Bentley Continental GT S review: never mind the expense, let's have everything

Hard as it might be to grasp for a luxury car that costs several hundred thousand dollars, the Bentley Continental GT is offered in quite a comprehensive model lineup.

It's essentially a range of two halves. The standard GT and Azure have Bentley's High Performance Hybrid powertrain that combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 with a plug-in electric system to make 500kW/930Nm.

The GT Speed and Mulliner have the Ultra-Performance Hybrid engine (same base components) that raise the outputs to 575kW/1000Nm. But more importantly, they also feature the Bentley Performance Active Chassis, which includes active all-wheel drive, twin-valve dampers, torque vectoring, 48v active anti-roll system, recalibrated stability control, limited slip differential and four-wheel steering.

Now, let's join 'em all together. The new $513,800 Continental GT S takes the entry-level (ha ha) High Performance Hybrid powertrain from the GT/Azure and puts it with the Performance Active Chassis of the GT Speed/Mulliner.

GT S is a designation that's been used on and off for special versions of the Continental GT since 2014. The current iteration is a tech-combination that those in the know are already calling the best version of this super-luxury coupe.

The Continental GT S is a super-luxury grand tourer with the soul of a super-sports car.

Bentley also says the latest GT S is partly inspired by the "driver-centric mantra" of the limited-run Continental GT Supersports.

On the outside: what are the Bentley Continental GT S's main design features?

With a car like the Continental GT, we have to start out with an understanding that the available options and ability for a customer to personalise the vehicle are staggering. It's hard to talk about a standard model.

Rolls-Royce-style self-levelling centre caps in the 22-inch Ten Swept Spoke gloss-black wheels are a neat touch. 

Case in point is our test car's subtle-but-sophisticated Cambrain Grey exterior colour. It looks a lot like something you'd get on the family Volkswagen (indeed, it looked almost identical to the finish on our family VW), but it's actually a $16,339 option. "Almost ultiity in appearance" but with micro-traces of Magenta and Blue, you know.

Anyway, the fourth-generation Continental GT (launched in 2024) is a familiar sight by now. The GT S is finished in Blackline specification, which is self-explanantory and includes a dark grille and badging, "Beluga" mirror caps, sill extensions and rear diffuser.

The GT S also picks up the dark-tint LED matrix headlights from the GT Speed and while the monster 22-inch Ten Swept Spoke wheels come in silver as standard, there are a variety of options including our car's gloss-black finish ($3666). Rolls-Royce-style self-levelling centre caps ($1305) are a neat touch.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the Bentley Continental GT S cabin like?

The GT S cabin is "colour split" as standard... although of course you can choose the colours. This car is Hotspur and Beluga, and Bentley would like you know the leather comes from animals "high above sea level in Northern Europe... naturally free of the insect bites that could otherwise leave blemishes." Okay then.

Basically, if you're looking at something in these pictures and you like it, it's probably an expensive option.

The Continental GT cabin is incredibly sumptuous and beautifully finished of course, but also a blend of appropriately traditional (if you're a glass-half-full kinda person) and a tad dated (graphics and speed of the digital OS, for example).

Overall, it's in-character and of course you can go to town on the options in here, too. Our test car's interior had well in excess of $70,000 worth of extra kit and some of it was crazy stuff, like "Wellness Seating" ($4275, which is addition to the Comfort chairs for $8400).

Basically, if you're looking at something in these pictures and you like it, it's probably an expensive option. Like the deep-pile floot mats ($1200).

Hey, treat yourself. One must-have is the Bentley Rotating Display ($12,745), because that's something everybody has heard of and something everybody wants to see. It has three sides, meaning you can have blank piano-black veneer, some trad analogue dials or the full digital display.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the Bentley Continental GT S like to drive?

All of those options are arguably a bit of a distraction, because the heart of the Continental GT S is the powertrain/chassis.

Be leery if you like. The fancy AWD and suspension, torque vectoring and four-wheel steering mean this enormous 2.5-tonne coupe shrinks around you on a winding road.

The humble entry-level High Performance Hybrid engine specification will do us just fine, thanks (we've had experience of the Ultra-version in the GT Speed). It's still outrageously powerful and so elastic in its power delivery, partly thanks to the electric component, that you stop thinking about the demise of the 6.0-litre W12 very quickly (it bowed out with the previous GT in 2024).

This state of tune still gets you to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and although it's academic for road driving, the GT S can hit 308km/h.

If we could backpedal on that first sentence for a bit, there is one option that makes a big impact on the car's dynamic character: the Akrapovic Titanium Sports Exhaust. Opened up in Sport mode, it delivers an outrageous, sharp-edged V8 bark the likes of which we thought we'd never hear again in this age of electrification.

It gets heads swivelling on the street straight away, looking for the unholy automobile responsible. It certainly can't be the stately-looking Bentley. It's an incredible piece of kit, developed especially for this car by the two companies. It was a late addition to our test car and Bentley NZ couldn't give us an exact price; but it's approximately $27,000 fitted.

Be leery if you like. The fancy AWD and suspension, torque vectoring and four-wheel steering mean this enormous 2.5-tonne coupe shrinks around you on a winding road, although it does also make you wish we had some high-speed motorway to fully extend that performance potential.

The genius of that technology is that you can recalibrate everything to be quiet and serene, wafting around on pure-electric power (EV range is a decent 80km) or with a muted V8 soundtrack, and enjoying a supple ride. It's not quite magic carpet stuff (air suspension seldom is on urban roads), but it's still impressive given the handling potential at the other end of the scale.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the Bentley Continental GT S warranty and servicing situation?

The vehicle is covered for 3 years/unlimited kilometres. Service intervals are 12 months/16,000km.

On the whole: what do we think of the Bentley Continental GT S?

It's no surprise that this $660k-plus machine (as tested) serves up extreme luxury, refinement and yes, straight-line speed. You really don't need any more than the "standard" hybrid powertrain provides for Kiwi roads.

What is truly impressive is how the Bentley Performance Active Chassis strips away the GT's considerable size and weight to make it driver-centric, nimble and just plain entertaining on the most demanding road (just watch the width). It's a super-luxury GT with the soul of a super-sports car.

Bentley Continental GT S FAQs

What kind of car is the Bentley Continental GT S?

A 2-door luxury coupe.

Does the Bentley Continental GT S have hybrid or EV technology?

It's a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with 80km electric range.

What’s the fuel economy of the Bentley Continental GT S?

PHEV tech helps it to 4.3l/100km with a full battery, but given the electrification is also there to provide extra performance, the 10.3l/100km figure for a depleted battery is more relevant.

Is the Bentley Continental GT S safe?

It hasn't been tested by ANCAP but is rated 5 stars under NZ's VSRR.

What safety and assistance features does the Bentley Continental GT S have?

What are the Bentley Continental GT S's main rivals?

Prices quoted where publicy available, but many of these cars are special-order and/or highly configurable. In other words, if you have to ask...

• Aston Martin DB12: Arguably the closest to the Bentley in character: super-smooth, super-fast.
• Porsche 911 Turbo S ($551,900): It's hard to beat a 911 for everyday super-coupe smarts, and this does 0-100km/h in 2.5sec.
• McLaren GTS: A low-slung mid-engined supercar, but still a McLaren designed for daily driving.
• Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe Pro ($397,500): A lot more raw than the Bentley, but AMG's ultimate coupe.
• Ferrari Purosangue: We could have gone Amalfi coupe, but the Purosangue (sort of) 4dr is more in keeping with the Continental GT S.