Newly revised Continental GT gains exterior, dynamic and interior changes, but says goodbye to the long-serving 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12.
Its world debut having taken place just under a year ago, Bentley, this week, officially debuted the heavily updated Continental GT in South Africa complete with its new hybrid powertrain.
For now only available in coupé guise as the drop-top GTC wasn’t confirmed, the unveiling at Bentley’s Melrose Arch dealership in Johannesburg only involved a “visual” tour of what also becomes the most powerful iteration ever in the moniker’s 22-year history.
Goodbye W12
Although billed as the fourth generation Continental GT and not an update of the third generation that went on-sale in 2018, the hybrid’s biggest change resides up front where the long-serving 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 has been retired in favour of an electrified version of the Volkswagen Group’s 4.0 TSI twin-turbo V8.
Developing 441kW/800Nm on its own, the twin-blown V8 has, however, been paired with a 25.9-kWh battery pack that drives a 140kW/450Nm electric motor mounted on the rear axle.
Hooked to a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which also houses the electric motor, the entire setup produces a combined 575kW/1 000Nm, which results in a top speed of 335 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.
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Being a plug-in hybrid, the Continental GT, which as at its world debut only comes in range-topping Speed guise, has an electric-only range of 81 km at up to 140 km/h, and will require a waiting time of two hours 45 min using the on-board 11 kW charger.
In total, the hybrid system has four modes; the default hybrid Bentley calls EV Boost, full-electric EV, Regen which uses the engine braking to top up the battery, and Charge, which sees the V8 being the main source of propulsion as well as charging method for the battery.
As ever, the amount of twist goes to all four wheels via Bentley’s latest all-wheel-drive system.
New outside
Aesthetically, the GT’s changes from the “third generation” are mostly subtle with the 1959 S2 having served as styling inspiration.
Central to the updates are restyled Matrix LED headlights, a redesigned bonnet, new front and rear bumpers and slimmer LED taillights.
The new 22-inch alloy wheels, complete with a tinted and polished finish in either silver or black, round the GT’s exterior changes off.
Sharpened-up underneath
Underneath, the MSB platform, shared with the Flying Spur and Porsche Panamera, has also undergone a number of revisions to accommodate the hybrid system.
Although dimensionally unchanged, the twin-valve damper air suspension system has been revised and its electronic control unit recalibrated to provide what Bentley calls “better body control during compression and rebound directional changes”.
Elsewhere, the 48-volt Dynamic Ride active anti-roll bars, rear-wheel-drive steering system, torque vectoring and electronic limited slip differential have all been updated to suit not only the V8, but also the weight of the battery pack and electric motor.
Providing stopping power, the Continental GT’s braking system has remained the same, namely a 10-piston caliper at the front and four-piston at the rear setup with disc sizes of 420 mm and 380 mm.
As an option though, buyers can opt for the carbon silicon carbide arrangement with the same respective piston count, but larger discs at 440 mm and 410 mm.
For the final “out-of-sight” change, the Continental GT’s Electronic Stability Control system has been reprogrammed, again to accommodate the powertrain.
Subtle changes inside
Inside, the interior’s updates are less extensive as both the digital instrument cluster, Rotating Display 12.3-inch infotainment system and 30 colour ambient lighting system continue without change.
New are the selection of materials and colours, dark chrome finishes on the door handles, switches and centre console, plus a new quilted leather upholstery pattern on the seats.
While three new sound systems have been allocated, the displayed Continental GT featured the flagship Naim audio, which comes equipped with what the firm calls Active Bass Transduce designed in partnership with Bentley.
An 18-speaker system producing 2 200-watts, buyers can, however, swap it for an optional 16-speaker, 1 500-watt Bang & Olufsen, or stick to the unbranded 16-speaker that makes 650-watts
Price
Now available, pricing kicks-off at R5 269 000 before options and includes a three-year/100 000 km maintenance plan as standard.
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