Bentley Continental GT Speed - Ownership Experience
Discussion
I’ve recently bought a Bentley Continental GT Speed (2013) and thought it might be useful to do a bit of a write up of my initial impressions, and hopefully over time keep updating on the ownership experience.
A little bit of background – I’ve been looking for something special as a second ‘fun’ car for a while and I’d settled on getting something within the GT category, spurred on by the prospect of an upcoming 3 week road trip around Spain and France. I’d looked at various Aston Martins (DB9 pre and post facelift) and the Maserati GranTurismo but in the end nothing ticked as many boxes as the GT Speed for performance, sense of occasion, quality of interior and also surprising practicality.
This is my first impressions after collecting the car and taking it on a c.2,000 mile trip across Europe. The journey encompassed its fair share of motorway miles but also twisty alpine roads, city driving and some fairly narrow countryside roads. So I think I’ve pretty much done most of the situations you could expose the car too in ‘normal’ driving.
First Impressions
The car undoubtedly has a true sense of occasion when you get in the driving seat – it has a real wow factor. The cabin still feels very plush and luxurious with leather covering literally everything. The majority of the switches and parts of the trim are solid metal and wood, giving a real sense of quality. The seats and driving position are very comfortable with the arm rests in just the right place for motorway cruising. The shape of the car gives you a feeling of sitting quite low and cocooned within the vehicle – the sides of the doors come up quite high with the narrow sweeping windows – the salesperson described it as a little like a “pillbox” effect. The dash also sits quite high in front of you, which adds to the feeling.
I’d also say that the car has a remarkable amount of space inside. Perhaps not too surprising given it is obviously quite a large car despite being a coupe, but the boot is genuinely big, fitting plenty of luggage for a long trip. The back seats are also fairly reasonable for an average size adult, at least for shorter trips.
My car doesn’t have the Naim stereo upgrade but personally I’ve found the standard one to be perfectly decent and have no complaints from the sound quality. The Sat-Nav is as you would expect for a 5-year-old car but personally that isn’t something I care about as I generally always use Google Maps these days.
General Driving
The first time you put your foot down in this car it is genuinely mind blowing. I don’t think I’ve ever driven a car where you can be so comfortably meandering along one minute, and then pushed into the back of your seat the next. The acceleration is so violent in Sport that it really does make your heart rate increase. Caveat – I can’t say I’ve driven many high-end sports cars but over the years I have been in the driving seat of the Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Gallardo and various other high performance cars, so I do feel like I have a reasonable basis for comparison. But this felt like another level. The Speed edition of the Continental GT does of course have the slightly more powerful 626 bhp engine than the standard car.
The car really does have two distinct characters. In ‘Comfort’ mode, which is essentially the softest dampening setting, it really does glide along serenely. That’s probably the best mode for city and motorway driving as it’s incredibly smooth, and when you combine it with the very quiet cabin, creates a very chilled driving experience. It completely destroys motorway journeys in a way I haven’t experienced before.
But switch the gearbox into “Sport” and change the suspension to the same “Sport” or “Sport II” setting and the car becomes a different beast entirely. The valves open on the exhaust, giving the car a noticeably loud burbling sound, and then the full power of the engine also becomes apparent – rapid instant acceleration and a real, unexpected roar from the engine at higher overtaking revs.
To me, the gearbox feels very smooth. When in fully auto and not in Sport mode, the car tends to change up to the upper levels of the 8 speed box pretty quickly, no doubt to aid economy. But you never feel like you don’t have enough power. In manual mode with the paddles (I rarely used to be honest), it is also pretty fun.
The brakes are generally pretty impressive given the stopping power required for a car of this weight. My car has the standard ones rather than the optional carbon ceramic and I can’t say I felt I was missing out. The only occasion I thought they might have been worth having was on a couple of drives up the mountain roads in the Alps – the combination of continuous strong acceleration and braking with such a substantial car left me wondering if they would have been useful to have! But how often are you really going to drive the car in those circumstances…? Not many owners would I expect.
