The rain begins when I walk through the pay-per-booth and start climbing the Austrian Grossglockner mountain road. A dense fog hides the view of the mountain peaks, and each new mile reveals the canvases of flawless surfaces that look in love with this particularly picturesque part of the Alps. 36 turns of Grossglockner will lead me to a height of 2,200 feet above sea level and return again, each peak of the stud gives a spectacular view of the last one. It's such a road that immediately comes to mind when you close your eyes and imagine a luxury day of a European grand tour on an excellent car, such as the new Bentley Continental GT.
The fact that this road was used for testing during the development of the new Continental GT is not a coincidence. And here, high above the charming alpine villages, where the new GT Bentley demonstrates improved reflexes, a newly discovered sense of athleticism that fits perfectly into an unforgettably luxurious experience.
## Redesigning an Icon
The Continental GT was the first Bentley that started operating under Volkswagen AG, and since its introduction in 2003, around 70,000 have been sold worldwide. This is a relatively small number in a large scheme, but a huge amount for an ultra-premium brand with low performance, such as Bentley. This is probably the most important product of the manufacturer; Designers Bentley love me with Continental as their "icon".
Indeed, even before the Continental GT improves the enthusiasm on the road or its luxurious interior has a chance to close the deal, this project will draw your attention. Just stop for a moment and take everything - a long proportion between the axles, a clear grip on the rear wheel, the way the roof line melts in the back of the fastback, onto the short back deck. This coupe is amazing.
I must admit that the dead front and rear views are still a bit strange, and I dare say the bulbous ones, but at any angle, and especially at the back of three quarters, the new Continental GT is really beautiful. The amazing details of the crystal in the headlights and taillights make the coupe a real presence on the road, although full-size LED headlights, unfortunately, will not stand in the way of Stanida (accuse the current legislation, not Bentley). The impressive sculpture of the body is the result of Bentley's "super form" technique, in which huge solid pieces of aluminum correspond to minimal cutting lines and combine both sharp wrinkles and smooth surfaces. The result is a car that has an amazing charm.
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| Bentley's reworked 6-liter W12 engine uses two turbochargers with direct fuel injection and port and achieves impressive horsepower of 626 hp and 664-pound torque. |
Below 2019, the longer bottom hood of the Continental GT is equipped with a well-known engine: a 6-liter twin-cylinder W12 Bentley turbocharged that now uses both direct and piston fuel injection and boasts an impressive 626 horsepower and a torque of 664 pounds. This increase of 44 hp. and 133 pounds compared to the previous Continental model, combined with a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and four-wheel drive, is enough to drive a 4.97 lb. coupe at 60 miles per hour. 3,6 seconds.
It's not that I'm doing a stupid maneuver with a full throttle on the way to Grossglockner. Long-term driving with the help of a gas pedal facilitates the modulation of the engine's thrust. Everything goes hand in hand with a progressive impulse and a clear whistle from the turbochargers when they breathe the mountain air. In sports mode, the power wealth is accompanied by a powerful exhaust pipe, which forces me to exceed the highest level of every equipment before I let go of the throttle to hear the noise on the podium.
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| Never two and a half tons Bentley attacked winding roads with such enthusiasm |
While the old Continental was locked at a 40:60 torque front / rear torque, the new GT works mainly as a rear-wheel drive vehicle that only sends a small amount of energy to the front wheels when it detects a glide. At any time, you can move a maximum of 38 percent of the available torque; in the sports mode this number drops to 17 percent.
Just a few sharp curves at Grossglockner to note an improvement in balance. The front is lighter, want to dive into the bend and it is much more likely to turn tight corners. The Bentley engineers claim that it is possible to overcome the Continental GT, but I did not find even the weakest hitting the rear end when I explode on the wet asphalt. In this case, greasy stains contacts the GT Series 275/35 and 315/30 Pirelli Z also deserve approval.
Grand Prize for processing derived from active 48-volt Bentley active anti-corrosion coating, the first seen on the Bentayga SUV, which adapts body movements depending on road conditions and driving mode. The appropriate number of accompanying strokes travel in comfort mode on smooth surfaces, but on the alpine road technique with the diagonal mode on wheels mounted on Sporti, the first unwanted roller signal inhibits Conti reflexes. In addition, torque can limit the power of individual wheels to help accuracy in the center of the corner.
Speaking of brakes, Bentley fit for Continental GT with the most massive iron stoppers of 16.5-inch impellers in front of the 10-piston and the 15-inch rear-rotor terminals with four-piston calipers. The GT can reach a top speed of 207 mph, so you'll enjoy the powerful brakes when it comes time to launch that two-and-a-half-tone high-speed coupe. Considering how easy it is to be Bentley fast cruiser, you will not be able to straighten yourself deeper and deeper into a huge reserve forces because your local village along the road will become a bright spot.
## Incredible luxury, well-known technology
Every inch of the GT Continental cabin is cleaned of the finest materials. Each part is hand assembled, each seam is lovingly sewn by the talented women and masters at the Bentley factory in Crewe, England. The overall arrangement of the interior has a more modern appearance than before, but the richness of wood veneers and leathers speaks of the centuries-old tradition of delivering truly finished products.
Of particular interest is the new design with a double diamond pattern that the Bentley craftsmen spent more than a year. (And if you always stretch the skin of the panel, you'll see the signatures of the people you sewed.) This diamond roll on the steering column discs and racks is a wonderful piece of clear work possible Côtes de Genève textured metal finish on the console central, some made based on the clock design. The flat surface of the console resembles the Panamera Porsche, although instead of the hidden controls with tactile feedback, the buttons are clearly unsatisfactory, pushing them. It's not Bentley's experience in a phenomenal cabin.
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| More than a year has led the Bentley team to perfect this double stitch of diamond leather. |
The centerpiece of the new interior of the Continental GT is the Bentley rotary display with a value of USD 6,270. The front panel and middle mechanism is powered by two electric motors and has 40 moving parts. When the car is off, its flat surface design matches the rest of the panel, continuous flush mounting. Turn the car on and the entire item spins silently to open the 12.3-inch touchscreen for entertainment systems. Click the "Screen" button on the left side of the fixed line of label controls below and rotate for the third time, showing three stylized analog buttons that show the ambient temperature, compass, and stopwatch.
If this 12.3-inch multimedia display looks familiar, it's because it's the Bentley version Porsche uses in the Panamera, with high-resolution graphics and quick response to input data. Of course, this also means that Android Auto is not part of the equation, although Apple CarPlay is the default.
More borrowed technology can be found in the driver where the standard Continental digital dashboard is largely the virtual cockpit version of the Audi Bentley. Again, not bad - screens with a speedometer and a high-rev counter have the correct fonts and details of the Bentley project, and the central display can display navigation, sound, communication or car data.
Elsewhere, the Bentley Continental GT introduced in the 21st century with a host of driver assistance technologies, including a color display head, night vision, maintenance strips, blind monitoring points, adaptive cruise control and signal recognition Traffic.
On the entertainment front, the choice of three audio systems can deflować jams, with the highest number Naim Bentley Naim with 18 speakers and 2,200 watts of power. Not that you have to scroll through the melodies, considering how quiet the cabin is. Thanks to the new lamination.
## Sense of opportunity
All this size is suitable for a car that will cost $ 214,600 when it arrives in Illinois in the spring of 2019. And while you can certainly argue that the Aston Martin DB11 or Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe check the same boxes at the same price, none of them can match the sense of adventure of Continental GT, the aura of privileges and exclusivity that surrounds a beautiful car with Flying B on the bow.
Even six-digit territory can not be paid for.
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