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Cars with Jan Coomans. Bentley Continental GT V8 review

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Bentley Continental GT V8

Sometimes, in spite of my age, I wonder about what cars I’d buy when I grow up. Money and reality being no object, obviously. Invariably, I get through a whole bunch of hardcore sports cars first. But after those, right after in fact, often comes the Bentley Continental GT. It just bridges the gap between two car worlds so very nearly.

Bentley Continental GT V8

If you want the best of anything technological, it often pays to not rush things. Sure, it’s nice to be among the first people to have a brand new model, but usually you’ve got to wait a little bit before the best versions of a car to hit the market. Unlike many car brands though, Bentley launched the Continental GT with the top spec 6 litre W12 engine first, with a smaller and cheaper V8 appearing quite a bit later. This made a certain kind of sense however, as in this rarified segment of the luxury car market the appeal of getting 12 cylinders is still considerable. V12 engines are well on their way to becoming extinct, with only some of the rarest and most exclusive cars still being built with one. But that’s not to say that bigger is always better. In fact, I think I’ve argued previously that in the case of the Continental GT, it actually wasn’t.

Bentley Continental GT V8

With the previous generation Continental GT I was of the firm opinion that the slightly cheaper and lighter V8 model was the one to have if you cared at all about the car’s dynamics. But then the old car was a bit of a boat, built on the same platform as the Volkswagen Phaeton. It didn’t really have any sporty bones in its body. The new car, however, was developed alongside Porsche’s Panamera. So when the new Continental GT came out, it was way better than before. Quite superb actually. But excellent though the W12 version is, I’ve actually reached the same conclusion yet again. The smaller engine still makes the car better rather than worse.

Bentley Continental GT V8
Bentley Continental GT V8
Bentley Continental GT V8

First off, the V8 generates a nicer soundtrack This isn’t all that noticeable when you’re driving around slowly, but when you ask the engine to do some actual work it makes an eager and aggressive noise suiting the Bentley’s ultimate character as a very fast GT car to a T. It sounds sporty whereas the W12 just sounds like… something. It’s also not feeling any slower, though it is down on power a bit compared to the W12 if you simply read the spec sheet. The Continental GT V8 is still fast enough to scare your average passenger to death, and because the twin-turbocharged 4 litre V8 weighs quite a bit less than the big W12 the overall weight distribution is markedly improved. Cars of this type are invariably rather front heavy, so taking a bunch of kilograms off the front axle can do wonders.

Bentley Continental GT V8

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.

Bentley Continental GT V8

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.

Bentley Continental GT V8

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.

18 сентября 2020
Jan Coomans для раздела Cars