Bentley Continental GTC (2011 – 2018) Review

The big and rather brash Bentley Continental GTC is a very English take on open-top motoring. Just like the famous racers driven by the Bentley Boys in the 1920s, the approach here is one of ‘more is more’ – size, weight, engine capacity, you name it... 

The Continental GTC isn’t one for subtlety and this is key to its appeal – as a relaxing, effortless and very, very fast express for four to enjoy the sunshine in decadent luxury. It’s so relaxing, it might just take the driver’s mind off the cost of buying it, running it and putting fuel into it.

This second generation Continental GTC was very much an evolution of the original, rather than a fresh start. Styling was sharpened and details made more lavish, but the profile was still familiar. Nevertheless, it looked more modern, thanks to eye-catching LED-infused headlights and remarkable wrap-around ‘superformed’ front wings. Classic coachbuilding of the highest order.

Under the massive bonnet lay the defining feature of the very first Continental GT coupe – a gigantic 6.0-litre turbocharged W12 engine.

The engine’s popularity saw Bentley become the largest manufacturer of 12-cylinder engines in the world. Power was now up to 575PS and there was an abundant 700Nm of torque. Performance, despite the weight, was superb.

A year after launch, Bentley introduced a second engine choice: a 4.0-litre V8. This was the sportier and more driver-oriented engine, still producing a more than ample 507PS. Both engines, naturally, were paired with an automatic gearbox – the V8 being the first with the eight-speed auto that would later roll out across the range.

Driving a Continental GTC is a real event. It feels big, and luxurious, and quite exciting, particularly with the roof down.

The electric folding soft-top reveals the huge four-seat interior, but doesn’t make passengers suffer with an excess of wind rustle and roar. Well, not until the driver starts exploring the 195mph top speed potential of the car…

If that isn’t fast enough, Bentley later launched a Speed version, with 625PS taking it beyond 200mph. The thing is, if you drive slowly, it’s hard to believe the Bentley’s performance is so savage. The ride is cosseting, noise levels are low and it feels wonderfully genteel and decadent. Performance is rarely combined with such luxury.

For all its leather and wood-lined opulence and comfort, the interior is also starting to look a bit dated these days. It’s all beautifully finished, sure, but the Volkswagen-derived switchgear and infotainment screen are a bit too much like what you’d find in a Golf. Those used to more modern cars will also find the array of buttons, and the small size of the screens, a bit twee.

There’s no knocking the comfort, though. The huge front seats are palatial, gorgeous to sit in and exceedingly supportive. The rear seats are comfortable, too – it’s just a shame there isn’t a bit more room in there, to turn this from more of a 2+2 into the genuine four-seater it claims to be. Getting in and out with the roof up is tricky as well.

The Bentley Continental GTC is a distinctive car, as imposing to look at as it is feeling the full force of its performance. That it can also serve up such luxurious refinement is all the more impressive, and certainly enough for the lucky few to justify its similarly imposing price tag and running costs.

Don’t go mistaking it for a nimble, agile Porsche, because it’s anything but. However, pressing on seems to shrink it surprisingly, and certainly hides the downsides of its hefty kerbweight.

Standard all-wheel drive helps here: indeed, Bentley actually tweaked the power distribution slightly rearwards, adding to the sporty feel. It also means the GTC is able to handle itself when the driver stamps on the accelerator and unleashes upwards of 600PS.

The V8 does feel a bit sportier than the W12, as it has less weight over the front wheels, so can be a bit more chuckable and tenacious. It’s all relative, but the V8 feels a bit more home on a winding B-roads. The Speed is also a bit more focused and tied down, thanks to tweaked suspension. 

All Continental GTCs ride extremely well. Air suspension sees to that, with a very plush and float-along sense of cushioning at speed, something helped by the sheer mass of the car steamrollering over bumps.

Only at city speeds might you sense it becomes a bit fidgety, particularly Speed models or those with the largest, most aggressive alloy wheels.

Some owners buy a Bentley Continental GTC because of the engines and nothing else. Both the V8 and W12 are incredible. The V8 is a lovely thing, with a charismatic burble and performance by the bucketload. It feels dynamic and lively, giving a sporty edge to the GTC.

The W12 is a towering achievement. It feels unstoppable, thanks to its combination of massive size and two huge turbochargers to feed it extra shove. Accelerating a car this heavy, so quickly, is quite the spectacle. Yet it is also incredibly smooth and placid when cruising, fading into the background discreetly.

The Speed version, with its 625PS, is still more exciting. It’s almost addictive, with many soon becoming grateful the massive disc brakes are also as powerful as they are. The pinnacle of the range is the incredible 700PS Continental Supersports, with 0-62mph in under 4.0 seconds and endless pulling power thanks to over 1000Nm of torque. Rare and expensive, but what an event.

