The new Bentley Continental GT will represent “a paradigm shift in driving performance” over its predecessor, according to engineering boss Rolf Frech.
Autocar has now driven the new Bentley Continental GT. Click here for the first drive
The grand tourer, which has made its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show, has been created to “set a benchmark for all GTs”, said Frech, who added that he believes “this [car] redefines luxury driving again”.
Bentley hopes the new version of its most popular model — which is even expected to outsell the hugely successful Bentayga SUV — will appeal to both loyal and new customers and be “even more agile without compromising luxury”, helped by a chassis, suspension, W12 engine and dual-clutch eight-speed gearbox that are all new.
The Crewe-based car maker’s intention is to extend the Continental GT’s appeal to those buyers who might traditionally choose a Porsche for its handling qualities. The design of the third-generation Continental has taken inspiration from the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept car shown at the Geneva motor show in 2015. Frech said the style remains “clearly Bentley and Continental”.
The new car is longer than the outgoing model, with the front wheels 135mm further forward, which in turn has allowed the bonnet to be extended and the nose to be lowered. The wheelbase has increased by 110mm to 2856mm. The model is 25mm wider than the current car. It is 1954mm wide, 1392mm tall and 4805mm long.
The shorter front overhang also means improved weight distribution. With two adults on board and light luggage — which Bentley deems “typical grand touring occupancy” — it has changed from 56:44, front to rear, to 53:47. The new Continental’s unladen weight distribution is 55:45 compared with 58:42 previously.
While the front retains the muscular look of the second-generation model, the rear design is more refined. This has been achieved by so-called ‘superforming’, a precision technique that heats aluminium panels to 500deg C, allowing more defined lines to be created. The Continental is the first production car to have an entire body side made via the superforming process, Bentley claims.
The Continental’s body sits on an aluminium structure. Eschewing the previous generation’s Volkswagen Phaeton-based platform, the model uses the Porsche- developed MSB (modular standard drivetrain) platform that is also in the new Panamera. However, the Bentley is keen to point out that its parts are “82% unique”, despite the collaboration with Porsche.
The car uses an “intelligent mix of body-in-white materials to improve torsional stiffness while reducing weight”, saving 85kg on the previous body, said Bentley chief engineer Bob Teale. The kerb weight for the W12-powered launch model is down from 2320kg to 2250kg.
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superstevie
Looks rather handsome.
Looks rather handsome. Particularly like the rear end. The interior, I'm not as sold on it as the previous generation. I like the screen cover with additional dials. I'd be interested to see how that rotates
Kev88
The speed6 concept was so
The speed6 concept was so sleek and low, everybody loved it. This just looks like a bad facelift. Where did all that style go?
Byzantine
Facelift
Exactly.
superstevie
@Kev88 That will be for their
@Kev88 That will be for their romoured sports car I think
stinhambo
Having 15 times more lines of
Having 15 times more lines of code than a Boeing Dreamliner is nothing to boast about. So much to go wrong and how the hell is that debugged sufficiently? Smacks of bad coding practice.
I'd love to know why the need for 8km of wiring too.
Roadster
Makes a S Class Coupe look even more cheap, tacky and 2nd rate
The S Class Coupe looked dull and undesirable compared to the previous model, especially when it came to the Merc's uninspiring and cheap looking and feeling interior which barely made you feel more special than a pathetic C Class Coupe. This new Bentley moves the game on and makes the Merc look and feel like it's second rate and cheap and tacky looking and feeling, which it is. One day Mercedes will catch up.
eekamouse1025
VW platform strategy delivers
It's all good for the German auto industry - VW will get excelent flexibility out this platform / engines - 3 x Bentleys, 2 x Porsches and the new VW Toureg.
scrap
If Porsche made a Bentley...
If Porsche made a Bentley... oh right, they did!
Cyborg
Nice!
It looks good overall. The only slight issue I have with it, is that the front grill doesn't look substantial enough due to a thin surround and its placement too close to the surface of the front of the car. it looks more like they've plunked a wiremesh panel on the front rather than a proper grill. Another small gripe I have with the new car is the fussiness and 'too many buttons' impression the controls surrounding the gear lever have...reminds me of a similar (but even worse) issue the dash of the flagship Mulsanne suffers from. Which also has a less attractive grill at the front than the pre-facelift version has. What I really like on the new Continental though, are the closeup shots of those beautiful jewel-like headlamps and the horizontal oval shaped rear-light clusters too. The new underbody tech incorporated on the Continental (and new Porsche Cayenne for that matter) is very impressive too...but that's par for the course with high-end VW-Audi group cars anyway. Well look at it this way...if I had the dosh, I would seriousely consider purchasing this new baby!
audiolab
Apple release car.... finally
no Android auto...it must be the new iBentley
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