2021 Bentley Continental GT W12 Review : Exquisite Elegance Meets Authentic Performance

When one thinks of the Bentley brand, the words luxury, elegance, and refinement tend to come to mind, alongside other words like exclusive, expensive, and rare. When you finally sit behind the wheel of the redesigned Bentley Continental, one powered by the W12 engine no less, you realize that although all of those descriptions fit the vehicle well, there are new adjectives that must be added to the mix.

The Bentley Continental GT is certainly near the very top of the automotive mountain when it comes to interior luxury and refinement, as well as elegance and style. This is a vehicle that is subtle in its beauty but striking from every angle. It doesn’t scream to get noticed, but it will turn heads and warrant appreciative nods and gestures from passersby.

The viewpoint from behind the steering wheel is a much more rewarding affair than in the previous Continental. Not that the last generation wasn’t luxurious, it was. But this new Continental blends exquisite leathers, materials, and trims into a modern yet classic design that incorporates classic Bentley touches with advanced tech. The rotating 12.3-inch screen is the perfect representation of this old-meets-new approach to the Continental’s interior design.

Called the Rotating Display, it features three distinct sides. One is a set of three analog gauges displaying things such as outside air temperature and a compass, the other is simply a continuation of the veneer found across the dashboard, and the third is an advanced centre touchscreen that reacts faster to the touch than just about any other vehicle on sale today.

The seats keep you perfectly in place and provide the perfect balance of comfort and stability, much like the Continental itself. You can spend hours driving down the highway or drive to and from work in absolute comfort and quiet. Even large potholes like the ones found all over the island of Montreal won’t disturb the Continental. The suspension does a remarkable job at absorbing them and more importantly, keeping any form of vibration or harshness away from the driver.

Normally, this level of comfort requires compromise in the form of softer handling. Bentley engineers have worked their magic in the new Continental, however, and developed a vehicle that not only provides supreme refinement on the road, but one that can also navigate tight corners with surprising grace and confidence.

The Continental’s lateral grip and overall handling is perhaps the number one improvement of this new generation. No longer an adequate performer given its size and weight, the Continental GT now defies the laws of physics, offering rock-solid stability at the apex and remarkable poise around any turn. The handling feels more connected as well, giving the experienced driver a strong sense of what the wheels are doing and taking a lot of the guessing game out of the driving experience.

There’s something truly outstanding about piloting the Continental at speed. The car handles as if half of its weight was magically removed as one approaches the apex, and then is immediately reinstated as you exit the corner. The fact that a car tipping the scales at over 5,000 pounds can carry 0.99g on the skidpad is a testament to the competence of the teams in Crewe who built the Continental.

The rumble of the W12 engine ahead of the driver is just that, a rumble. It doesn’t pop, crackle or otherwise make a scene, but it emits a deep, thundering sound that reminds you that there is a truly unique engine under the long, sculpted hood. The 6.0-litre W12 engine in question delivers 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels, and it does so with a linear progression that never leaves the driver without a feeling of complete control.

This isn’t a vehicle that will jolt you into your seat. It will, however, effortlessly glide towards 100 km/h in less than 4.0 seconds and jump from 80 km/h to 120 km/h in under 3.0 seconds. Because of how smooth the Continental GT actually is, the performance is akin to a high-end electric vehicle. Almost immediate power delivery, no hesitation whatsoever from the powertrain, and quiet accelerations that are noticed only through the rushing scenery next to the vehicle.

All that being said, what Bentley has done better than anything else in the new Continental is secure the value proposition. Yes, it is true that speaking of value in a vehicle costing over $300,000 can seem odd at first, but ultimately every product, even a Bentley, needs to align the value it offers with the price tag it demands.

In the case of the new Continental GT, it offers you a level of comfort blended with performance that you will not find in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe or Convertible, or a BMW M8 for that matter. It is truly a different experience, a different world, and a different car. The Continental has very few direct competitors because very few vehicles can match its characteristics.

It is ultimately worth every dollar spent and will provide its owner with a unique driving experience every time the garage door opens. There’s nothing like driving a Bentley and the proof is in the Continental GT.