2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed | UK Review
The heaviest, most powerful Conti GT ever made is loud and proud about its hybrid status - but is it good too?
It would be fair to say that Bentley appears to be in a more fortunate position than some when it comes to the thorny issue of electrification. After all, its wares were already large, heavy and complex; adding batteries and motors to that mix seems more natural than it might with, say, an Aston Martin. There’s also the W12 factor to think of; even when the flagship 6.0-litre was in production, there were plenty who already preferred the sound and feel of the smaller V8. While not without character or its fans, it’s hard to imagine many still bemoaning the W’s demise. A very different reaction is surely coming when the Aston's final V12s are built.
As a result, a line-up that’s now all V8 and all hybrid feels as natural as brandy following dinner. An evolution of the unit that made for the best driving and best-sounding GT now gets a W12-besting power boost without anything so compromised as forced induction - it sounds like a win-win. A mighty engine gains an electric boost, a plush Bentley gains some silent running, and a very capable chassis gains some worthwhile updates as per the Porsches using this powertrain. It all bodes pretty well - and the international first drive of the Speed was very positive. So are there any demerits to what looks like a seamless move to plug-in power with the car now in the UK?
This fourth-generation car is certainly a glitzier Continental GT than before, primarily thanks to the new light designs; even if it weren’t orange all over, this is a slightly more attention-grabbing Bentley than before. If, of course, instantly recognisable as Continental GT. It’s a clever update, just a little more modern without altering too much. The interior feels familiar as well, and there will be precious few complaints about that, thanks to beautiful materials, usefully hefty controls, and a sense of occasion few can match.
Silent starting will take some getting used to in a Bentley, given the unmistakable sonic signatures that came before. That being said, electrification perfectly complements the GT experience in a way that it doesn't with some related machines. Perhaps unsurprisingly, but where a similarly configured Lamborghini Urus is chomping at the bit for some V8 bluster and a Porsche’s innate tautness keen to show off speed, the Continental revels in silence and serenity. Regen is intelligently calibrated; you won’t accidentally rouse the V8 with a millimetre more throttle, and once beyond some low-speed fuss, the Bentley rides with total aplomb. The 25.9kWh battery ensures useful amounts of electric running. It’s a lovely way to while away the urban tedium.
Strike up the V8, either by sinking the throttle pedal into the carpet or choosing a racier drive mode, and it announces its arrival in unabashed fashion: the two exhaust pipes serve as a pair of cannons as four litres, eight combustion chambers, and 32 valves erupt into life. You won’t tire of it in a hurry. To these ears, though, the V8 isn’t quite as stirring in use as it once was, just a touch too smooth and synthetic, if still vastly preferable to a V6. That recently announced Akrapovi? might be a worthwhile option to add.
As it was with the purely ICE cars, ‘Bentley’ mode is very cleverly configured, offering up just the right level of resistance to the major controls and ensuring performance is always on the very ample side of adequate. The engine is always there the moment it’s needed, but also shut down when not required as well, to reintroduce that blissful silence. You’ll be on your way to 30mpg before even thinking about it, even allowing for some dalliances with 782hp. Which is undeniably impressive.
Sport keeps the engine permanently running and sharpens up the Bentley’s responses further; at moderate speeds it can feel a bit much, the ride a little tense and the keenness at odds with the mellowness of EV running. Fortunately, there are two solutions to these problems. The first is to configure a Custom mode, standing the chassis down a tad while retaining the powertrain’s full and unmitigated fury. That makes the GT more agreeable, fit to exhaust every mile of range without breaking a sweat.
The other solution is to simply drive faster. With some load through it, the Conti is fairly staggering. Ever since the 2021 introduction of all-wheel steering and the eLSD to the W12 Speed, these flagships have always done a good job of defying expectations, and that’s most certainly still the case now. There is no mistaking the GT for a sports car (clue’s in the name and all that), yet the accuracy, finesse and composure it shows off at any given opportunity really is quite something. The flagship model is borderline disdainful in the way it shrugs off challenges, always faster and less flustered than a car of this weight and size ought to be. It’s astonishing, actually: the speed is relentless, the brakes formidably powerful, the chassis near unflappable. The days of stolid and aloof all-wheel drive Bentleys could hardly feel like longer ago.
