Why we ran it: To see if the third-generation Continental GT rules the roost as the ultimate grand tourer
Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Prices and Specs
Life with a Bentley Continental GT: Month 4
Four months have, like the 5000 miles driven, flown by. So what did we learn? - 18th September 2019
Let’s admit it: running a Continental long-term test car isn’t a bad gig, is it? When editor Tisshaw asked me earlier this year if I wanted to run a Conti, I replied saying yes within milliseconds.
There’s one elephant in the room: I don’t have the money or lifestyle associated with owning a car such as our £208,765 Continental GT W12. That means it has been parallel parked, nervously, on a typically narrow London residential street and while, for many, a Continental is a daily driver – perhaps the cheapest car in an owner’s garage – our long-termer has very much been treated as a jewel in the crown.
This is the downside of living with a Continental – the desire to avoid public car parks, airports, unknown parking situations, tight lanes – but you can’t help wonder if one had enough money to properly own this, would such concerns even exist? I can’t answer that, but in three months with the car, we’ve racked up 5000 miles and had ample time to grasp the finer points of ownership.
There’s been no journey I haven’t enjoyed in it, although naturally, given its grand tourer title, it’s most thrilling on long stretches where one can extort the 626bhp available from the W12, and the glorious, rare-these-days sound that comes with it.
An early drive from London to North Yorkshire not only proved that the W12 never runs out of torque but also showed the true meaning of wafting. The smoothness interlaced with exceptional ride comfort felt, at times, as if I was almost floating.
Ride comfort – crucial for a GT – never failed, and on a lengthy French road trip, not once was I uncomfortable or fidgety. The Bentley has become the benchmark for comfort in all cars I drive. After much playing with Bentley’s four driving modes – Sport was too hard for me and Comfort meant not-quite-right wheel control – I concluded that the ‘Bentley’ mode was perfect, and presumably why it was created.
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The Bentley Continental GT is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British automaker Bentley Motors. The W12 model is equipped with a 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces 626 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system.
The 2019 Bentley Continental GT W12 boasts a top speed of 207 mph and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds. It also has an air suspension system that provides a smooth and comfortable ride, while the active anti-roll bars keep the body level during cornering.
Inside, the Continental GT W12 offers a luxurious and well-crafted interior with high-quality leather, wood, and metal finishes. It also features a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
In terms of fuel economy, the Bentley Continental GT W12 is not particularly efficient, with an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 12 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.
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What's money?
The basic list price is mentioned and then price as tested. What about current value? That should be enough to make anyone weep.
I see Jack Barclay is advertising a Mulliner spec GT '67 reg with less than 6000 miles on the clock for £107,000