The Bentley Continental GT has had to contend with the
whiff of nouveau riche hanging around its exhaust pipes since it arrived in
2003. The once cordial and symbiotic Rolls-Royce and Bentley marquees were
traditionally purveyors of enviable, hand-built chariots for the well-heeled
gentleman or lady.
However, in the aftermath of the break-up of Rolls-Royce
and Bentley - which was inevitable after Volkswagen had scooped the company
from under BMW’s nose in 1998, only to find it didn’t have the license to use
the Rolls-Royce name – there was huge pressure to engineer quickly a new,
cheaper car. One that would hopefully sell in numbers hitherto unimagined by
anyone at the old Creswe factory, rejuvenate the brand and begin to recoup VW’s
investment.
The result was the Continental GT, essentially a
mass-produced model built using a VW Phaeton chassis with a new body. It was
and still is constructed in Germany rather than at Park Ward, then shipped to
Crewe for assembly and sold to a mostly cash-laden, burgeoning group of
individuals who fancied something sporting a Bentley badge, with a bit less
stuffiness.
Most notable is the cylinder deactivation that’s
been introduced on all the W12 engines. This switches from running on 12 cylinders
to six for better efficiency when you’re on a light throttle and above 3000rpm.
Don’t get too excited though: the Speed will still slurp fuel at an enormous
rate, but at least it should get you farther between fill-ups.
Twelve cylinders should sound magical,
multifaceted and mellifluous. The W12 never has, and even here, tuned to the
nines, compared with an Aston V12 it sounds more like a 626bhp leaf blower,
only with added drone when in Sport mode. The initial body roll settles and on these 21in wheels shod with
generous rubber, the grip levels are enormous. Even when you carry vast speed
into corners, the GT won’t wander off into the bushes and embarrass you. Wet or
dry, as you exit you can be quite the hooligan with that torque and it won’t
give you a fright, beyond a manageable dose of under steer.
But of course honing around tight bends isn't really its
main purpose, which is to be a comfortable long-distance cruiser. This is where
the GT has always scored well, and still does.
Slacken off all the driving modes and the air springs
help it patter over most road surfaces with an easy bent; the only time it lets
itself down is over a deep pothole that creates a slightly unseemly thud
through the cabin. That's a rare occurrence, though.
The minor upgrades throughout the cabin don’t stand out,
but do nothing to inhibit the sense of finery. For once I don’t have to mention
scratchy plastics in a review, as there are none here; just lots of leather
stretched tightly and stitched uniformly over the various surfaces.
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