So if the charm and ability take a little more uncovering than previously, a hybrid GT Speed most certainly lives up to the billing. Indeed, it could persuasively be argued that electrification has furthered the bandwidth of this model; even more tranquil when electric power is deployed, even more invigorating when the full suite of battery-powered tech like active anti-roll is in full force. It’s more Bentley, more of the time, and given how immense the previous version was you can see why the new one might appeal.
A couple of quibbles remain, however. As is so often the case with high-performance hybrids, the initial brake pedal feel isn’t the most confidence-inspiring; there’s a slight no-man’s-land underfoot in the first bit of travel, and that’s not ideal with 2,459kg and 782hp. It can be worked around, but previously that wasn’t required. It would also be nice for the engine to be permanently engaged along with a standard ‘Drive’ setting for the dual-clutch; Sport is overly eager to kick down, when really you want to feel those great torque reserves plundered from very few revs and the speed build. There is a manual mode for that, in fairness.
Such is the quality on display here that that’s where meaningful gripes begin and end. There’s no point driving this Speed where the W12 is missed, which was largely to be expected; more surprising is that there’s precious little desire to experience the Continental GT in unelectrified form. In some high-powered alternatives you strive for the simplicity of pure combustion, but here it’s made a broadly talented luxury car even more capable. A Bentley should represent the ultimate in opulence and exuberance on four wheels; it just so happens that a plug-in V8 is now arguably the optimum way to achieve that.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT SPEED
Engine: 3,996cc twin-turbocharged V8, electric motor, 25.9kWh battery
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 782 combined (600@6,000rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 738 combined (590@2,000-4,500rpm)
0-62mph: 3.2sec
Top speed: 208mph
Weight: 2,459kg
MPG: 217 mpg (WLTP combined), 50 miles EV range
CO2: 29 g/km
Price: £236,600 First Edition Specification (including Touring Specification (Lane Guidance, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Night Vision Head-up Display), Front Seat Comfort Specification (Adjustable Seat Bolsters, Adjustable Seat Cushion Length, Power Adjustable Headrest Ventilation and Massage Heated Front Armrest, Hide Trimmed Seat Belt Buckles), Front Wellness Seating which includes postural and lumbar adjustment, Naim Audio, Bentley Rotating Display, Technical Veneer Choice or Single Finish Veneer, Animated LED Welcome Lamps - by Mulliner, Mood Lighting Specification, Deep Pile Overmats - Front and Rear, First Edition Exterior Badge, First Edition Treadplates, First Edition Embroidery to Seats, Garage Door Opener, Valet Key) for £30,495, Mulliner Range Satin Paintwork for £16,600, Carbon Ceramic Brakes with Black Painted Calipers for £14,115, 22-inch Ten Swept Spoke Wheels – Grey Painted for £3,300, Contrast Stitching for £2,945 and Mulliner Colour Specification for £2,500)
It's a lovely thing but I'd get greater pleasure in giving the cash to the grand kids. It is just a tarted up VAG product at the end of the day and to me just not special enough for all the pretence.
This is the only Bentley I lust after
Horrendous running costs admittedly but virtually no depreciation.
It's a lovely thing but I'd get greater pleasure in giving the cash to the grand kids. It is just a tarted up VAG product at the end of the day and to me just not special enough for all the pretence.
Average depreciation over 3 years is around 30-40%. (average car depreciation is 45-60%)
It's a lovely thing but I'd get greater pleasure in giving the cash to the grand kids. It is just a tarted up VAG product at the end of the day and to me just not special enough for all the pretence.
Average depreciation over 3 years is around 30-40%. (average car depreciation is 45-60%)
I do like this a lot, but like others, I'm not ever so fond of the wheels though.
I do like this a lot, but like others, I'm not ever so fond of the wheels though.
What % of purchase price is the average 20yr old BMW worth?
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