Bentley Continental GT Review 2025

The notion of a gran turismo that you’d thrash across Europe to visit friends in high places and party hotspots might be completely outmoded in the days of inexpensive air travel, but in the world of fast, luxurious cars with an astonishing breadth of abilities this one is hard to beat. Discover more about this excellent all-rounder in our comprehensive Bentley Continental GT review.

The original Bentley Continental GT coupe was introduced back in 2003 and proved the starting point for a hugely success lineage of models. Bankrolled by Volkswagen, the Continental GT may share parts from within its parent company but it remains quintessentially Bentley.

Take its interior that’s all but incomparable in its indulgent luxury, while on the road it has such an array of capabilities that really does mean you could run one as a daily driver — and many do. Try that with any of its rivals and you’ll forever be dealing with compromises. 

As close to the perfect car that any manufacturer’s yet accomplished then? Not quite. It has to be said that the Bentley isn’t as compelling to drive up an Alpine pass as something like an Aston Martin DB11 nor is it as outrageous in its performance or agility as a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

If you require more space and an even showier suite of electronic technology then the BMW 8 Series Coupe is more likely to appeal than the Bentley. If you’re happy to consider something a little older you’ll find the appeal of the Mercedes S-Class Coupe still has its lustre.

That’s fine because none the Continental GT’s rivals can match its feeling of utter imperviousness on the road or the deeply satisfying feeling when you’re sat in its interior, pawing its rich, warm controls.

In this regard only the Rolls-Royce Wraith outdoes the Bentley on the luxury front, but the entry-level price for that only underlines that — as ludicrous as it might sound — the Continental GT is something of a bargain. 

Fit and finish is exceptional and — being a Bentley — almost every material choice inside can be specified to your exact choice of finishes, colours or texture. Obviously, all that scope for personalisation means that the Continental GT isn’t inexpensive but it never feels anything than worth every penny it costs. 

There’s more choice than just the hue of the leather or the grain of the wood inside as the Bentley Continental GT can be described as a range, with two engines — fast or faster still. In most people’s reality the 4.0-litre 550PS twin-turbo V8 is all the engine you’d ever need but for those who can there’s the 6.0-litre 635PS twin-turbo W12.

Specify it with the optional Comfort pakage which adds massaging seats — their intensity is such that you’d swear Bentley’s employed a masseuse to sit behind you — and you’ll be so relaxed in it you’ll never want to get out of it.

A supremely capable all-rounder, with ample power, surefooted four-wheel, a sizeable boot for your luggage, the Bentley Continental GT also boasts a pair of near-adult-proportioned seats in the rear for occasional use and the sort of effortless urge and languid ease that makes driving it an absolute joy.

All that wood, leather and chrome inside means weight — and a lot of it — but for all its grand touring credentials the Bentley Continental GT’s not entirely out of its depth dynamically. It’s actually surprisingly capable and in this generation it’s far more able than its predecessor ever was when the roads get twisty and involving.

Not light of foot and agile like a winger but as fast — and seemingly impervious to conditions — it’s an able, automotive wing-forward, that’s very good at everything. Four-wheel drive means traction is assured, grip levels are high, although it's a bit more rear-biased than the previous generation for a dash of sportiness. V8 versions feel less nose-heavy than the W12s because... Well, because they're lighter engines. 

Even so, both are a bit detached and not as singular as some of its sharper, more focused rivals. Here that’s not a complaint, but a compliment — the way the Continental GT deals with any roads or conditions with unwavering ability, security and ease is a huge part of its appeal. 

There are, inevitably, driving modes to choose between but in properly self-indulgent fashion, there’s a Bentley default mode, which is the set-up the firm’s engineers to what they think best suits the car.

Really, there’s no need to question them, so pop it in B, leave the air suspension and 48-volt roll stabilisation system to work its magic on the body control and you’ll never be pressing Sport to upset the otherwise supple ride again.

Two engine choices are available for the Bentley Continental GT and they’re both mighty.

The W12 is a 6.0-litre twin-turbo 635PS powerhouse that’ll do effortless grace everywhere, or, if you’re really in a hurry, monstrous pace. It’s able to reach 62mph in 3.7 seconds and over 200mph, the massive 900Nm of torque meaning huge flexibility from as low as 1,350rpm as is correct for a Bentley.

With a sprightlier, more responsive and eager feel, the V8's 550PS and 770Nm make it an able understudy for its 12-cylinder relation, its torque delivered from equally early in the rev range, which makes for a similarly unstressed drive.

The numbers see it barely trailing its W12 relation, either, it knocking on 200mph with a 198mph top speed, while the dash from 62mph is despatched in just 4.0 seconds.

Ultimately — and relatively, here — the V8 needs more revs to produce its very best but it’s enjoyable to do so, changing the GT’s character subtly to one that’s more fun and engaging, the reduction of weight over the front axle also helping that impression and quickening up the turn-in.

Both are fitted with an automatic transmission which for the most part gives clean, unflustered shifts, but there’s occasionally a bit of hesitation from the gearbox, these made even more notable because the rest of the package is so polished.   

There’s no independent Euro NCAP crash test for the Bentley Continental GT but it’ll almost certainly protect you admirably in the event of a collision. There are measures to mitigate aganst that happening in the first place, with the GT coming with ABS, stability and traction control systems as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system.

