Used 2015 Bentley Continental

The 2015 Bentley Continental GT family is among a handful of the world’s true ultra-luxury vehicles. Available as a coupe or convertible, the Continental GT combines its quintessentially English sense of luxury – nobody does it better – with the German engineering prowess of its parent company, Volkswagen. The result combines luxury and performance unlike anything else, even the Maserati GranTurismo or Aston Martin DB9. Its twin-turbocharged V8 or 12-cylinder engines offer up to 626 horsepower, and all-wheel drive and a performance suspension are capable of hustling this big 2-door around more quickly than you might expect. Yet it’s always happy to remind you that it’s about luxury as well, with its combination of soft leather, precise assembly and high-end materials everywhere.

The 2015 Bentley Continental GT is a big, heavy car, and it needs the power of those V8 and W12 engines to move it along. And move it they do, with 60 mph available from a dead stop in less than five seconds, and 200-mph top speeds. Speed models are even faster, and all come with a quick-shifting ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. Yet sheer speed isn’t the whole story here. No, it’s more about the elegant sophistication with which the Continental GT goes about its business. While you can certainly hear the engines under full throttle, at cruise the Bentley Continental is quiet and sophisticated, pampering its occupants with a comfortable ride, sumptuous leather and a high-end audio system. It does so regardless of weather, as the top on convertibles goes up quickly, and all Continental GT models come standard with all-wheel drive.

If you think a car is a car, regardless of price, stepping inside the 2015 Bentley Continental GT will dispel that in an instant. There’s leather, naturally, but it’s of the finest quality you’ll likely ever see in a car. Rather than plastic wood and metal-looking plastic, you get real wood and metallic trim. A Breitling clock on the dash is nicer than what most people have in their houses. Is a Bentley comfortable? Of course it is, as long as you’re sitting in front; rear passengers are going to be cramped.

There’s no mistaking when a Bentley Continental GT arrives. The headlights, mesh grille and sloping roofline are unlike anything else on the road, commanding your attention without screaming for it. While not very long – it’s about the same length as a Honda Accord – the Continental GT’s width, huge tires and low stance give it a muscular, purposeful look. And that’s just the coupe; the convertible is just as striking when the top goes down, because the size of the car makes it feel like you’ve opened the roof at Wembley Stadium.

NAIM AUDIO
You may not have heard of Naim Audio, but you’ll remember how it sounds. Like Macintosh and Bose in the American market, Naim has custom-tailored its audio for the Bentley Continental GT, resulting in audio quality that rivals the sounds coming from beneath the Continental GT’s hood.

INTERIOR FIT AND FINISH
The interior of the Bentley Continental GT isn’t just about the leathers and materials used. It’s about how it all comes together as a whole. Like the continuous sweep of the Rolex that’s likely on your wrist, every surface, knob and switch whisper quality and luxury.

Most notable on the standard-features list this year is a rearview camera; oddly, it was on the options list last year. It joins the kinds of standard features you’d expect on a car costing this much: leather on everything, a high-resolution touch-screen command center with navigation, massive 20-inch wheels, bi-xenon projector headlights, an 8-speaker sound system, and a power trunk (or "boot," as it’s called across the Pond). The power top on GT Convertibles boasts four insulated layers. GT Speed models have a more powerful version of Bentley’s already-potent 12-cylinder engine.

We’ve already mentioned the Naim audio system, which is worth every penny. Aside from that, there are a heated steering wheel, radar-based adaptive cruise control, carbon-ceramic brakes and lamb’s-wool rugs. GT and GT Convertible models can be equipped with 21-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. We’re quite fond of the electronically adjustable neck warmer in the convertible models, perfect for those cool nights when you want to cruise top down under starry skies. Beyond the standard options, Bentley also works closely with individual customers to ensure a unique experience through its Mulliner division.

There are two engines available for the 2015 Bentley Continental GT, a powerful V8 and an even more powerful W12, where the cylinders are arranged in four banks of three each. Each of those engines is available in different power outputs as well, depending on the model. The Continental GT V8 coupe and convertible get a 500-horsepower twin-turbo V8; the GT V8 S gets a higher-output version of the same, and the GT3-R gets a super-high-output version. The GT W12 gets the big 12-cylinder, obviously, while the W12 Speed gets an even higher-output version. All Continental GTs have an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels. As for fuel economy, well, it ain’t no Prius.

4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (GT V8)
500 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
487 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm
EPA city/high fuel economy: 15/24 mpg (coupe), 14/24 mpg (convertible)

4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (GT V8 S)
521 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
502 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/24 mpg (coupe), 14/24 mpg (convertible)

4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (GT3-R)
572 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm (overboost to 592 horsepower for 15 seconds)
518 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm (overboost to 553 lb-ft for 15 seconds)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/20 mpg

6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 (GT W12)
567 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
516 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/20 mpg (coupe), 12/20 mpg (convertible)

6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 (GT W12 Speed)
626 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
605 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/20 mpg (coupe) 12/20 mpg (convertible)