The Bentley Continental GTC Speed has rather big shoes to fill. This is the fourth generation of Bentley’s iconic grand tourer, a lineage that has done much to shape the modern GT concept. On first impressions, however, you’d be forgiven for wondering what exactly has changed. You could land in its plush and opulent cabin and not notice a blind bit of difference from the third generation. The layout between the two would make for a challenging game of spot of the difference. Even outside, visual cues are evolution over revolution. The twin, rather than quad, headlamps are the most obvious giveaway.
It’s the platform and powertrain which have been revolutionised in the Bentley Continental GTC Speed. The last generation of Bentley Continental featured in its line-up the option of an almighty W12 engine. My main fear was that this engine would be missed. Whilst it wasn’t the most vocal, it was an arm-around-the-shoulder type powertrain, cosseting in its presence and vast reserves of power.
12-cylinder units haven’t been consigned to the history books just yet, either. Lamborghini’s Revuelto, Ferrari’s 12 Cylindri and Aston Martin’s Vanquish all feature V12s. In this rarefied air, has Bentley perhaps missed a trick by switching to hybridisation and a V8?
The short answer to that question is no. This is hybridisation Bentley-fied. One major advantage the team in Crewe has is that no one is concerned about how much a Bentley weighs. 2636Kg? Whatever. For most other manufacturers, this kerb weight would result in uproar.
This has left Bentley free to add heft, but also refinement and speed, without any dissenting voices. It’s heavier than BMW’s heavier than heavy M5, for example, but no one cares. And nor should they.
Living with the Bentley Continental GTC Speed
While it’s accurate to point out that not much has changed inside the Bentley Continental, it’s also accurate to point out that this is no bad thing. Far from it. Bentley has shown admirable confidence in its previous design and stuck to its guns. Whilst most others have packed everything into increasingly complicated screens, Bentley has maintained a fine blend of traditional and modern.
Yes, there’s a big screen, which delightfully rotates in and out of view, but there is also a plethora of buttons for key controls in the centre console. This makes the Bentley Continental GTC Speed easy to interact with on the move.
Everything inside is, simply put, magnificent. You’re reduced to extreme nit-picking in order to unearth anything to criticise. The headrests don’t protrude enough and a bit of adjustability wouldn’t go amiss here. The steering wheel, too, could be a wee bit more adjustable. If it could extend out a bit further, it would be perfect. The main issue, however, is the boot.
If 134-litres sounds small, that’s because it is. Throw in the charging cables and I struggled to get my kids’ bags and coats in having picked them up from nursery and school respectively. Of course, the rear seats can be used for this purpose, but only if there are no people occupying them. You’d struggle to manage a family weekend away in the Bentley Continental GTC Speed.
But that’s not really the point. And you’d leave the cables at home anyway.
You would, however, regularly charge at home. The 25.9kWh battery offers a real-world range of over 30 miles. Wafting around town in silence suits the Bentley, too. It feels very refined and frictionless. It’s also part of an exceptional hybrid system, with the change in power imperceptible.
What’s the Bentley Continental GTC Speed like to drive?
Then the V8 starts up. You notice this because of the baritone bark from the Akrapovic exhaust. If the old W12 was perhaps too refined, this Speed goes pleasingly in the opposite direction. There’s a delightful thrum as the V8 goes about it work, with hints of pops and bangs on the way down the rev range. It’s just the right side of uncouth and isn’t a noise you’d ever tire of hearing.
Manufacturers are really starting to get hybrid powertrains right and Bentley’s is undoubtedly one of the best. The car starts in EV mode, but switch to hybrid and the V8 doesn’t need much prompting to join the party. Once up and running, you genuinely don’t notice the shift between power sources. It’s only when you call for a brisker pace that the V8 muscles in.
And what muscle it provides, too. There’s a combined output of 771bhp and 1000Nm of torque. That’s enough to propel the Bentley Continental GTC Speed from 0-60mph in 3.2secs. At motorway speeds, too, progress is as rapid as it is serene.
It’s in this environment that the head-up display becomes essential. You can be carrying rather a lot of momentum without realising you’re moving at all.
On the motorway, if you don’t deploy the excellent Naim audio (just tick the box if you’re putting an order in) then you do notice a bit of wind noise from the fabric roof. This is only when you’re really travelling though.
Take the roof off and the cabin remains calm and refined. You can chat to your passengers easily. Get the heated seats, arm rests, neck scarf and steering wheel on and you can happily cruise around star gazing in winter. It’s a wonderful and luxurious trick which keeps the drop-top relevant all year.
Conclusion
If you could drive silk, this is what it would be like. Nothing combines performance and luxury like the Bentley Continental GTC Speed. It carries a wonderful, oily, frictionless sensation whilst also being able to politely shove you up the road at an alarming rate. You can positively attack your favourite roads, whilst enjoying John Coltrane and having a massage. It’s a delightful contradiction.
Of course, such an experience doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re fortunate enough to be shopping in this market, £306,000 (as tested) doesn’t feel outrageous. It’s more than an Aston Martin DB12, Maserati GranTurismo or McLaren GTS, and on a par with the Ferrari Roma Spider, but it delivers a combination of ingredients that those do not.
I’ve written before that this is something of a golden age for the grand tourer. Perhaps I’m biased, because these cars appeal to me more than any other, but the range of options in the market is outstanding. Each offers something different from the other and the Bentley Continental GTC Speed stands out for being simultaneously laid back and sporting. Driven at any speed, along any road, it’s just wonderful.
Another contradiction: there’s a simplicity to the experience that flies in the face of modern standards and belies the technology deployed in this car. There are different drive settings, but Bentley mode is the one I stuck with. Comfort was a bit too soft and Sport just keeps the V8 alive and prepped. There’s Custom, but who on earth is using that? Bentley and Sport are more than enough. Get in, drive and enjoy. Easy.
From barely noticing speed bumps to barely noticing just how fast you’re going, I revelled in all 742.3 miles I covered. From silence to violence, the Bentley Continental GTC Speed ticks every box.
