styling front, this may well be the flashest Conti GT yet. Gone are the twin headlights and in their place single slimline units shot through with eyebrow-like DRLs. The grille is smaller, bumpers different. This is a much better look. Round the back are wide and slim taillights, and exquisitely pronounced haunches. Hulking 22-inch rims are shod in PZeros (275/35 front, 315/30 rear). Despite that, the ride quality is only ever sumptuous, even in the Sport mode. That’s partly because this has a 48v roll control system, so doesn’t need firm damping to help limit body movements. There’s also the dual-chamber air suspension chipping in, especially velvety in Comfort. Not that anyone will ever really shift out of Bentley mode, the default, which is a luscious mix of ride and handling. And that has long been the case with Conti GTs.
But touching on speed, we should mention fuel use because Bentley reckons that hydrocarbon consumption for the engine is down from 14L/100km to 10.3L/100km (we saw 10s and 11s). An overall figure of 1.3L/100km (29g/km) is quoted, the result of it being a plug-in hybrid. Behind the +2 rear seats lies a 25.9kWh battery pack that eats somewhat into luggage space. However, there’s still room (260L) for a couple of golf bags back there, so whew to that. Not so much in the convertible however, at 134L. While we’re on space, room in the +2 seats is actually alright for adults.
Better economy is a bonus for the ‘Ultra-Performance’ powerhouse is really about instantaneous response and out-of-there acceleration. Noise too for that twin-turbo 4.0 sure can bellow. Bentley describes it as sounding like an engine with a cross plane crank, and a free revving bark.
Only for much of the time you simply don’t hear anything at all. Because this can EV for over 80km, and when not in urban confines you can hold the charge for later use. When depleted, it can be recharged at home in under three hours using an 11kW wall charger. The W12 might have been aurally awesome but so too is the sound of silence in a big wafting GT like this. We imagine it would be equally alluring in the convertible.
It sure is a Jekyll and Hyde machine. Slot it into the Sport mode, kill the ESP and stop it up on the brake to engage launch control for the most exhilarating acceleration. It’s not fast in the furious way that high power triple-motor EVs are; this is all done with such grace. After holding at 5000rpm, it shoots off serenely and is quickly into second gear for the run to 100. We hit the 3.2sec claim comfortably, a best of 3.06sec suggesting a high 2sec run may be possible.
As if that isn’t thoroughly impressive enough, it is matched by an overtaking time that is only 0.3sec less than the fastest we’ve ever recorded for a dual tracker. At 1.7sec even, it takes just 49m for an 80-120km/h pass. As we’ve said before, only special cars sneak below 2sec for this performance criterion. And this absolutely monstered that.
One final aspect of performance we should just mention is that one of the option boxes not ticked in the $162k accessory update was the carbon ceramic brake upgrade. And while the steel brakes are simply enormous in behind the equally elephantine wheels, they do require a certain amount of heft to entice them to bring the green monster to heel. Our first emergency stop from 100 required over 36m of road. However, our best was a creditable 33.18m. We believe, in fairness, that they weren’t really bedded in as this vehicle had only travelled 500km by the time we returned it. So we should cut it some slack, particularly because the brakes seemed to improve as the day went by.
We’ve driven Conti GTs in the past and they just keep getting better, but none has been quite so dynamically adept as this. And that’s despite it weighing in at 2459kg. Having a battery in the back helps sort the weight split, being 49 per cent up front and 51 per cent to the rear. And with all wheels driving and rear wheels steering, along with active roll control, this has grip to burn and cornering speed you’d not imagine possible for such a big bear. It’s largely neutral too, a hint of understeer as you near the lofty grip limits, countered slightly by a liftoff or braking gently into the corner. Free the dynamic traction control with a quick push of the ESP button and you can get it to round up into corners under power, the rear wheel bias, LSD and torque vectoring helping here.
But it’s the famed Bentley ride that is just so impressive in the top Conti, as it always has been. And that helps make this amongst the best of the GTs out there; think effortless point to point times in the utmost comfort and elegance. Despite the lashings of quality rubber at each corner, we couldn’t manage to rustle up any more than about 68dB on our SPL meter. Contributing to the serenity is double glazing, a better solution than active noise cancelling to my mind, despite adding extra weight. Worth it.
We drove this GT-S on some of the rumptiest back roads out of Auckland and it just didn’t raise a metaphorical eyebrow. Everything is rolled flat by the adaptive air suspension. Great seats help, of course, though the left knee rest wasn’t as soothing as I’d have liked.
This feels largely analogue to operate in an increasingly digital world. That said, it took me some time to discover how to cancel the pesky lane departure function that is so often an issue in cars of this size. Once silenced, the steering is ever so much better without. Otherwise, everything is logically laid out here. All the heating and ventilation controls are on the centre console surrounding the gear lever area. There’s seat venting and heating of course. And a multitude of powered seat adjustments.
Ahead of you and behind the wheel the trip info is easy to configure and it’s all way more reassuring than any Bentley of the past. Where W12s used to swill fuel like there was no tomorrow, this is much more abstemious. Even trying we couldn’t get fuel use out beyond about the high 11s mark, and it was much the same for energy use in kWh/100km. This can drive on e-power alone up to around 140km/h. Even bearing down on the gas pedal quite hard doesn’t raise the interest of the ICE power up front. Or you can opt for hybrid power where both power trains will take turns at doing the business. In Sport, they work together to weave their magic.
Even the little things are well considered here; the B in the centre of the wheels is always upright, weighted to do so.
It may be out of the league of most but this new hybrid powertrain genuinely delivers in so many ways. The Conti GT has never functioned or looked this good, only not in Tourmaline green.
If you need more space, the PHEV powertrain is coming in both Bentayga and Flying Spur shortly.
Bentley Continental GT Speed
$516,000 / 1.3L/100km / 29g/km
0-100 km/h 3.06s
80-120 km/h 1.70s (49.05m)
100-0 km/h 33.18m
Speedo error 98 at an indicated 100km/h
Ambient cabin noise 68.2dB@100km/h
Engine 3996cc / V8 / T / DI
Max power 575kW@6000rpm
Max torque 1000Nm@2000-4500rpm
Motor output 140kW
Battery 25.9kWh
Range 81km
Drivetrain 8-speed twin-clutch / AWD
Front suspension Wishbones / air springs
Rear suspension Multilink / air springs
Turning circle 11.3m (2.4 turns)
Front brakes Ventilated discs (420mm)
Rear brakes Ventilated discs (380mm)
Stability systems ABS, ESP, TV
Safety AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size f-275/35ZR22 r-315/30ZR22
Wheelbase 2851mm
L/W/H 4895 / 19766 / 1397mm
Track f-1672mm r-1644mm
Fuel capacity 80L
Luggage capacity 260L
Tow rating Not rated to tow
Service intervals 12 months / 16,000km
Warranty 3yrs / unlimited km
ANCAP rating Not yet rated
Weight (claimed) 2459kg
