In addition to a W12, Bentley also supplies a V8 in the new Continental GT Convertible. Does four cylinders less mean that there is only limited enjoyment? Knowing that the V8 is the same as the one in the Porsche Panamera Turbo, we have little cause for concern.
With the sun high in the sky, there is nothing more beautiful than driving an open car. And that, if possible, with a fine motor under the right foot. Bentley meets this primary summer need with the Continental GT Convertible. The latest generation of the English super convertible was already available with an impressive W12 and is now also available with a V8. That may seem like a step back on paper, but in practice, the car with that eight-cylinder is anything but a simple entry-level version. The V8 is the same twin-turbo four-liter with 550 hp as we know from the Porsche Panamera Turbo. While you enjoy the beautiful weather in the Bentley, that engine not only gives you a boost, but also the accompanying soundtrack. Usually murmuring peacefully in the background, but when it comes down to it just as badly bassy.
The interior of the Continental GT is finished from front to back with soft leather and tighter than austere lacquered wood. And that in abundance, to create an all-transcending sense of opulence on board. No detail seems lost in the interior, which forms a seamless blend of classic and modern design. Everything is ‘better than best’. At Bentley they owe it to their booth. With the hood closed, the new Convertible is a nice bubble, a cocoon with double glass in which you are completely relaxed and disconnected from the rest of the world, where you are invited to travel long distances. Very pleasant. When the conditions allow it, there is absolutely nothing like open driving and you can do that more often than you think in this car.
Three round meters
While the automotive industry seems to be in a race to install the largest multimedia screen in the dashboard, Bentley is taking a different route. For the operation of, among other things, the navigation system, the sound system, the telephone and the vehicle settings, you have a neatly integrated touchscreen of serious size, but at the push of a button it turns away to make room for one with the rest of it. dashboard matching wooden panel containing three round meters, which are nothing more than a stopwatch (if you cannot suppress your competitive drive), a compass and a thermometer. The whole is completely in style with the classic clock on the center console. Less is more. It’s part of what Bentley calls ‘digital detox’. This also applies to the arsenal of electronic assistance systems, comfort boosters and safety features with which the car is equipped. While other manufacturers constantly confront you with its presence, Bentley ensures that they do their work in the background, so without bothering you. It is part of the sophistication that has gone far into the superlative.
This also applies to the convertible top. With the push of a button, you can make it disappear completely below deck in 19 seconds, and possibly while you drive (maximum 50 km / h). Of course, we see something like this more often, but never with the same, high-quality finish. In this regard, Bentley picks up where others stop. With the hood down it remains remarkably quiet in the car; you hardly suffer from wind. What does help is the windshield that you can mount behind the front seats.
Porsche engine
Unlike the V8 in the previous generation, it is now not an evolved eight-cylinder from Ingolstadt, but a Porsche engine. As in the Panamera Turbo, the engine produces 550 hp and 770 Nm. From a technical point of view, the Bentley with the V8 is even more related to the Panamera, because the DCT transmission, which Porsche (which was at the origin of this system) calls PDK, has also been adopted. And just like its German counterpart, the Bentley is equipped with three-chamber air suspension and active (48V) anti-roll bars. With a little good will, you could call the Continental GT Convertible V8 with its four-centimeter shorter wheelbase the convertible version of the Panamera Turbo. It is 340 kg heavier than the four-door Porsche, because the Continental GT Convertible V8 weighs 2,335 kg. Anyway, that’s still 80kg less than what the W12 brings to the scale.
The fact that the V8 has to do with 85 hp less than the W12 is not a loss for a moment, because there is of course more than enough power. The V8 fits in well with the character of the Convertible. Driving can be sporty, but also extremely comfortable just as easily. Partly thanks to the turbos with their variable geometry, there is little or no delay on the accelerator pedal command. Tractive power is immediately on demand; in the performance diagrams we see a torque curve as a straight line. The seamless collaboration with the always alert DCT guarantees a party. Is it not thanks to the push in your back, then certainly because of the noise from the exhaust. You often go faster than you think. With this large convertible you can safely push the boundaries and defy the laws of nature, it does what you tell it to do without any problems. The V8 doesn’t budge. If there are any limitations, then we attribute them at most to the fact that there is a good amount of car around the corner, but not because the V8 would perform less than the W12. Admittedly, there are similar cars that are significantly lighter and therefore slightly more driver’s car. Well, it will all be… Those cars can not lift you out of the everyday world as well as this open Bentley. Wind in your hair and on to the horizon!