Economy
With a combination of motorway miles and some town driving, I seemed to be getting around 21-22 mpg, which to be honest I didn’t think was that bad considering the size of the engine. The tank is also 90 litres so you get good range. However in Sport mode the car really does drink fuel (as you’d expect!). In terms of other running costs, it’s still early days for that.
Other things that have made an impression
1) The engine really does give a feeling of having an abundance of effortless power. Whatever speed you’re going, you can just gently press the accelerator and the car surges forward, leaving you with the impression there is always more in the back pocket if you need it.
2) It really is a wide car. I would not recommend trying to go in the normal carriages of the channel tunnel (as I have just done!) – there is about an inch either side of the wheels.
3) It is a heavy car… But it gives you strange sensation of knowing its heavy when you drive it, but also not being in any way limited by it. It’s like driving a tank powered by a ballistic missile…
4) It’s easier to park than you’d expect, as the turning circle is quite good and the visibility with the reversing camera and mirrors quite decent. But it is also quite hard to actually get out of in a tight space – the doors are not only VERY heavy due to the double glazing and insulation, but the sills are also very wide due to the thickness of the doors. That means that you actually need quite a bit of space to get the doors open when you squeeze out.
5) It’s very hard to arrive anywhere subtly when driving a Bentley. Aside from in central London, this car definitely turns heads when you arrive somewhere. Which can be either fun or a bit embarrassing depending on where you are!
Hope you enjoy the write-up!
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/1ZhMDlMN.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/QWQxAfT4" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/QWQxAfT4.jpg)
A little bit of background – I’ve been looking for something special as a second ‘fun’ car for a while and I’d settled on getting something within the GT category, spurred on by the prospect of an upcoming 3 week road trip around Spain and France. I’d looked at various Aston Martins (DB9 pre and post facelift) and the Maserati GranTurismo but in the end nothing ticked as many boxes as the GT Speed for performance, sense of occasion, quality of interior and also surprising practicality.
This is my first impressions after collecting the car and taking it on a c.2,000 mile trip across Europe. The journey encompassed its fair share of motorway miles but also twisty alpine roads, city driving and some fairly narrow countryside roads. So I think I’ve pretty much done most of the situations you could expose the car too in ‘normal’ driving.
First Impressions
The car undoubtedly has a true sense of occasion when you get in the driving seat – it has a real wow factor. The cabin still feels very plush and luxurious with leather covering literally everything. The majority of the switches and parts of the trim are solid metal and wood, giving a real sense of quality. The seats and driving position are very comfortable with the arm rests in just the right place for motorway cruising. The shape of the car gives you a feeling of sitting quite low and cocooned within the vehicle – the sides of the doors come up quite high with the narrow sweeping windows – the salesperson described it as a little like a “pillbox” effect. The dash also sits quite high in front of you, which adds to the feeling.
I’d also say that the car has a remarkable amount of space inside. Perhaps not too surprising given it is obviously quite a large car despite being a coupe, but the boot is genuinely big, fitting plenty of luggage for a long trip. The back seats are also fairly reasonable for an average size adult, at least for shorter trips.
My car doesn’t have the Naim stereo upgrade but personally I’ve found the standard one to be perfectly decent and have no complaints from the sound quality. The Sat-Nav is as you would expect for a 5-year-old car but personally that isn’t something I care about as I generally always use Google Maps these days.
General Driving
The first time you put your foot down in this car it is genuinely mind blowing. I don’t think I’ve ever driven a car where you can be so comfortably meandering along one minute, and then pushed into the back of your seat the next. The acceleration is so violent in Sport that it really does make your heart rate increase. Caveat – I can’t say I’ve driven many high-end sports cars but over the years I have been in the driving seat of the Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Gallardo and various other high performance cars, so I do feel like I have a reasonable basis for comparison. But this felt like another level. The Speed edition of the Continental GT does of course have the slightly more powerful 626 bhp engine than the standard car.
