Bentley Bentley Continental GT in the driving report
23.01.2011
S ought to let the others roll around on spindly, light-running tires, with lean mixes Downsizing engines pay homage to the need to save. Hello, we're talking about Bentley. Radical downsizing - company founder and locomotive fan W. O. Bentley would immediately turn the limiter on instead of resting quietly. A Twiggy Bentley - as tasty as a burned-out cigar, as stylish as a sheik with a fake Rolex. Flying B, that means solid thrust through maxi displacement - also with turbo-charging. Without it, no car can come through the gate in Crewe.
VW Phaeton provides the basis for the Bentley Continental GT
Not even the Bentley Continental GT. That four-seater luxury coupé that sparked the Bentley renaissance in 2003. Based on the VW Phaeton, it occupied a new niche, since then it has been celebrating cozy comfort with the character of a salon plus long-distance travel expertise - brought to life with the
Biturbo-W12. And for that extra kick, the Bentley Continental GT Speed and the Bentley Continental Supersports are available, each with increased performance and sharpened movement talent.
Two characteristics that the team under Development Director Ulrich Eichhorn also gives the new Bentley Continental GT. According to Eichhorn, customers want everything to stay as it was, but still get a new car. Advantage: If you wish, private model changes can take place in silence without envious neighbors rotating behind the curtain.
Bentley Continental GT also runs on biofuel
Under the hood of the Bentley Continental GT, the blades of the two turbochargers of the six-liter, which in addition to 25 more horsepower, and above all one parallel, still rotate delivers a torque line shifted upwards. Rumbling in the deep bass, the 700-Newton-meter block immediately fulfills acceleration and pace requests in the driving report, supported by the now faster-reacting six-speed machine. If required, the W12 also accepts E85 bioethanol in any admixture.
It remains the only arbitrary thing about the Bentley Continental GT with its distinctive swing around the rear wheels, a legacy of the Continental R forefather from the fifties. The steeper radiator grille and the flatter front design with new headlights gently cite history, the LED daytime running light armada sparkles more contemporary.
Bentley Continental GT offers a skilful compromise
Overall, it appears again belowThe new ones designed by Dirk van Braeckel are a tad more defined, more muscular, like after a few extra free weights. With its four centimeters wider track at the front and rear and standard 20-inch wheels, the Bentley Continental GT also has a richer feel on the road. Most customers should grab the 21-inch option anyway. A little hint for you: Even with an air-sprung, adaptively damped luxury coupé with aluminum handlebars, this does not remain without influence on the ride comfort. Except for this - self-chosen - hardness, the Bentley Continental GT celebrates the compromise between sport and comfort extremely talented, and retains a predictable character even in the extreme positions of the adjustable dampers.
More direct steering in the Continental GT
The more direct steering of the Bentley Continental GT works informatively and bump-free, responds finely from the central position, reacts proportionally. Which corresponds to the development goal of linearity, as suspension professional Eichhorn explains. The driver should pass bends with the steering angle that has been taken, without having to make any corrections. That works as long as you don't force the 2.3-ton truck into corners with excessive speed. Then physics overwhelms all engineering efforts and the heavy Bentley Continental GT begins to push over the front wheels.
On the other hand, he likes targeted load changes to keep the desired line. Depending on the position, the ESP leaves enough leash in the driving report to experience the modified power distribution of the all-wheel drive by pressing the accelerator pedal. Previously on equal terms, the rear wheels are now allocated 60 percent in the basic mode, whereby the system adapts to the situation at any time.
New seats provide more legroom in the Bentley Continental GT
Better adapt - how the new front seats in the Bentley Continental GT. Thanks to the modified molded foam, they are more comfortable and, because there is no integral construction, lighter than before, they contribute significantly to a weight reduction of 65 kilograms and a noticeable improvement in legroom at the rear by four and a half centimeters. So you strive towards distant continental destinations in a relaxed way at the front and with small cutbacks also at the back.
As usual, surrounded by ultra-solid workmanship, cool metal, cozy floor carpets, grippy thick leather and warm, shimmering, UV-resistant wooden panels. In addition to more effective noise insulation in the Bentley Continental GT, new on board: an infotainment system that, unlike its shameful predecessor, is finally worthy of a Bentley thanks to its eight-inch touchscreen, clear graphics and transparent structure. Just like the removable aluminum ashtray and the glasses case made of wood and leather in a material cost that will be enough for entire cars in the future.
But - stop, at the moment we're still at Bentley. And sinceeverything remains good for the time being. Even if a four-liter V8 is allowed to slip behind the Bentley Continental GT grill at the end of next year.
