Cars with Jan Coomans. Bentley Continental GT V8 review

The Continental GT is obviously not a car that was designed to be tossed around tight corners, but the V8 actually does feel somewhat less heavy and handles enthusiastic corner entries with more composure and the tendency towards understeer is markedly reduced. On the whole, the V8 is just that bit more fun to drive than the W12. The only thing it really lacks is the W12’s mind boggling torque at very low RPMs, and if you get your stop watch out you’ll find yourself losing a couple of tenths to the bigger engine as well. But as an overall package, all the components of the Continental GT V8 feel like they’re in a sort of natural harmony. And that includes the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which I originally found to have some room for improvement in terms of how it was programmed in the W12. I don’t know if it is a newer software version or the fact that it is now mated to the “familiar” V8 engine which it is also connected to in various Porsche models, but I now found it to be smooth, crisp and generally flawless in its operation. A big step forward. The car now feels like a finished article. It’s as good as it can be, and it has a certain confidence about itself as a result.

Of course, one simply cannot write a Bentley review without remarking on the flying carpet factor. Lighter and more nimble sports cars may generally be my mode of transport of choice, but even I feel rather privileged being able to travel by Bentley for a couple of days of the year. In fact, my now 40-year-old biology has developed an appreciation of late for cars that are this comfortable. That’s not to say that this is the softest car in the world, it really isn’t, but going any softer would probably take the fun out of the way the car handles. The firmness of the dampers is of course adjustable, striking a nice balance in the default “Bentley” mode and getting a bit stiffer when you put the car into “sport”. The latter setting also opens some valves in the exhaust to give you (and the pedestrians near you) a louder and more clearly defined V8 rumble, with some nice sharp pops on deceleration.

In truth, there aren’t too many things I can say about the Continental GT V8 that I haven’t already said before. It’s an expensive luxury GT with striking looks (especially in this shade of green, don’t you think?) and some mighty driving capabilities whether the road surface is dry, wet or frozen. The only real question was whether the Continental GT was still hitting the sweet spot. And the answer is simply yes. Yes it is.