The car really does have two distinct characters. In ‘Comfort’ mode, which is essentially the softest dampening setting, it really does glide along serenely. That’s probably the best mode for city and motorway driving as it’s incredibly smooth, and when you combine it with the very quiet cabin, creates a very chilled driving experience. It completely destroys motorway journeys in a way I haven’t experienced before.
But switch the gearbox into “Sport” and change the suspension to the same “Sport” or “Sport II” setting and the car becomes a different beast entirely. The valves open on the exhaust, giving the car a noticeably loud burbling sound, and then the full power of the engine also becomes apparent – rapid instant acceleration and a real, unexpected roar from the engine at higher overtaking revs.
To me, the gearbox feels very smooth. When in fully auto and not in Sport mode, the car tends to change up to the upper levels of the 8 speed box pretty quickly, no doubt to aid economy. But you never feel like you don’t have enough power. In manual mode with the paddles (I rarely used to be honest), it is also pretty fun.
The brakes are generally pretty impressive given the stopping power required for a car of this weight. My car has the standard ones rather than the optional carbon ceramic and I can’t say I felt I was missing out. The only occasion I thought they might have been worth having was on a couple of drives up the mountain roads in the Alps – the combination of continuous strong acceleration and braking with such a substantial car left me wondering if they would have been useful to have! But how often are you really going to drive the car in those circumstances…? Not many owners would I expect.
Economy
With a combination of motorway miles and some town driving, I seemed to be getting around 21-22 mpg, which to be honest I didn’t think was that bad considering the size of the engine. The tank is also 90 litres so you get good range. However in Sport mode the car really does drink fuel (as you’d expect!). In terms of other running costs, it’s still early days for that.
Other things that have made an impression
1) The engine really does give a feeling of having an abundance of effortless power. Whatever speed you’re going, you can just gently press the accelerator and the car surges forward, leaving you with the impression there is always more in the back pocket if you need it.
2) It really is a wide car. I would not recommend trying to go in the normal carriages of the channel tunnel (as I have just done!) – there is about an inch either side of the wheels.
3) It is a heavy car… But it gives you strange sensation of knowing its heavy when you drive it, but also not being in any way limited by it. It’s like driving a tank powered by a ballistic missile…
4) It’s easier to park than you’d expect, as the turning circle is quite good and the visibility with the reversing camera and mirrors quite decent. But it is also quite hard to actually get out of in a tight space – the doors are not only VERY heavy due to the double glazing and insulation, but the sills are also very wide due to the thickness of the doors. That means that you actually need quite a bit of space to get the doors open when you squeeze out.
5) It’s very hard to arrive anywhere subtly when driving a Bentley. Aside from in central London, this car definitely turns heads when you arrive somewhere. Which can be either fun or a bit embarrassing depending on where you are!
Hope you enjoy the write-up!
runner911 said:
Excellent report !
I've had my 2008 Continental GT since December 2017 , so still learning about it if I'm honest.
The car , which has just 22,000 miles from new has had irritating electrical niggles , the latest of which yesterday cost me £443 for a replacement parking brake motor .
Fully agree however that any journey is always something special.
Thanks! That’s very low mileage on your car! I haven’t had any issues yet but it’s early days. I bought the car with a multi year warranty so my hope/plan is that any issues which could come up will be covered. I've had my 2008 Continental GT since December 2017 , so still learning about it if I'm honest.
The car , which has just 22,000 miles from new has had irritating electrical niggles , the latest of which yesterday cost me £443 for a replacement parking brake motor .
Fully agree however that any journey is always something special.
