First Drive Review
They came seemingly out of nowhere. Nearly 2800 feet above sea level and hours from the nearest city of consequence, a group of approximately four-dozen camera-wielding tourists of random nationalities spun on their heels and began to snap pictures of, well, us. The fact that we arrived at this Norwegian mountaintop overlook in a fleet of candy-hued 2016 Bentley Continental GT coupes may have contributed to their elation. Although we in the press are known for our handsome profiles and chiseled physiques, it’s hard to compete with the international language of horsepower, not to mention flawless paintwork and Bentley’s stately Big B logo. While the attention was not entirely unexpected, that the tourists so hastily turned their backs on a glorious display of Mother Nature’s finest glacial carvings for a photo op with a car speaks volumes. Nobody was jockeying for prime photo real estate around the Ford Kuga parked next to us.
Our day began a few hours earlier near Alesund, a heavily forested community positioned on a rocky precipice typical of western Norway. Given the seemingly glacial pace at which changes come to the Continental GT, it was a fitting locale to debut the latest round of updates.
A new front bumper with a revised lower mesh pair with a slightly smaller radiator surround and new, more pronounced fenders for what Bentley calls a more “assertive stance.” While we agree, it’s of our opinion that the effect looks most at home when paired with the more extroverted colors—like the Monaco Yellow on the V8 S pictured here—than with colors selected from the traditional Bentley palette. (That said, Bentley would like to remind you that it will gladly color-match any shade known to the human eye.) Chrome fender badges, as previously seen only on the GT Speed, now appear on the fenders of the V8 S and W12 as cosmetic enhancements. The rear of the car gets largely the same treatment, the reshaped bumper getting a full-length strip of brightwork, and the composite decklid has been reshaped with a slightly more pronounced profile to the trailing edge. To help keep the pecking order sorted, the V8 S and the GT Speed get a different rear-diffuser treatment. Some new wheel choices arrive for 2016, including the 21-inch five-spoke directional alloys found on the GT Speed we drove.
Although the interior has also been subjected to a round of minor updates—a revised stitching pattern in the seats, LED illumination, new dials and graphics on the instrument panel, larger gearshift paddles, and additional USB ports, all standard—you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that it remains true to its basic men’s-clubroom ideals. Leather abounds, punctuated by bits of chrome and either carbon fiber or wood, and the control layout is unchanged. A sportier steering wheel comes aboard as an option, as does onboard Wi-Fi connectivity for $1330. Mulliner Driving Specification brings a unique, "small-diamond" quilting pattern to the seats, and the GT W12 and GT Speed models can be outfitted with supersoft semi-aniline leather for the princely sum of $3200; how, exactly, Bentley determines which cows are the softest remains a trade secret.
For the first portion of the drive, we selected a Continental GT Speed cloaked in a dark hue known as “Spectre.” Whether Bentley chose the name as an official reference to Ian Fleming supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld is up for debate, but it certainly plays the part well. What we can confirm, however, is that the torque swell from the 626-hp twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 remains as alluring as ever, all 607 lb-ft of torque on duty at 2000 rpm. Permanent all-wheel drive performs discreetly in the background, doling out torque as needed (normally split 40/60 front/rear, variable from 15/85 to 65/35 as conditions dictate). The resultant acceleration belies the GT Speed’s 5100-pound curb weight, with 60 mph arriving in a claimed 4.0 seconds. Additional factory performance figures have 100 mph passing in a claimed 9.0 seconds and a top speed of 206 mph. From the long, linear travel of the accelerator (we like!) and the soft-ish brake pedal (don’t like so much), to the speed-sensitive electric power steering (like well enough) and damped but precise movement of the shift paddles (sure, why not?), the controls move as if they are mounted with bushings made of equal parts folding cash, Beluga caviar, and human tissue extracted from Barry White’s larynx.
At the conclusion of the impromptu mountaintop photo session, we slipped into the yellow GT V8 S. Equipped with Bentley’s “Extended Sports Specification” kit ($19,180—yes, really), our car had the carbon-ceramic eight-piston front brakes, sports exhaust, and carbon-fiber interior bits, making it the best choice for the run down Norway’s infamous Trollstigen Mountain Road, a ribbon of single-lane pavement carved out of the side of a cliff. Mistakes made here could have grave consequences. Although the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 produces “only” 521 horsepower, all 502 lb-ft of torque are available at a low 1700 rpm, which helped to give the eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox a breather during the twisty descent. Short straight chutes were acknowledged with blasts of the throttle, followed by braking hard for corners and then downshifting—the transmission will let you skip gears downshifting—to coast against engine back pressure and elicit some joyous cacophony from the tailpipes. Down a quartet of cylinders, the V8 S gives up only three-tenths, Bentley says, to the W12 Speed in the zero-to-60 measure, clocking in at 4.3 seconds; zero to 100 mph is a different story, the V8 S taking 10.3 seconds to do what the W-12–powered GT can do in just 9.0 seconds (again, factory figures). Although said to be lighter over the front wheels by only 57 pounds, the V8 S had the best steering feel and response. The air suspension does a fair job of keeping the body on an even keel while simultaneously isolating the harshest wheel impacts. You’ll never forget that it’s a big car—that it handles as well as it does is a testament to dogged engineering persistence.
With a base price of $214,425, our Continental GT V8 S wore $44,020 in options (extended paint, $5715; yellow stitching, $1980; faux-leather headliner, $1200; Naim for Bentley audio, $7595; and many, many more). Final tally? A cool $258,445.
The biggest news in Continental GT land can be found under the hood of the most pedestrian 12-cylinder. Seeking improvements in fuel economy and emissions, Bentley has added cylinder deactivation to the twin-turbo W-12. (The V-8 has had it for years; the W-12 in GT Speed trim doesn’t get cylinder deactivation.) According to Bentley, the Continental GT W12 notches a five-percent improvement in combined fuel economy, although the EPA combined rating of 15 mpg is the exact same figure earned by the previous W12. But emissions were reportedly reduced. Best of all, adding cylinder deactivation required remapping of the ECU, and in the process Bentley harvested an additional 15 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque, which now stand at 582 and 531, respectively.
As you might expect, spending time with the GT W12 after driving the previous two cars was less than a revelatory experience: The heft, the interior tranquility, the impeccable fit and finish were all present in spades. The variable-displacement system went about its business without drama or inopportune hiccups, and if our handlers hadn’t informed us about it we likely would never have noticed its presence.
While all of these cars handle well, the word “crisp” is nowhere in their vocabulary, and Bentley remains empathic that the Continental GT is a true grand tourer and “not a sports car.” But for those who desire a large coupe with classic styling, a coddling interior, and speed to spare, the Bentley remains happy to oblige.
