Teamspeed.com - Teamspeed First Drive: Bentley Continental GT V8

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First Drive: Bentley Continental GT V8
Bentley is going green, with the ‘red label’ Continental GT V8. It may use less fuel but it’s even more of a car.
Richard Aucock - Teamspeed Contributing Editor

What is it? The world’s first V8 Continental GT, created to give Bentley a 40 per cent fuel economy boost with no loss in performance or torque thrills.

Why do I care? It’s greener than the W12 but, crucially, more focused too – creating the best Continental GT yet.

How fast is it? 3,993cc V8, 500ps@6000rpm, 487lb ft@1,700-5,000rpm, 0-62mph 4.6sec, 188mph vmax

How much is it? TBC

There was some smart thinking at work on the launch of the Bentley Continental GT V8. We were to get our hands on the car for the first time at Northern Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, an FIA GT-spec track that’s about as new and pristine as any on the planet. But not before a briefing upstairs in the super-modern control tower.

As we sipped coffee and waited, a harmonious bellow surrounded and filled the room. What… it can’t be… it was – three Continental GT V8s, being driven round in formation, by Bentley’s three tame racing drivers. Red, silver and blue: just the merest suggestion of The Italian Job, as they howled and slid around in purposeful abandon.

And as much as it was a spectacle, it was the noise that was the most astounding part. The V8s sounded exceptional, all wail, howl, bellow and, under hard braking, audible exhaust crackle too. We were impressed. “Don’t forget, this room is all triple glazed” added an official. It gets better, then? You’d better believe.

The 500hp Continental GT V8 is the fruition of four years’ hard work by Bentley and Audi. Yes, this is a co-developed engine, designed to suit A6s and A8s just as comfortably as it suits Conti GTs (plus whatever else Bentley decides to put it in…). Even the twin turbocharger units, mounted ‘hot side inside’ within the engine’s vee, are shared. But Bentley’s had its say, loudly, and there are still distinct differences between the two.

The Audi has more power but less torque, for example: huge pulling power is part of the Bentley DNA so, despite its reduced capacity, the V8 has just 29lb ft less than its W12. The Bentley has a unique exhaust system, which relies on flaps and pipes to produce its jaw-dropping bellow, rather than electronics and sound symposers. It even gets a dipstick, so owners can physically check the oil level: Audi drivers have to make do with a readout in the dash display.

And whereas the character of the Audi is all about purposeful refinement, the Bentley is about, yes, noise. It sounds wonderful. This is a very ‘V8’ type of V8 motor, all deep mechanical menace and an exhaust note that has an offbeat burble, a hard-edged growl and a bellowing wail, in that order. It’s a very rich, expensive noise that also gives pedestrians an aural treat thanks to the crackling bark of the twin exhausts, shaped in a figure of eight instead of the plain oval of the W12.

Even if you sadly don’t get to hear it, there are other ways to identify the Continental GT V8 over the W12. At the front, there is a new front bumper of a more aggressive design, within which is set a black mesh grille. There is a black lower panel for the rear bumper and the unique option of black-finish 21-inch wheels. Inside, darker materials and moodier wood trims feature, while the centre console no longer flows into the rear seat.

There is an additional sure-fire way to spy the new V8 Continentals: they get red enamel Bentley ‘B’ badges for the bonnet, bootlid and wheel centres, instead of the usual black-backed badges. Subtle but surprisingly effective – and a fitting reference to the more sporting Red Label Bentleys of yore.

Like them, the V8 has had a gentle refocus of character to complement its new engine. It hasn’t turned into a 911 GT3-type machine, but is gently more crisply honed than the existing W12. On the face of it, the changes seem not to go far enough. On the suspension side, for example, simply a retune of the springs and dampers to account for the reduced weight of the engine.

But it’s the very fact the engine is 25kg lighter, and that mass is also set further back in the engine’s nose too, which focuses this new Bentley. Simply put, there’s less front-end overhang to corrupt the drive – and you can really feel this on the move. The front end becomes more agile and responsive, turns into corners more willingly and generally feels better balanced. The four-wheel drive system has a 60 per cent rearward bias, which adds to this dynamism: the Bentley is much more lithe and quick-witted than you’d think, and better balanced as a V8 than it is as a W12.

The steering remains too light in normal guise, but gets added meat when the adaptive suspension is turned up towards ‘Sport’ (there are four levels). Doing this quells bodyroll too, but it doesn’t destroy the ride, even on the most sporting level. The ride, at all times, remains beautifully compliant and absorbent, shrugging off scars and bumps with real skill. Sport simply ties it down more firmly – but even in this mode, the way it flows serenely at speed is a real cut above.

Like the suspension, the new eight-speed gearbox is also better in Sport mode. Here, it holds onto gears for longer and is less keen to charge through them to reach the long-striding top gear. Gears themselves are closely stacked, giving minimal rev drop between ratios, adding to the urgency – and the shift quality from the ZF unit is impeccable, almost DSG-fast and with the pleasing ability to block-shift from, say, eight to fourth when decelerating.

This ability means the paddles are almost unnecessary. Good job: they’re fixed to the steering column, rather than the wheel, and are a bit awkward to use.

But what about the most telling aspect, performance? Has the Bentley suffered from having a third of its capacity removed? Well, the noise it makes is not deceptive: it does indeed remain a true-blooded performer, despite weighing 2.3 tonnes. 0-60mph takes 4.6 seconds, just 0.2 seconds longer than the W12, while the top speed of 188mph is quite a feat for an engine with the green potential of this.

It’s an exceedingly strong engine, dominated by torque as you’d expect – its 487lb ft is produced, flat, from 1,700-5,000rpm. So long as the gearbox is not striding in eighth, throttle response is near-instantaneous, thanks to the short-travel pipework enjoyed by mounting those twin turbos within the engine’s vee. If revs are above, say, 4,000rpm, it genuinely is instantaneous, with a crack-crisp response to the accelerator that immediately has the Conti GT surging forward. Add in four-wheel drive traction and you can sense what a tenacious performer this car is.

It does all the luxury-running stuff the W12 does, almost as well as the range-topper that is to remain on sale. But it’s this newfound edge that turns it into the car you’d always hope the Continental GT could become. It builds upon the model’s strengths and brings out the character locked within, thanks to a more heart-on-sleeve engine whose appeal is all encompassing.

It’s even compelling in the environmental stakes. Bentley wanted to make a motor 40 per cent more efficient than the W12. It has succeeded. The combined EPA figure is 18mpg, with 24mpg on offer for highway driving. The Brit-based company also boasts it can travel from London to the French Alps on one tankful – a 528-mile range is far more appealing to Bentley owners, thanks to the convenience, than any economy gains. They can afford it, but can’t necessarily afford the bother of filling it.

Economy is the least of your concerns on the track, though. Yes, the racetrack – an area you may not expect to see a Bentley. But it holds up, particularly when conditions are slippery and it can show off its immense traction, beautiful balance and, if all gets too much, its monster brakes (the optional carbon discs are sensational). It’s not a natural track performer but it can still cut it with more ability than you’d expect.

And did I mention the noise it makes? Overall, with its blend of performance, focus, economy, handling balance and noise, it sounds good to me… question is, though, where does that leave the W12 Continental GT which this V8 model so royally usurps? Watch this space, says Bentley…

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