Despite it being an open-top car, you feel very safe and secure indeed within a Continental GTC. With the roof up, it’s almost as refined as the coupe (double-glazed side windows help here), serving up a nice and cosy feel that’s very satisfying. It’s assured with the roof down, too – because it’s so big, and because you feel so well-protected by the massive seats and windscreen pillars.

A full suite of active safety gadgetry is standard, with the Bentley’s outstanding grip and traction from its all-wheel-drive system adding further security and confidence in all weathers.

Bentley upped the safety gadgetry throughout the car’s life, so look out for some of the handy extra features on later cars, such as a colour reversing camera.

Bentley doesn’t quote a towing weight for the Continental GTC, and we’re sure most owners won’t be surprised by this. They’ve likely also got a Bentayga in the garage for towing the Riva down to St. Tropez.

Being a four-seater luxury convertible places the Bentley Continental GTC amongst a pretty elite group of rivals. The Porsche 911 Cabriolet ostensibly has four seats, for example, but nobody anywhere near adult-sized will ever contemplate a ride back there.

The reality isn’t quite as glowing. Yes, this is a massive car, but you’d never believe it had a bigger footprint than an executive car from the rear seats.

The fact adults can actually get in is a positive, sure – but if the roof is up, this is a tortuous process, and they’ll only find adequate legroom if the front-seat passengers are willing to whirr their lavish electric chairs far forwards. It’s best reserved for children, which Bentley acknowledges with standard Isofix mounts.

This is a big car with a fairly small boot. It offers 260 litres, which is less than a Ford Fiesta – and it declines to 210 litres with the roof down. That’s because the soft-top has to fit in somewhere

Those who have driven a Golf might be a bit put-out to spot familiar switches and displays, but as there’s nothing wrong with them, it’s hard to be too critical.

It’s the acres of leather and other high-end finishes that are the real story of the Continental GTC’s interior. It’s all as beautiful to the touch as it is to look at, with a real sense of hand-crafted care and attention. This bespoke, custom-made finish is what sets the Bentley apart from regular cars.

The infotainment system on early Continental GTCs looks a bit dated. It really does seem like a system you’d get in a Volkswagen, operated by twist knobs on the side and hard-key buttons for shortcuts.

Things improved with the 2014 facelift as it became a touchscreen, backing up the comprehensive connectivity and fast mapping.

It’s a shame Bentley couldn’t have given the graphics a bit of a makeover though – they’re still Volkswagen-spec, and so don’t quite have the refined air of the rest of the interior. An option unique to Bentley, however, was the Naim premium audio system. This cost a fortune when new, but it’s easy to work out why when you listen to it.

The Bentley Continental GTC was a car that cost over £150,000 when new – and that’s for the more affordable V8 version (which you can easily pick out by its figure-of-eight exhaust tailpipes). The W12 was priced from almost £170,000, and the Speed edged up to nearlyt £190,000.

That’s before owners added on various options, which nearly everyone did. When the aforementioned Naim audio system alone was priced at over £6000, you can see how quickly things start to add up.

You’ll still pay a premium for rare models, or bespoke creations with endless extras. The most prized Continental GTCs can, if they’re showing low miles, still command upwards of £190,000, and to understand why, a retailer will happily sit you down with a coffee (or two) and take you through the breathtaking build sheet.

The most collectable is the limited-run Continental Supersports. This 700PS monster was limited-build, had colossal performance and is a guaranteed future classic.

You have probably guessed the W12 won’t be good in this regard. The best fuel economy you’re likely to see will still be sub-20mpg, and low teens is more likely. If you press on faster, you will be able to almost watch the fuel gauge fall.

The V8 is better here. Bentley claims 50 percent greater efficiency than the W12, and it might even do better than this in the right hands. Its smaller capacity helps, but so too does active cylinder deactivation, effectively turning this 4.0-litre V8 into a 2.0 V4.

Pretty much everything else you can think of will be expensive. The smallest tyres are 20 inches in diameter, and 21 inches are common.

The heavy Bentley can be heavy on brakes (unless the owner fitted the massively expensive carbon-ceramic option). Insurance groups are the highest possible, as is VED (road tax), and W12 variants are particularly badly hit in this regard.

Bentley service dealers will treat you like royalty, but such high standards don’t come cheap in terms of scheduled maintenance.

Really, we’re talking degrees of decadence here. Every Continental GTC comes with a full leather interior - and we mean full leather, extending from the seats, to the doors, to the dashboard, to the sun visors. Owners could choose from 17 different colours, too.

The big difference with Speed, apart from the power and suspension upgrades, is a sharper appearance. There’s a tasteful bodykit including a front splitter and side skirts, plus a moodier monotone interior. 

Bentley later introduced a popular Mulliner Driving Specification. This was a trim pack upgrade, with diamond-quilted leather and a knurled gear lever.