Bentley Continental GTC

 

 What‘s it? Anyone acquainted with the second-generation Continental GT will recognise the newest Bentley Continental GTC’s sharper styling lines, more upright grille and striking LED headlamps. Bentley wants this to become considered a far more overtly sporting convertible – and one which gets you noticed. That message ought to be carried through straight into the driving experience. The new GTC is 70kg lighter than its predecessor, includes a 40mm wider track, retuned steering for sharper responses and sportier suspension settings. The all-wheel drive system now includes a 40 / 60 split front to rear, changed from 50 / 50 inside a bid to dial out some understeer and permit a diploma of steering upon the throttle should the mood take you. The 6. 0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 now produces 567bhp (up from 552bhp ), while torque is up by 37lb ft to 516lb ft and it is coupled to some new six-speed transmission – dubbed ‘Quickshift’ – which halves gearchange times to 200 milliseconds and enables double downshifts. The 0-60mph sprint takes 4. 5sec, 0-100mph is dispatched in 10. 9sec and also the top speed is 195mph. The interior, too, is completely reworked in line using the GT’s, and features a much-needed, all-new touchscreen infotainment system.

Thinner front seats also increase space inside the rear. As ever, leather, metal and carpeted surfaces abound, and Bentley promises roof-up noise insulation so great that “you’ll believe you’re inside the coupé”. What’s it like? That the car of the size and weight which will take you given by a standstill to 62mph in lower than five seconds but nonetheless feel unrushed is nothing in need of remarkable. That’s largely because of peak torque arriving so early inside the rev band, and it also bestows the GTC having a flexibility which means you‘ve breath-taking pace on tap, or can lazily waft along. The ride is reasonably forgiving, even upon the optional 21 inch wheels fitted to our test car. Rivals perhaps have a foothold here, however the standard remains extremely high. On very broken surfaces and under load the inherent compromises of disassembling the roof off are noticeable, except for most time – and upon the mostly smooth test roads - the ride is excellent. The handling is reasonable. As the Continental is obviously no sportscar, it will possess a reassuring level of feel without being overtly involving. Additionally it is an excellently stable car in an aligned line, even at higher speeds. Overall, it‘s a moderately involving car to push on in, and there’s certainly fun to become had from doing that. Just the gearshift mechanisms disappoint slightly.

The mechanical gearlever doesn’t feel special enough, as the steering wheel mounted shifters feel ill-placed and plasticky for any car of the provenance. It’s a shame like the shift is decent. The car also stops well even on standard brakes, another significant achievement given its size. It’ll come as no surprise to find out the interior is also put together and luxuriously appointed as you’d expect for any car emerging from Bentley Continental GTC’s acclaimed Crewe HQ. It‘s a suitably special place to become early on, although the extra rear legroom because of the sculpted seats probably only goes thus far in order to make travelling longish distances possible with small children. Adults inside the rear seats would still struggle for kneeroom and height. The new touchscreen multimedia system is really a much-needed step forward too. The final generation dated the car towards the previous decade the instant you have inside an switched it on ; this version looks far better, and works reasonably well. Interior quirks – or irritations, depending in your point of view – are limited to foibles for example the positioning from the column stalks – it’s all too simple to hit the gear paddle when attempting to indicate, as an example.

Some serious amounts of familiarity would help overcome this, little question. There aren’t many compromises in order to make for having the fabric roof, either. Roof in the refinement is excellent, and there’s not much loss if you take it down. Wind buffeting is restricted to some bit to the very tall, and also the extra noise intrusion isn’t enough to prevent conversation. Should I buy one? If you prefer a car that combines opulence, elegance and outright pace, all with the choice of putting the roof down, then you ought to consider it. The GTC is remarkable for retaining so most of the coupe’s qualities and also a credit towards the no-compromise engineering standards at Bentley. Yes, there‘s a price to cover all of this – both when it comes to in the point of purchase, running costs and subsequent upkeep – but when those will be the kind of fripperies that concern you you then won’t be out there for that kind of car anyway. The GTC isn’t a perfect car, though it‘s charming and effective. Rivals for example the Aston DB9 or Virage, or Ferrari California, have their very own merits, but none are available a comparable package. Bentley Continental GTCPrice : £149, 350 ; Top speed : 195mph ; 0-62mph : 4. 8sec ; Economy : 17. 1mpg ; CO2 : 384g / km ; Kerb weight : 2495kg ; Engine : W12, 5998cc petrol ; Power : 567bhp at 6000rpm ; Torque : 516lb ft at 1700rpm ; Gearbox : 6-spd auto.