2019 Bentley Continental GT Test Drive Review: Top Of Its Class

After buying Bentley at the end of the 1990s, the VW Group invested billions into the brand, giving it the necessary tools to properly compete for millionaires' money. The first "modern Bentley" was born soon after with the introduction of the Continental GT in 2003, which has gone on to be the driving force behind the marque's established role as one of the world's leading luxury carmakers with over 70,000 sold globally since it launched 16 years ago. The first Conti GT was an instant success and the new model needs to have the same impact.

Having spent four glorious sunkissed days with an Orange Flame example in London recently, it's hard to see what more Bentley could have done to improve the uber-luxe coupe. However, with SUVs dominating car buyers' thoughts and competitors from Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche delivering equally compelling six-figure cruisers, the new Bentley Continental GT has its work cut out.

What's the Price of the 2019 Bentley Continental GT?

If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can't afford it anyway, but the Bentley Continental GT is priced from $200,000 in the US before the addition of taxes, registration, licensing and destination charges, or before you go anywhere near the options list which can easily see prices soar to nearly $300,000. Our tester was priced at £205,015 (around $250,000), £45,915 ($55,000) of which were options.

2019 Continental GT Exterior

Dimensions

2019 Continental GT Performance

Handling and Driving Impressions

The chiseled, athletic styling of the new Continental GT is not just for show. This is a real athlete of a car, underpinned by a monstrous powerplant and the 48-volt Active Roll Control system, which manages the suspension (that now utilizes three-chamber air springs instead of two) and active anti-roll bars that keep the heavy brute perfectly placed and balanced. Despite being front heavy, Bentley has moved the front wheels 135 mm forward and shifted the massive engine further back improving weight distribution. 55% of mass now sits on the front wheels, compared to the old GT's 58%.

It also glides around corners like a sports car half its size thanks to the brilliant brake-based torque vectoring introduced on the old Supersports model. When entering a corner, it slows the inside rear wheel and when exiting it holds the inside front. The result makes cornering a joy, turning in with ease and existing with buckets of power. Pirelli P Zeros (275/35 front; 315/30 rear) provide plenty of grip and report pavement imperfections through the electric steering rack.

And when you need to stop, Bentley has fitted ventilated cast-iron brakes - the largest discs you'll find on any passenger car at 16.5/15 inches front/rear - that combine with 10-piston calipers for the front and four pistons at the back. The huge anchors do a wonderful job of keeping the 626-hp W12 in check.

As you'd expect, the Continental GT eats up the tarmac like The Rock on cheat day, but even when highway cruising there's a constant sense of connection to the car making for a more involved driving experience. Different driving modes of Comfort, Bentley, Sport, and Custom can be selected via the rotary controller, altering engine, transmission, suspension and steering response, but not to any large degree. Bentley was our default setting, as this is the one Bentley thinks you should use. Regardless of what mode you're in, the mountains of readily available torque and sharp-shifting gearbox enables you to instantly spring forward and keep going until you decide to let up on the throttle. The engine note, however, is all bass and no-frills and it could do with more range to provide drivers with a constant reminder of its capabilities.

2019 Continental GT Interior

2019 Continental GT Trunk and Cargo Space

Warranty

Verdict: Is the 2019 Bentley Continental GT A Good car?

Bentley has made the latest iteration of the GT sportier, more fluid, considerably quicker and by our eye, better looking. With competitors like the Aston Martin DB11, Porsche Panamera, and Mercedes-AMG S65 breathing down its neck, the Continental GT had to take a huge leap forward. While the Crewe-based carmaker has done wonders maturing the two-door grand tourer, it's simultaneously given it a more youthful appeal. Despite its popularity with rappers and star athletes, the average age of a Continental owner is 53. With its new fitter, leaner look, impressive performance both in a straight line and on challenging stretches of road, combined with cutting-edge tech and ultra-fine luxury details, thirty-somethings with money to burn should be all over the new Bentley Continental GT. Cruise in style, take a 1,000-mile road trip, have an early morning riot on country roads. It has multiple personalities, with a breadth and depth of capability that only a handful of cars can match.

What Bentley Continental GT Model Should I Buy?

Aside from the First Edition, which throws in certain optional extras as standard, there's only one Continental GT with a single engine option (a V8 is coming for 2020) and one transmission. But with the amount of options available, buyers will have a fine time configuring the GT.

Go all in on the options and buyers could be adding 50% to the base price. At a minimum, we'd opt for the Rotating Display, and add the Touring, Mood Lighting and Front Seat Comfort Specifications. The City Specification is worth considering for the top view camera and hands-free trunk opening alone, while the Mulliner Driving Specification would also be hard to ignore. From the extensive list of exterior upgrades, the panoramic glass roof would be the only option we'd think hard about, and we'd save a few grand by ignoring the high-end sound systems. However you look at it, buyers should be ready to pay at least 30% more than the base price.

2019 Bentley Continental GT Comparisons

2019 Bentley Continental GT vs Rolls-Royce Wraith

If you can afford one, you can probably afford them both, but for the discerning multi-millionaire, the Rolls-Royce Wraith is the Continental GT's most natural rival. Both feature large-displacement twin-turbo 12 cylinder engines with more than 600 hp, but Bentley's 664 lb-ft significantly trumps the Rolls' 605 lb-ft. Despite this, performance is nearly identical, despite the fact that the Wraith only drives the rear wheels while the Continental boasts standard AWD. There's little separating them from a quality and technology perspective either, both loaded with luxury and innovation. What does separate them is size, with the Wraith being substantially larger than the Continental GT. It has more interior room, more trunk space, and crucially weighs 400 lbs more than the Bentley. Because of its lighter weight and more compact size, the Bentley is the driver's GT car, while the larger Rolls-Royce will appeal more to those who place comfort above all else. Considering the Bentley is already about as luxurious as it gets, we say why not have your comfort with a dose of agility? For us, the duality of the Bentley means it's the better pick between the two.

2019 Bentley Continental GT vs Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe

The S-Class has always been synonymous with luxury, and in Mercedes-AMG S65 guise, it's the pinnacle of what can be achieved using not-so-humble S-Class bones. With its own 6.0-liter bi-turbo V12, the S65 develops 5 hp less than the Bentley while producing 74 lb-ft more torque. It sends these outputs purely to the rear wheels. Both are ultra-stylish, but the S65 is more practical with a larger trunk and marginally more interior space. It weighs less, too, 130 lbs less, which should make it more dynamically talented. Yet both perform on par with one another in this regard. The Bentley is a little more refined, though, while the AMG-badging on the S65 means they've engineered it to be a little more hardcore. It's a close battle between the two, but where the S65 falls drastically short is in terms of interior luxury; it simply can't match the feel of the Bentley, or the exclusivity. With the two both priced at over $200,000, we'd happily forego the additional torque of the Merc in favor of the opulence and brand cachet of the Bentley.