Speculatore said:
I have had my 2010 GT Speed '51' Series for almost 2 years. It was the only car that I would have changed for my Manual DB9 and I have not regretted it one bit. (Although I have not been on a track with the Bentley which was great fun in the Aston
Looks like a tidy example!Update - Maintenance and Service Costs on a Continental GT Speed
I've seen a lot of debate and speculation on the forum around running costs on these cars. My car has been in the dealer network since new and I was fortunately supplied with the entire service history. I thought it might be useful to set out below the history of the car and how much it has cost from a servicing perspective since new in 2013.
2014 - 1st Year Service ~£880
2015 - 2nd Year Service ~£1,500
2016 - 3rd Year Service ~£1,500
2018 - 4th Service - I can't really give a total cost for this one as this was the pre-delivery service and preparation so the total cost is much higher than just the service. Beyond the normal service items (oil, filters, brake fluid etc.), the mechanical items which were replaced were:
Hope that helps.
Cheers
I've seen a lot of debate and speculation on the forum around running costs on these cars. My car has been in the dealer network since new and I was fortunately supplied with the entire service history. I thought it might be useful to set out below the history of the car and how much it has cost from a servicing perspective since new in 2013.
2014 - 1st Year Service ~£880
2015 - 2nd Year Service ~£1,500
2016 - 3rd Year Service ~£1,500
2018 - 4th Service - I can't really give a total cost for this one as this was the pre-delivery service and preparation so the total cost is much higher than just the service. Beyond the normal service items (oil, filters, brake fluid etc.), the mechanical items which were replaced were:
- Front wishbone links x4 ~£600
- Set of brake discs ~£500
- Set of brake pads ~£300
- Set of tyres ~ £1400
Hope that helps.
Cheers
jeyjey said:
Hi Robert,
Those 4th-year-service costs are just for parts, right? So you'd need to add in the labour?
(I just paid £2,400 for discs, pads & fitting on my Arnage.)
Cheers,
Jeff.
Yep you are right Jeff - that's just the parts. Not sure exactly what the labour cost was as I can't separate it from the other stuff they did. So to be fair the "total maintenance cost" I quoted over the 5 years would be a little higher to account for that. Those 4th-year-service costs are just for parts, right? So you'd need to add in the labour?
(I just paid £2,400 for discs, pads & fitting on my Arnage.)
Cheers,
Jeff.
MrReg said:
https://www.hrowen.co.uk/bentley/aftersales/servic...
You may find this useful if you live close to one.
Yep I signed up for a 2 year package. Nice idea You may find this useful if you live close to one.
JulianPH said:
Robert_F said:
JulianPH said:
I'm only holding out on upgrading to the Speed until I see what the new Bentley 6 looks like!
Does anyone have any updates on this...?
Do you mean the Bentley Speed 6 concept car?Does anyone have any updates on this...?
4,000 Mile Update
I'm now 6 months into my ownership and I was surprised to realise I've now done around 4,000 miles in the car (!)... although that does include around 2,500 on the road trip through Spain and France.
My views on the car haven't really changed at all - it's been faultless as a mile cruncher and also great fun when you want to put your foot down, change the damper settings to Sport and enjoy some country roads. I recently had a weekend away with a bunch of mates and everyone who came for a ride was blown away by the performance.
The only issue I've had is a major stone chip in the windscreen when driving down the M4. I ended up having to get the whole windscreen replaced, which was done by Autoglass. They actually did a great job (I was slightly nervous) and only get certain more experienced technicians to do jobs on these cars. The fitter said the glass cost around £2k so I was happy to pay the £90 insurance excess!
What are the things I've noticed?
- The steering does seem to be very camber sensitive. Maybe this is just my car and I need to get the alignment checked but I find that as soon as you go on a road with some gradient to it, the car has a tendency to want to gravitate in that direction. I've seen some comments elsewhere to this effect and have put it down to the fact that it is a very heavy vehicle, but would be interested to hear other owner experiences.
- The motorised bootlid really is a bit slow and pointless!
- The car is still massive. It is definitely not for going down any kind of single lane road or narrower B roads - I've had a few sweaty palm moments navigating roads down in Cornwall.
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