Bentley Continental GT
Debut: 2003 |
 We
must thank Dr. Ferdinand Piech, ex-boss of Volkswagen group, for
bringing
us Bentley Continental GT. If you remember, Dr. Piech used to be a fan
of Bentley. His love of the British marque led to his decision to
acquire
it in 1998 and split it from the Rolls-Royce (which went to BMW) since
2003. Volkswagen invested a lot to modernize the Crewe factory and the
development of the Continental GT. It gave the project the best
engineers,
the best stylists and the best high-tech components sourced from the
Germany
headquarters, for example, the W12 engine, the Quattro 4-wheel-drive
system
and the Phaeton's air springs and adaptive damping. 5 years past, the
first
Continental GT went out to the public. Everybody is waiting to see if
it
deliver a real Bentley quality, or if it is just a thinly-disguised
Phaeton
Coupe.Let's talk about the styling first. We know this kind of prestige cars with glorious history is never easy to design. BMW already taught us a lesson: if you put too much weighting to traditional features, like the Rolls-Royce Phantom, you will end up with an ancient-looking car. If you modernize the design too much, like Aston Martin Lagonda of the early 80s, it will lose the connection with traditional values and then loyal customers will leave. Therefore the key to success is to make the right balance between modern form and function and traditional features. And the Bentley coupe did this perfectly.  From
outside, the new Bentley looks really fantastic ! on the one hand, it
has
the profile of a modern coupe - smooth flowing roofline runs from the
steeply-raked
windscreen to the fastback tail, high shoulder lines, low roof.... on
the
other hand, it has strong features of traditional Bentleys - the
powerful
nose, mesh grilles and the pronounced fenders which looks like men's
muscles.
In particular, the rear half of the car has resemblance to the
Continental
R of 1952 - the best-looking Bentley of all, no wonder Volkswagen
decided
to name the new car similarly. In my eyes, this is one of the most
successful
designs in the current generation. One that so rich of traditional feel
without sacrificing any modern functions. Excellent ! Open
the door also open your eyes - wow, this is the best interior any money
can buy ! the Continental GT costs £110,000 in UK, about 20% more
than a Mercedes SL600 / SL55 AMG but is easily the cheapest Bentley.
Even
compare with the 2-to-3-times-more-expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom and
Maybach,
the Continental GT still shines in quality, and beat them painfully in
style and taste. Volkswagen makes the best use of the experienced
craftsmen
in the Crewe factory to trim the whole cabin with the best quality
leather
and the best looking wood. But the most important is how they are put
together
to match colors and forms.The thick leather seats are beautiful to look and even better to sit, thanks to built-in massagers. Although the roof looks low - a perception due to the high shoulder line, the front seats offers plenty of space. Continental GT is a real 4-seater. The rear seats are not super-spacious, but if the front occupants are willing to compromise a bit, it can accommodate four 6-footers.  Now
we can talk about the mechanical aspect. As you expect, the low-volume
Continental GT (expect 3,000-3,500 units a year) shares many essential
mechanical components with Volkswagen Phaeton (and therefore Audi A8).
Basically, the whole drivetrain and suspensions come from Phaeton, thus
its platform could be said as a cut-down version of the Phaeton.In the Bentley, the 6-litre W12 engine is added with a pair of light pressure (max. 0.7 bar) turbochargers and intercoolers. Although it pumps out 560 horsepower, the W12 is far from stressed, as you can see from its specific output of just 93 hp / litre - pretty low for a turbo engine. The maximum torque of 479 lbft seemed rather low, especially for Bentley. Volkswagen's engineers could have squeezed more torque out of the engine, but the ZF 6-speed automatic transmission and the quattro drivetrain are unabled to cope, thus they have to limit the torque output. That's why the torque curve is flat - maximum torque is available from 1600rpm all the way to 6000rpm, almost like an electric motor. Volkswagen has another 6-speed transmission from Aisin which can handle 553 lbft, but it is designed for the Toureg SUV only. Even so, the Continental GT is already very quick, if not as quick as Mercedes SL55 / 600 and CL600. 0-60mph takes 4.7 seconds, 0-100mph needs 11.8 seconds. Top speed is 198mph. Wow, almost a 200mph 4-seater !  However,
the most impressive is how effortless to achieve such a storming
performance.