You can up that with more active safety via the Touring Specification pack, which adds Lane Assist, Bentley Safeguard Plus which includes Emergency Lane Change Assist, Night Vision and a Head-up Display.

If you want more electronic protection (or intervention/distraction) in the city there’s an optional City Specification pack. This features a Top View Camera, Traffic Sign Recognition, Pedestrian Warning, Reversing Traffic Warning among the additional equipment.

We’d save the money on those and instead have the Bentley Rotating Display, which singularly removes one of the biggest distractions inside the car — the big screen in the centre of the dash.  Naturally, behind all that wood and leather, there’s a whole suite of airbags should you get it really wrong. 

Towing's a job for the Bentley Bentayga.

You don’t go tearing off down to Nice without packing some essentials and the Bentley Continental GT’s got that covered. Its boot is bigger than that of a Ford Focus which won’t mean anything to a typical Bentley buyer because chances are they won't know what a Focus is let alone looked in one's boot.

What they're more likely to understand is that the 358-litre boot represents the contents of 12 Melchizedek of champagne, accounting for a couple of litres of spillage. Big then. 

Those rear seats look inviting but in reality are only best considered for occasional use by adults or more regular use by kids, presuming they'll be permitted entry. This is an arrangement that's better for you and three friends to nip from the yacht to a restaurant in the marina rather than one miles inland. Save that trip for when there're two of you.

When you do, both you and your passenger will enjoy plenty of room in the front with ample cabin stowage and a pair of deep cup holders under a lid near the central armrest. 

It’s a Bentley, and with that comes a level of expectation of fine materials and exemplary fit and finish and hefty, expensive feeling weighting to all the controls. You won't be disappointed.

The Continental GT is beautiful inside with a design that can do understated and classically elegant as much as it can do nouveau riche and glitzy, depending on your tastes and how you’ve specified it.

The chromework is exactly that, the wood was once a living tree albeit polished to the point it’s mirror smooth should you wish, while the leather is simply the very best of hides available.

Together it makes for a lovely combination and despite the inevitable creep of technology inside, Bentley’s incorporated it into the cabin without it in any way detracting from the old-school and indulgent appeal that’s a marque signature. Deftly done.   

Even Bentley buyers are likely to have given up their Nokias and gravitated towards smartphones now, so with the Continental GT's multimedia system wisely incorporates Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and all manner of connected apps.

Unsurprisingly, it’s largely borrowed from Porsche, sharing a decent amount of its tech with the Panamera, though it wears a Bentley-specific look and operation. The large central touchscreen works well, while the digitally represented instruments are so visually similar to analogue items you could be forgiven for thinking they are at first glance. 

There’s some configurability to underline they’re not but Bentley’s considered integration of technology inside is very impressive. If you pick the Bentley Rotating Display, which you must — even at £5000 — you can have the large touchscreen rotate out of the way and instead display a trinity of actual analogue dials instead.

Do that, opt for the head-up display and you’ll never have to sully your Continental GT’s interior with anything as uncouth as a touchscreen for more than a few moments at the start of your journey.

Being in the super luxury sphere the audio choice spans the incredible standard one to a Naim option that’s so crisp you’ll hear not just the pianist hitting the individual keys on the Steinway but the creak of their leather shoes as they work the una corda.     

As if any Bentley owner would ever discuss anything as vulgar as money, but if you really must insist the cheapest — or least expensive — Continental GT V8 will cost you a little bit over £150,000 without any options.

Expect to add at least 10% to that, perhaps 20% if you’re a bit wild with the personalisation choices and more still if you dip heavily into the skillset of Bentley’s Mulliner artisans who’ll fulfil any of your wishes. And yes, that includes colour-sampling your favourite tie, scarf, skirt, shirt or whatever, for both the exterior paintwork and interior upholsteries.  

Naturally, the Bentley Continental GT W12 costs more considerably more but it’s all incidental. At this level of buying there’s an expectation that you’ll spend more — no, more than that — to make your Bentley your Bentley.

It’s all part of the appeal and Bentley caters very well to its exacting customers in this regard.

Luxurious, 200mph-capable coupes with enormous twin-turbo engines aren’t ever going to be at the top of the list when it comes to parsimony and so it proves with the Bentley Continental GT. You already knew that didn’t you?

Driven normally, Bentley claims a W12 Continental GT will return 20.8mpg on the official WLTP Combined cycle — you might actually achieve close to that without having to try too hard.

The V8 is a bit better at 23.9mpg but really, in both you’ll be doing well if you’re averaging a figure higher than 15mpg in ordinary driving. Significantly less, if you’re clogging it. There’s a 90 litre fuel tank, so even with that thirst you’ll not have to stop too often to fill it up. 

Insuring it, servicing it and all the other taxes and suchlike associated with car ownership won’t be light, either, but you’ll likely have a clever insurance broker, a foreign address you can register it to if you want to dodge tax, and even if not, when you’re in the realms of buying a Bentley, the running costs just aren’t a consideration.

Pop into your Bentley showroom, or better still, go visit the factory in Crewe, and you’ll be faced with an array of choices beyond whether you want your Continental GT equipped with eight cylinders or twelve.

That’s about it as far as models go, though Bentley does have a suite of possible trim combinations for time poor, cash rich customers, or those without any imagination. Stretch it, and you can have your Continental GT tailored exactly like you want it — and you really ought to.