Bentley Continental GT

Road Test

Your Say

Test Date 11 November 2003 Price When New £120,500

Verdict

You’ll notice that we’ve left a few key issues aside in this test. The first is the styling; this is the best-looking Bentley for decades, it’s true, but the majority view here is that from some angles, it doesn’t quite work. And this impacts on the second major issue: that the old Bentley habit of seducing you into ignoring its dynamic weaknesses with its noise, torque, ambience and arrogance seems oddly absent in the new car. This has nothing to do with the Continental’s failings — chiefly its refinement and its weight — which blunt its performance and economy. Nor is it down to its Volkswagen roots; Wolfsburg’s influence on Crewe has resulted in a car which performs and handles better than any previous Bentley, and we’re happy to welcome it as a fitting bearer of the winged-B badge. It’s just that in producing a smaller, more affordable Bentley, some of the desirability and emotional involvement have been lost. Such judgements might not seem to have a place in an objective road test, but these impressions are central to the Bentley brand and Volkswagen’s decision to invest so heavily in it. Doubtless the car’s keen pricing and the simple fact that it is a Bentley will make it a success. And it deserves to be. It’s a good car, but not a great one, and we’d hoped for a little more.