Bentley’s new 4-litre V8-powered Continental GT coupe looks and sounds the business.
The three adjectives often used to describe traditional Bentley models such as the Continental GT W12 are “elegant”, “luxurious” and “stately”. With the newly introduced Continental GT V8, Bentley’s marketers are using terms such as “extroverted”, “aggressive” and “youthful”.
The GT V8 is the “entry-level” Continental that complements the current top-drawer GT W12. Like the flagship, the new V8 variant is available as a GT coupe and GTC convertible.
The cockpit of the Bentley Continental GT V8.
Design-wise, the GT V8 is more aggressive than its W12 big brother. Giving it a noticeably sportier appearance are exterior elements such as (optional) six-spoke 21-inch wheels, a satin-black matrix grille, a shapelier front bumper with gaping air intakes, a dark finish on the lower edge of the rear bumper, and distinctive “figure eight” exhaust tailpipes.
Also unique to the 4-litre GT are red-winged “B” emblems, last used on the Arnage Red Label. Specify the Mulliner styling pack to add racier details, including a front splitter, rear diffuser and carbon fibre side mirrors.
In the Bentley Continental GT V8, “Alfred” can drive “Dunhill” to London and back in the lap of British luxury.
Those sporty looks are not just all show and no go, with the most surprising aspect of the GT V8 being its sound – a deep and throaty howl like a World War II Royal Air Force fighter plane, rather than a high-pitched wail like a modern Italian V8. The intoxicating baritone of the Bentley bent-8 contrasts sharply with the somewhat soulless monotone of the W12.
That wonderful voice is matched by serious poke. With 500bhp and 660Nm for 2.3 tonnes of Conti GT, the 4-litre twin-turbo V8 offers very impressive performance indeed. The century sprint timing is a mere 0.2sec behind the also turbocharged 6-litre W12, which boasts 567bhp and 700Nm.
Bentley Continental GT’s twin-turbocharged 4-litre V8 is an Audi unit specially tweaked to deliver its 500bhp in classic Bentley fashion.
On the go, the V8 feels every bit as eager as the W12 at any given speed, riding rapidly on a strong wave of force-fed torque. The engine’s 3993cc displacement is tiny by Bentley standards, yet it doesn’t seem to be overworked when called upon to provide maximum acceleration. Like a true-blue Bentley, the performance is effortless and much more than sufficient.
Similarly to the Audi S8 that employs the same powerplant, the GT V8 sends its power to all four wheels via a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic. Not only does it have more gear ratios to better exploit the V8’s potential, it is also more incisive with its gearshifts than the W12’s 6-speeder.
The Bentley Continental GT V8’s century sprint timing is just 0.2 of a second behind the turbocharged 6-litre W12.
The advanced transmission and the V8’s ability to run on just four cylinders in low-load conditions are just two of the fuel-saving technologies that make the GT 4.0 V8 some 40 percent more economical than the original 6.0 W12 motor.
Other eco-measures include the 2-litre cut in combustion capacity, variable power steering, weight and drag reductions, energy recuperation and low-resistance tyres. Bentley claims a best-in-class touring range of 850km on a single tank of fuel for the V8 GT.
The intoxicating baritone of the Bentley bent-8 contrasts sharply with the somewhat soulless monotone of the W12.
Of course, saving petrol is not a priority when you’re behind the rich leather wheel of a Continental GT and getting ready to lap the tight, twisty Navarra racetrack in northern Spain.
The car still handles more like a grand tourer than a focused sports machine, but the V8 does make the big Bentley feel smaller and lighter than the W12. The relative agility is accompanied by superb stability and determined all-wheel drive traction out of corners.
Bentley Continental GT V8 is a bit less ballistic than W12 GT and a little more enjoyable.
The V8 is expected to cost roughly 10 percent less than the W12 in the Continental GT line-up. Bentley is counting on its newcomer to score more conquest sales from buyers who would otherwise go for a Maserati GranTurismo or Ferrari California.
Despite being less expensive than its W12 sibling, the V8 doesn’t come across as an inferior Conti GT. In fact, the V8 surpasses the W12 in certain aspects – soundtrack, mechanical efficiency, driving dynamism and styling appeal. The Continental GT V8 is therefore a double-edged sword for Bentley, because it makes the W12 version quite redundant.
Bentley Continental GT V8 4.0 (A)
ENGINE 3993cc, 32-valves, V8, turbocharged
MAX POWER 500bhp at 6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 660Nm at 1700rpm
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 4.8 seconds
TOP SPEED 303km/h
CONSUMPTION 9.5km/L (combined)
Check out the 2018 Bentley Continental GT
