First drive review: Bentley Continental GT V8
Wednesday, 12 August 2020
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8
Price range: $357,500 (coupe) to$393,300 (convertible).
Powertrains: 4.0-litre petrol twin-turbo V8 with 404kW/770Nm, 13.1L/100km, 8-speed dual clutch transmission, AWD.
Body style: two-door coupe.
On sale: now.
While the third-generation of Bentley’s undeniably successful Continental GT has been around for more than a year now, it has only come with the company’s impressive 6.0-litre W12 engine. Now the V8 has landed in New Zealand.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Rather than a “lesser” version of the Continental GT, the V8 is positioned more as the younger buyer's car in Bentley’s line up. It also happens to cost significantly less (around $40k) than the W12, but don’t worry – you can more than soak up that difference in the options list..
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As a fairly conclusive example of this, the ‘base’ Continental GT V8 coupe starts at a hefty $357,500, while the car we drive here came with a price tag of just over $433,000, meaning an eye-watering $75,000-odd worth of options.
To be fair, it was a rather extensive list of options, but then there were also a number of things on that list that really should be standard on a $350K car to begin with. Like adaptive cruise control and rear cross traffic alert, for example.
Still, this is from the same company that charges extra for the same things in Porsches, so it is clearly an intentional strategy rather than an awkward oversight…
That said, the GT V8 still does come with a formidable set of standard equipment for its hefty base price and the one option that is essential to tick off is the utterly unnecessary but totally brilliant rotating central display that rolls majestically around to replace the touchscreen display with a set of traditional gauges at the touch of a button.
You know, just in case one feels touchscreens are a nouveau-riche necessary evil that are better off not being seen in one’s Bentley.
But it is that subtly rumbling V8 that is the star of the show here and while it drops four cylinders off the GT at a cost of roughly 10 grand a pop, it also drops around 80kg in weight as well.
While the 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre turbo V8 isn’t as blatantly powerful as the 467kW/900Nm 6.0-litre W12, any time you lose 80kg from mainly over the front axle, you will get a more responsive and agile car. Even one this big.
And while there is a lot to be said for the silky-smooth charms of the W12, the more insistent and angry (yet still very civilised) growl of the V8 appeals more to my ear.
Where did you drive it?
Due to the usual covid-related reasons for not being able to jet off and ponce around at glamorous international locations for car launches any more, we spent a day in the Continental GT V8 at the glamorous international location of Auckland on a miserably grey and wet day.
While it didn’t give the preferred vibe of cruising the cote-d azure on a balmy European summer’s day, it did show off the impressive capabilities of the AWD system to rein in the rampant belligerence of the V8 in slippery conditions.
There was little in the way of drama displayed as the GT channelled all 770Nm of torque to the rain-soaked Auckland streets. Well, visual drama, that is – it simply hunkered down and belted off – the subdued aural drama was still quite impressive.
Not shoutily aggressive in the way an AMG V8 is, the Bentley's V8 still hardens up and sounds distinctly menacing under full throttle. Never loud and always gentlemanly, but you know it will stab you with its umbrella if you don’t get out of its way.
Handling-wise, the big Continental GT (and make no mistake – it is a very big car) is impressively sharp and agile, but you are always conscious of its size, if not actually its weight. Better suited to cruising at a very high speed as opposed to savaging corners, though, it still does a damn impressive job of the latter.
The most satisfying approach to corners is a reserved approach in, followed by a shattering fast departure, making the most of the V8’s torque and AWD traction, basking in the soothing bellow of the engine and wondering why poor people don’t buy these things.
While ride quality is generally excellent (particularly for a heavy car that does a remarkable impersonation of a much lighter one), the rear does have a tendency to get a fraction brittle over certain surfaces, something that seems to be a trait in large cars with air suspension in the VW Group.
It’s not terrible and it certainly isn’t a deal breaker, but it is a slight smudge on what is otherwise a truly epic and magnificent package.
What’s the pick of the range?
Personally, a bog standard V8 coupe with the single option box ticked for the rotating display (I never got tired of playing with it…) would be my pick, but apart from going crazy with the options and personalisation on offer, you only other choice is splashing out around $33,000 more and going for the convertible.
Granted, you get to hear the engine a bit better, but I would still stick with the tin top.
Why would I buy it?
You want the ultimate in luxury with a bit more personality than the smooth W12 has to offer. You want a large coupe and don’t hold with Aston Martin’s sportiness or the German manufacturer’s soulless efficiency. Or you are a young go-getter who isn’t one of these traditional old-school Bentley buyers, I mean, you’re only 65…
Why wouldn’t I buy it?
You don’t get the whole ‘massive car with only two doors and literally no rear legroom’ thing. You think $357,500 is a frankly offensive amount of money to spend on a coupe or you just can’t see why on earth we are still buying things like this as we edge closer to not having a habitable planet to live on.