Car Review: Bentley Continental GT V8S

The Continental GT appears hewn out of a single block of marble, a shape seemingly curved and smoothed and flattened by a high pressure jet of water. The coupe looks dynamic while the convertible is more suave and elegant.

With the V8 S changes are few and discreet, like the subtle new splitter and skirting and rear diffuser. The symbolic 8-shaped exhausts remain but red brake calipers and V8 S badging help differentiate from the V8.

Inside you are introduced to a whole new level of luxury: An abundance of leather, wood and knurled metal greets you, along with an 8-inch touchscreen that handles everything from navigation to entertainment and suspension settings.

This is a 2+2 but rear seat passengers won’t be very happy. It’s not unusable but neither is it very comfortable—good for a waft around the city but not so good for intercontinental travels.

Push the start button and the twin turbo V8 barks into life with just the right volume and aggression. It perfectly suits the nature of the Conti GT not just in noise, but power delivery as well.

The 3,993 cc twin turbo engine in the V8 S makes 21 PS of power and 20 Nm of torque more than the standard V8. The car pulls strong from any of the eight gears and is just as happy lugging itself around at tick-over as it is when making peak power at 6,000 rpm. As always the ZF gearbox is nothing short of excellent.

Performance is scintillating: 4.3 and 4.5 seconds to 100 kmph for the coupe and convertible respectively. Both have a top speed of just under 310 kmph.

It also has the potential to be quite efficient—Bentley claims 9 kmpl with a very careful right foot.

The ride is moderately stiff and you will feel the discrepancies in our roads. There is some body roll and a sense of weight as you hustle through corners.

The Continental GT is a luxury car that involves the driver while spoiling him silly.

It isn’t sharply focused like a sports car and that shows in the progressive brakes and smooth throttle response. After all, this is a car to be enjoyed in a mature fashion, not thrashed.