Rev it up baby: Bentley’s super-hot V8
THE engine sound reminds me of a church organ,” I say as I press and lift my right foot on the accelerator in Bentley’s latest Continental GT V8. What an intensely lovely and rich sound it is too. The engine serves up sonorous notes rising from the deepest rumble at low speeds, before swelling upwards like a pipe organ to a booming crackle as the revs reverberate upwards.
The sound of the new V8 is simply stunning. Yet as much as you can hear such a deep bass you don’t feel it: such is the car’s refinement. Which of course has defined Bentley’s most recent cars, as much as the noise of this V8 engine defines this one.
Bentleys have always been big, brash, bombastic. Conveying locomotive-like power to the privileged few as brutally as possible. But the days of simply putting the biggest and most powerful engines into the most extravagant cars are drawing to a close. Such things are no longer so straightforward.
Delivering such extreme speed in the lap of luxury comes at a price. And not just a fiscal one. Trimming a Bentley in burr walnut, fine leather and bright metal adds weight which costs fuel economy. It has always been thus but now, it seems even for a brand like Bentley, economy and efficiency are synonymous with technical excellence.
And so Bentley has developed a leaner, keener and cleaner V8 engine for its Continental GT and convertible GTC models that will be sold below the existing W12 versions. In the new Continental GT V8 the 567hp 6.0-litre W12 engine is replaced by the smaller, lighter but almost as powerful twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. The new engine produces 500hp, which is very close to its W12 sibling, but the real story is that the new powerplant can shut down half of its cylinders when appropriate to reduce the vehicle’s fuel consumption.
When being driven calmly, the Continental GT V8 can run on just four of its eight cylinders which, claims Bentley, enables the car to use 40 per cent less fuel than the W12 engine. This is impressive. Particularly when you consider this happens with almost no cost in performance. The Continental GT V8 has a new eight-speed automatic transmission which further increases fuel economy. Gear changes are smooth, lightning-quick and close to indiscernible. Acceleration appears continuous and unbroken and in combination with that sweet music of the V8 engine, progress is made with a single and tremendously rich and resonant hooomph.
Bentley has shaved 25kg off the car’s weight. The result is that the Continental GT V8 feels more dynamic than the W12 and very nearly as fast. It can accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds and on to 188mph. The car’s lower weight and improved handling is brilliantly apparent, helped by its all-wheel drive system. The Continental GT V8 feels agile and the 25kg reduction feels like so much more. Outside, the Bentley Continental GT V8 wears its athleticism subtly. The exterior of the car has a new dark mesh radiator grille, triple air intakes at the front and figure-eight twin exhaust pipes at the rear. But the real glory is in the red enamel Bentley winged “B” badge atop its bonnet and in the centre of its wheels. The interior is more contemporary and includes eucalyptus veneers and two-tone leather. Regrettably, the cool red enamel badging seen on the exterior is not carried through on to the steering wheel or the gear shifter – here the Bentley “B” emblem is in black.
My time with the new Bentley Continental GT V8 is lamentably short, though it makes an indelible impression on me. But I can’t help but be haunted by the one unavoidable question that, surely, must be the elephant in the room back at Crewe. Why, when the Continental GT V8 is such a triumph, would anyone now buy the more expensive, less frugal and less fun W12-engined Continental GT?
THE FACTS: BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8
PRICE: £123,850
0-62MPH: 4.6sec
TOP SPEED: 188mph
CO2 G/KM: 246g/km
MPG COMBINED: 26.7mpg
THE VERDICT:
DESIGN *****
PERFORMANCE *****
PRACTICALITY *****
VALUE FOR MONEY ****