Road Test

Bentley Continental GTC

Test date 13 December 2006  Price as tested £132,500

The Continental GT arguably possesses the finest all-round interior – and the changes for the GTC are minimal. The large steering wheel doesn’t promote the sportiest of handholds, but it’s pleasingly indulgent to know it takes eight man-hours to manufacture. There’s a choice of four different veneers and 17 leather hues – and that’s before you’ve dipped into the extended Mulliner range of trims and finishes. But best of all, the overall effect isn’t spoiled by a constant airstream rush.

The wind management is superb, with only a subtly raised volume – chiefly around the mirrors and frame-less join between the front and rear side glasses – at motorway speeds betraying the lack of a fixed roof. With the roof lowered, the experience is equally pleasant, and for calmer, two occupants-only cruising there’s a standard alloy windbreaker that can be fixed behind the front seats.

For four, the front seats have had 30mm of knee-room scalloped from their backs, but while rear headroom isn’t an issue, the cramped footwell and hunched seating position is only really comfortable for smaller passengers, and then only just.

Predictably, the GTC is horrendously thirsty, with a mixture of town, fast and motorway driving unlikely to better 16mpg. And with 410g/km of CO2 belching out the back, owners with an environmental conscience will need to keep their arboretums well stocked.

With a basic of £130,500, it’s not cheap, but it does feel as special as a product featuring such a price tag should.



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