From the minute you are seen turning up in one of these you are special - people open doors for you, let you park for free to advertise their businesses, it's just grovel, grovel, grovel, but I could get used to it........ ROAD TESTING– THE NEW BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTC
From the minute you get behind the wheel of the new Bentley Continental GTC, the message is clear; ‘You have arrived’. Motor cars rarely come better prepared than this. No matter how accustomed you are to luxury living, only the unreasonably dismissive will be unable to resist spending those first few seated moments appreciating the sheer craftsmanship and quality of this car. It is compelling to simply sit, look, and savour.
The new Bentley Continental GTC was launched in September 2006, and is a direct derivative of the highly successful and accomplished Bentley Continental GT Coupe. The ’C’ of course, simply refers to ‘Cabriolet’. It is indeed as spacious as its sister car, but inevitably the challenge of accommodating a fully integrated reclining roof behind the rear seats of a body housed on a compact coupe chassis compromises rear seating and boot space.
The GTC driver and passenger, however, retain exactly the same space and comfort of the GT and similarly, no stone is left unturned in providing you with the ultimate in comfort and luxury. Leather and wood are of the finest quality, and the dash houses an array of switchgear neatly trimmed in polished chrome. Such is the attention to detail that even the feel to the switchgear is quality controlled to maximise ergonomic and sensual satisfaction. This car simply oozes quality everywhere; a reassuring feeling when you are spending a substantial amount of your own money.
Electronic equipment in the GTC abounds; the list goes on endlessly–Television, DVD, 6 disc CD auto-changer, Satellite navigation, integrated state-of-the-art blue chip telephone and in car sound, heated triple position memory seats, electronic tyre pressure monitors, and so it goes on– all to be expected in your Bentley, and all there of course. The enjoyment of day to day use of the GTC is further enhanced by a keyless entry system that - provided it is in your possession- allows you to enter, start, and lock the car without use of the key. Front and rear park distance control, electronic operation of the boot, and self closing doors also add make for convenient day to day ‘Continental’ driving.
The story continues on the outside too. Faultless build quality comes with the name, whilst the prominent grille shouts ‘Bentley’ in an instant. Yet there’s an understated subtle elegance to its looks – to the eye the GTC is very obviously ‘expensive’ yet it has stature and pride in its appearance, carrying a hint of modesty, but with substance.
And there’s a third dimension to the Bentley Experience that is unique to Bentley owners. It is called Status. The status value of owning a Bentley – as we found whilst road testing the car - ensures you are escorted to pride of place in hotel car parks, are allowed to park generally where others aren’t, are called ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ all day, and pampered almost to the point of embarrassment in restaurants and bars. But then who doesn’t like to be spoilt? It’s also pleasant to find that most people admire the car, from children to old folk – somehow the Bentley’s presence always seems special.
Exceptional
And yet what makes this car truly exceptional, is not only what the eye can see, but its astonishing on road performance. Bar five miles per hour or so this car will reach a top speed of nearly 200 mph, making it one of the fastest cars in the World. What’s more, it will propel all of its 2475 kg to 60 mph in an equally astonishing 4.8 seconds. When you seek to explore some of this remarkable accelerative potential on the road – ‘foot to the floor’ at any speed will generate an unrelentingly potent force that can be likened to a jet building up speed on a runway – the difference being that when the plane is ready to ascend, the Continental GTC keeps all fours firmly planted to the tarmac, building up even more speed with its deep angry growl. Yes, this car changes from Gentleman to Predator in an instant.
Yet there is so much more to the GTC driving experience. If you are a truly keen driver, but need motoring luxury and opulence too, the GTC answers your prayers in abundance. And here’s how. The experience begins with a keen yet potent rasp to the ear as the start button triggers the engine into life. The sound of that 552 bhp twin turbo charged W12 is an odd contrast to the looks of the sumptuous body it powers. Yet the car shakes and burbles with power – a Rolls Royce wouldn’t get away with it but for the Bentley, a marque with such strong racing pedigree, it is just right.
It soon becomes evident just how easy this ‘big’ car is to drive. The steering is nicely weighted, not too heavy or light, yet accurate and responsive to steering inputs to inspire confident high speed pace. Work up that pace a little and the car feels light, manoeuvrable, and yet balanced, bearing testimony to Bentley’s excellent chassis and permanent four wheel drive.
Fit for Purpose
Gear changing in the GTC is smooth and seamless, and there are a variety of cog –swapping alternatives at your disposal; Most commonly used will be the standard automatic drive for the simple press and steer drudgery of City driving. If the roads get more interesting and you want to use up some of that 650 Nm of torque, snicking down the gear change into ‘sport’ mode makes better use of the power from low speeds, and retains longer travel through the gears – this is when you can overtake cars by the dozen on torque delivery alone.
Hard driving cross country is best suited to manual selection of the sequential shift arrangement integrated into the auto-change floor mounted gear box, or by flicking the paddle shift on the steering column. We used the whole range of cog changing options to match the roads and conditons; not only is it fun, but the car eagerly responds by performing more competently when you make the most of its technologically in the driving conditions such options were made for.
At the simple press of a button you can stiffen up the shock absorbers and suspension to prepare for that enthusiastic cross country drive. This is where our Dr Jeckyll Continental GTC turns to Mr. Hyde, demonstrating its safe sure footed handling finesse and astonishing ability to achieve tremendous pace for a car of this size and bulk. Driven with only partial commitment we were soon on the tail of a TVR driver who was simply embarrassed at just how quickly and authoritatively the Bentley would soon be on his tail and overtake him – and this on a narrow country lane where decisiveness, power, confidence in the car’s abilities, commitment, and timing are key both to overtaking and to safety. To the Bentley it was a doddle.
Yes, I was smiling whilst easing away from the Surrey countryside onto the M25 slip road, marvelling at the amazing pace of this deceivingly ‘sedate’ looking Bentley. You’ll need all the restraint you can muster to keep this car at 70 mph on a British motorway – for the Bentley is eager for three figure speeds. Regular trips across the Continent are a must with this car; on the derestricted German Autobahn you will find that 150 mph in the Bentley feels like a mere 80 mph, whilst more leisurely trips to Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo or Geneva are ‘top down’ natural homing places for this wonderful car. On such trips the Bentley is subdued, quiet, with that latent hum of its performance potential always there to remind the driver of the power and pace on tap. Yet power delivery is smooth, progressive, unrelenting, the opposite to the rawness of a Porsche yet sharing all of its potency.
So does the Bentley Continental GTC live up to being an appendage to your Benetti yacht? We think so – for after all, they share a common DNA -brand integrity, quality, and exclusivity, not a bad pairing if you ask me.
Ends.
Model Bentley Continental GTC
Price: circa £130,000
Max Speed 195 mph
Engine Size 5,998 CC
Max Power 552 bhp
Max Torque 650NM
Average Fuel Consumption 16.5 mpg
0-60 mph 4.8 secs
Insurance Group 20
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