With the non-stop stream of torque from a little over idle, with the
smooth
ZF gearbox, good damping, quiet ride, remarkable high-speed stability
and
rigid chassis, the Continental GT covers ground at enormous speed
without
tiring its occupants. At high-speed bends, it does roll more than the
ABC-equipped
Mercedes SL, but never to the extent that affect your confidence. This
just say it does not pretend to be a real supercar.Ultimately, at tighter bends the Continental GT will shift from neutral to mild understeer and you will feel it start revealing its front bias weight distribution (57:43) and oh-my-God weight of 2385kg - 500kg more than SL55 AMG ! nevertheless, the GT remains composed, taming the unfavourable law of physics admirably with its tremendous 4-wheel traction, clever electronics and adaptive suspensions. That means at the limit the car remains secured and tidy. Again, this prove the chassis is well sorted. Ride quality is always good, no matter at what speed, what surface, thanks to adaptive damping and air suspensions. Even on coarse surfaces it remains supple and quiet. In many ways the Continental GT drives like a SL55 AMG. They are not real supercars, but they deliver supercar power and performance in a fuss-free manner and maximum comfort. The Mercedes has a slight advantage in speed, handling and price, but the Bentley shines in quality and accommodation. That means Continental GT is currently the best hardtop luxurious coupe on offer, while Mercedes SL is the best in the open-top world. However, the most important to Bentley is: this car is a real Bentley, not a Volkswagen Phaeton Coupe. It definitely signals the revival of Bentley in the coming years. This would not have been possible if the marque were still in British hands or in the hands of BMW. Thanks Dr. Piech. |
| The above report was last updated on 2 Aug 2003. All Rights Reserved. |
Possibly feeling
the pressure from
Mercedes CL600 and CL65 AMG, Bentley produced the Continental GT Speed,
a higher performance version of the original car. The name "Speed"
reminds us the legendary Bentley 6.5-liter Speed-Six which won Le Mans
in 1929 and 1930. That was a long time ago. The new Speed model is not
a race car, of course, but it shares most of the same character as the
old car, such as the combination of tremendous power, weight and
bullet-proof reliability. 
At regular speed, the Speed model doesn't feel very much
different from the regular Continental GT. After all, the latter has
plenty of torque for disposal and its 4-wheel-drive chassis has always
been surefooted, if somewhat uninspiring. Up the pace, however, you
will find the new car corners flatter, balances better and understeers
later. You can even apply power to neutralize its initial understeer.
Keen drivers can finally find some fun in driving the big Bentley coupe
!
Continental GT update (2010)
|
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Bentley calls this the new generation Continental GT, but in my understanding it is actually a mid-life update, something like a Golf Mk6 or Passat Mk7. You don't need to be disappointed, because the original Continental GT is still fresh to eyes, and very capable on the road too. What it needs is only a minor facelift and small tweaks to its chassis and powertrain. On the new car, you can see the beautiful shape of the original car is kept intact, even though all sheet metal are said to be new. It just looks slightly crisper and sharper, thanks to subtle tweaks on the flanks, a lower and more upright front grille, reshaped lower intakes and new Mulsanne-style headlights (which incorporate LED elements). Hard points and all critical dimensions are practically unchanged, though it does gets wider front and rear tracks to improve handling. Under the skin, there are quite a lot of tweaks. The 6-liter twin-turbo W12 has been tuned to deliver 575 hp, 15 hp up. Maximum torque is lifted from 479 to 516 lb-ft. The 6-speed ZF gearbox - sadly no 8-speeder - gets faster gearshift and the capability for double downshift, say, from 6th to 4th in one action. The Torsen 4WD system had its torque split changed from 50:50 to 40:60 for less understeer, like what the outgoing Continental Supersports has already done. All wheels grow an inch to 20. A small diet, including lighter front seats, aluminum front fenders and boot lid, cuts 65 kilograms from the car, though it still weighs as much as 2320 kg. Performance is therefore marginally improved. Top speed remains at 198 mph, while 0-60 mph is cut by 0.2 sec to 4.4 sec. It is also a little bit greener, but for real improvement you have to wait for the new 4.0 twin-turbo DI V8, which will arrive in late 2011 and promise 40% reduction in emission.
On the road, the new Conti feels fast and capable, with great stability and grip. Ride is still on the sporty side, even with its adaptive damping set to comfort mode – understandably, it needs a firm setup to counter its nose-heaviness. Understeer has been reduced, so the chassis is more reactive to throttle. The steering becomes lighter and less resistive, though it still lacks feel. The gearshift is still a tad slow these days. The big Bentley is unquestionably better to drive than before, but there is no confusion with a thoroughbred sports car like Aston Martin Rapide or Ferrari 612. Why ? because it is not very involving to drive hard. Bentley might say this is an advantage to a luxury grand tourer, but in my opinion modern technology should allow dual-purpose character. The outgoing Supersports model is a sportier and better compromise. In fact, the biggest improvement we found on the updated Conti is actually its rear seat accommodation. Thanks to thinner front seats, rear passengers enjoy 46 mm of extra legroom, letting adults to travel more comfortably on short journey. Refinement is also markedly improved, as double-glazing and other noise insulation lower wind and road noise a lot. The cabin looks mostly the same as before, which is not a bad thing. Even after 7 years, the Continental's interior remains the very best, being elegant, easy to use and impeccably built. Although there is no revolutionary changes, the updated Continental GT is better in every aspect - slightly faster, better handling, higher refinement and roomier. Most important, there are few alternatives could threaten its success - Mercedes CL looks not exclusive enough; Ferrari 612 is too expensive; Aston Rapide is too slow, ditto Maserati GranTurismo. It remains the definitive choice for most customers in this segment. |
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| The above report was last updated on 10 Nov 2010. All Rights Reserved. |
| AutoZine Rating | ||
 Continential GT (all versions) |
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| Performance tested by: *Autocar, **AMS, ***C&D, ****R&T |
Copyright©
1997-2010
by Mark Wan @ AutoZine