Is it just me who thinks Bentley is one of the only OEMs whose design language has improved year on year? This is the new Bentley Continental GT, and it frankly looks fantastic.
It looks so much more aggressive than its predecessor. Gone is the quartet of headlights, replaced, for the first time since the 1950s, by a twin headlamp setup featuring ‘eyebrow’ running lights. This isn’t just highly distinctive; in my opinion, it also makes the car look wider and gives it real road presence. However, you’re still not beating the bug allegations.
This one is the GT Speed Hybrid, and that derivative trim alone gives it some tasteful touches. Most notably, the smoked rear lights. They light up red when you brake. Usually I’m not a fan of smoked rear lights, since they’re often used as a tacky modification on a Fiesta, but on a performance-oriented Bentley, they work surprisingly well. It even deserves its black boots thanks to its angry dragonfly-looking stance, an option a younger, less educated version of myself would have eagerly chosen. Not so now.
However, I wonder if this spec is too mundane. With personalisation being the ever-popular trend in luxury today, you would have thought there’d be a desire to stand out from your peers. Navy blue seems everybody’s safe car colour, one that would probably go with anything. Corsa? No problem. Bentley? Yep, that works.
But maybe that’s the point. Navy doesn’t shout. It doesn’t demand a second look. It lets the badge do the talking. Or even the number plate in this case, which definitely deserves extra kudos.
And then there’s the performance. Bentleys newest hybrid powertrain, already familiar from the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, produces total system outputs of 772 bhp and 738 lb‑ft. Literally no one needs this, yet I am here wanting one.
Imagine barrelling down remote autoroutes, launching from toll booths to 60 in 3.1 seconds, all while cocooned in opulent luxury. The 3-way Rotating Display in front of you, sumptuous leathers absorbing your body, the optional 18-speaker Naim sound system wrapping the cabin in rich, concert-level clarity. The stuff of dreams.