Driving report Bentley Continental GT V8: The fastest couch

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Four cylinders and two liters less displacement do not make the V8 a bargain : The price list for the 550 PS and 770 Nm strong coupé starts at 191,709 euros for the coupé and at 212,177 euros for the convertible. It should be clear that these entry-level prices never stay. So it is not wrong to speak of a 200,000 euro vehicle.

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The switch (er) center in the new Bentley Continental GT V8.

4.0 liters and a seat belt aid

Back to the ready-to-drive convertible in sunny California. The reason why the eight-cylinder engine is started with a button before buckling up has medical reasons. Because parallel to the first rolling up of the 4.0 liter unit, the seat belt aids slide out of their hiding place, so that only the ignorant have to do unnecessary torsions to their spine. Cool connoisseurs just casually reach over their shoulders.

Even after buckling up, finding the correct seat and steering wheel settings is easy thanks to electrical control units. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear at this point that the customer expected from Bentley is obviously shorter than 1.90 meters. There is no other explanation for the somewhat restricted view ahead. However, even tall pilots of this luxury convertible, which can travel up to 315 kilometers per hour, will become so popular after the first acceleration maneuversthe seats pressed so that there are no longer any problems with the view at the latest. Usually you grin a little out of the Continental when the digital speedometer needle swipes over the 100 km /h mark within four seconds from its resting position.

A sea trip that is funny ...

After the first rapid cornering, the driver can hardly stop laughing. Because the acceleration pulls the corners of the mouth backwards anyway, happiness is easy. In addition, as if by magic, car drivers in front dodge into the tightest of parking bays, just to get the Bentley's huge grill out of their rear-view mirror - and that without the driver falling below a reasonable minimum distance Passenger soon turns green. In comfort mode, which allows the vehicle to glide noticeably more gently over bumps, the two-tonne truck assigns significant body movements - despite roll stabilization. In sport mode, on the other hand, the Briton remains significantly more stable and thus offers less potential for an emerging rice disease. The compromise of both driving modes is called B mode. However, if you have a weak stomach, you cannot avoid the harder sports mode. On the other hand, comfort mode is the much more pleasant choice on long motorway stretches without constant direction changes.

Neither one nor the other bothers the driver of the luxurious big ship. The sport mode suits him because the transmission of the V8 then finally stops shifting into the most ecologically effective gear. Anyone who hopes that the steering in sport mode also deserves the title sporty is wrong. Here Bentley should sharpen a little. The brake, on the other hand, can be dosed extremely precisely and the fact that a decent throttle is only passed on to all four driven wheels with a slight delay is probably due to the high curb weight.

1: 0 for the convertible

With so much dynamism and luxury, the big question that potential Bentley Continental GT V8 customers are likely to ask is which coupé or convertible. What can I do for you? The answer is simple: not only should the convertible be, it has to be. Even if it is foreseeable that there will be hardly any open-top driving. Why? The sound is better. While the coupé driver has to step on the accelerator to hear even a little engine or exhaust sound, the convertible driver simply cruises comfortably. No, it is by no means loud and certainly not intrusive. But even slight movements with the right foot are enough to make you forget the hi-fi system with its huge speakers in the cheese grater design.

Anyone who thinks that there is nothing to complain about in expensive cars should use the navigation system employ. Its computing speed is in striking contrast to the possibleVehicle speed. It is quite possible that in the future there will be chic Bentleys with ugly mobile phone holders in the windshield - every navigation app on the smartphone is worlds faster and better.

Anyone who comes across this fly in the continental soup and the fact the fact that not even two steamer suitcases fit in the clearly designed trunk and can look beyond should not have any problems with the Continental. Especially when the two emergency seats of the 2 + 2-seater are occupied by the people who fit there. Because the 'legroom' limits the choice of rear passengers to two target groups: children and young women with model dimensions.