New chassis, new interior, new gearbox and a (mostly) new look - here's the lowdown on the third-gen Conti GT
Can it really be 14 years since the first Bentley Continental GT arrived? Crikey. It's easy to forget actually, given how ubiquitous the car is, just how important that car was and remains to Bentley. It was the first all-new car under VW's ownership and, even with the Bentayga's arrival, can you imagine a 21st century Bentley line up without a Continental GT? Exactly. There's probably a joke about imagining a Championship football club's car park without a Continental GT as well but we wouldn't sink that low. Not us...
Driven: read our first drive of the all new Bentley Continental GT
EXP 10 Speed 6 influence evident back here
Where to start? While it may not look it - styling to be discussed shortly -
this GT is an entirely new car, now based on the VW MSB platform (also seen in the
Panamera) that replaces the Phaeton underpinnings used previously. That already sounds like a very good start; not only is the Panamera one of the best handling large saloons already, using the aluminium structure means torsional rigidity is improved but 85kg is lost from the kerbweight too. 2,250kg is hardly lithe but everyone has to start somewhere, don't they? In addition Bentley claims that the car is "82 per cent unique" despite the shared bits and bobs. The GT will also feature Bentley Dynamic Ride, as seen on the
Bentayga and as originally seen in the
Audi SQ7; it's an active roll control system that uses a 48v sub-system to electromechanically adjust the roll bars. Given how level and composed it manages to keep the Audi SUV, hopes are high for the Bentley.
Again the Continental GT is all-wheel drive, with a variable torque split. The car defaults to rear-wheel drive on start up but can divert torque forwards as it sees fit according to driver inputs and surface changes. The parameters of that system, plus all the other dynamic facets, will be adjustable by four drive modes: Sport, Comfort, Bentley and Custom. Appropriately enough 'Bentley' is said to be the optimum configuration. Interestingly too even the standard GT will get the by-brake torque vectoring system that worked so effectively on the recent Supersports; you can see how a much more dynamically interesting Continental is in prospect.
Browse Bentley Continental GTs for sale in used car classifieds
Big improvements inside will be welcome
At launch the car will be offered with a heavily revised version of the W12 - yep, it soldiers on! Described now as "the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world", the 6.0-litre lump makes 635hp at 6,000rpm and a huge 664lb ft from 1,350rpm to 4,500rpm. Peak torque from 1,350rpm! Power is transmitted to the road via an eight-speed dual-clutch - we'd guess the one as used in the Panamera - for a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds and a 207mph top speed. The introduction of that gearbox, combined with cylinder deactivation, both low- and high-pressure fuel injection and electric power steering, has reduced the official CO2 figure to 278g/km.
For now there aren't any other engines, though it seems likely that the range will eventually spawn variants mirroring those offered today (i.e. a V8 that's probably nicer to drive but show offs will ignore, and an even faster W12 that they'll buy instead). A hybrid is being mooted by Autocar as well, though a diesel now looks even more unlikely than it was first dropped into a Bentayga...
Different, yes, but definitely still a Continental
A single millimetre shorter than the outgoing car (at 4,805mm), this Continental GT is 25mm wider and, interestingly, has a wheelbase that's 110mm longer (2,856mm). This should of course boost interior space should you wish to partake in some actual grand touring. The design of that vast exterior is described by Bentley's engineering boss Rolf Frech as "clearly Bentley and clearly Continental", which sounds like a bit of a cop out, though you can see influence from the
EXP 10Speed 6 concept of a couple of years back. Look at those rear lights, see. Standard wheel are 21-inches, with 22s on the options list. But let's not delve too deeply into the extras just yet, we'll be here all day!
Now anyone familiar with the last Continental GT won't speak of its infotainment system as one of the highlights sure, it worked fine, but more attractive systems with better functionality were available further down the VW food chain by the end of its life. A lot further down. Fortunately that appears to have drastically changed with this car. That central 12.3-inch display rotates like something out of a Bond car, which is rather appropriate if you're familiar with the 007 books. Accordingly it's known as the Rotating Display and hides away when stationary but can then show either that screen or rotary dials when on the move. It's a touchscreen said to be like one of those new-fangled cellular telephone devices, though with buttons supporting it underneath. Best of both worlds? Let's wait and see. It's worth noting too that the driver's dials are digital for the first time and that a head-up display is optional, giving the driver another way to see just how far beyond the limit 664lb ft and impeccable refinement (9dB quieter now) has taken them this time.
It's on the way soon...
So yes, much more than meets the eye with this third-generation Continental GT - that 2010 facelift ushered in the second, in case you were wondering. It will be on show at Frankfurt ahead of deliveries commencing in the first quarter of next year. Expect a price in the region of £160,000, which would pitch it squarely at the
AstonMartin DB11 - there's a twin test to be excited about.
If that's taken your fancy then why not browse Continental GTs for sale in our used car classifieds
Related articles:
2017 Bentley Contintental GT: Driven
710hp Bentley Continental Supersports: Review
