Pretty as J.LO with the Personality to Match
Seattle, if you’ve never been, is one of America’s most engaging cities, especially when the sun shines as it was during a
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| The opportunity to test drive the new Bentley 2005 Continental GT coupe in Seattle was an event I wouldn’t have missed for the world. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
recent press event held by Bentley. The occasion? Nothing less than the opportunity to test drive the legendary marque’s new 2005 Continental GT coupe and Arnage T Mulliner sedan.
As far as luxury brands go, few can rival Bentley when it comes to all out jaw-dropping prestige. While Mercedes-Benz’ Maybach division attempts to do so, outside of the small inner circle of automotive enthusiasts who have actually heard about its larger than life 57 or even more expansive 62, people just don’t recognize the brand. Rolls-Royce, of course, is among the world’s best known marques, yet there’s a level of aristocracy that goes along with the nameplate that makes anyone driving one, or more exactly being driven in one, somewhat unapproachable. Combined with its controversial
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| Few can rival Bentley when it comes to all out jaw-dropping prestige. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
styling and stratospheric price point, the Phantom is a poor seller, a reality that has seen the luxury marque’s second CEO since BMW took over ownership, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, resign within five months of the resignation of longtime R-R executive Tony Gott.
Not to slag the downtrodden, but it must truly burn the execs at Rolls-Royce when they see how successful Bentley has become this year. The fact that the Volkswagen-owned luxury division will eclipse its previous 1986 record year by more than a thousand units in 2004, has to stymie BMW-owned Rolls, now stuck with a brand that seems desperately out of pace with the times. The boys from Goodwood can’t blame poor sales results on a down economy either, once again bitten by Bentley.
So why has the previously Rolls-Royce-owned luxury marque done so well while its two main rivals flounder? It’s a no-brainer
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| Bentley has delivered a car equal to the best in the class when it comes to build quality and performance, and priced it at near half of what its previous Continental coupe sold for. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
really. Bentley has delivered a car equal to the best in the class when it comes to build quality and performance, and priced it at near half of what its previous Continental coupe sold for. How can they do it? It comes down to economies of scale. The Crewe-England outfit acquired the best components from its German parent, shared some top-tier architecture with Volkswagen’s sensational Phaeton luxury sedan, and in the end created an all-new model that’s more traditionally Bentley than anything it’s built in decades.
Say what? More traditional than an Arnage?! If you look way back into Bentley’s past, the marque first started on the racetrack, winning at Le Mans no less than five times throughout the ’20s and ’30s with its fabulous Blower Bentleys and Speed Sixes. Needing to separate its more recent boulevardier Rolls-Royce-owned past from how the luxury marque’s executive team sees the future of the winged-B badge, a duo of low-profile Bentley Speed 8 racecars pulled off a 1, 2 finish at the storied Le Mans, France track last year, the first number 7 car driven by Guy Smith followed closely by David Brabham in the number 8 car. It was an exciting event, in which Team Bentley Dindo
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| This all-new model is actually more traditionally Bentley than anything the brand has built in decades. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Capello and Guy Smith won maiden Le Mans victories and Tom Kristensen joined Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx as the only drivers to have won the grueling 24 hour race more than four times.
Derek Bell was on hand in Seattle to usher in the new era of Bentley production cars, a charming Briton who truly seemed to enjoy whiling away the hours with what was little more than a sorry lot of wannabe racers - or maybe I should just speak for myself. Nevertheless, we picked his brain for hours, mostly about how challenging a 24 hour race can be, and he took the opportunity to entertain us with hilariously painful stories of muscle fatigue and his unique ability of staying awake and alert behind the wheel of a car.
I also found it interesting how Mr. Bell couldn’t contain himself with regards to the new Continental GT. Of course, it is
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| I know of no rival carmaker that does a better job fitting panels, trim and components than Bentley. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
beautifully designed, anyone can see that, but to have one of the world’s greatest race car drivers go on enthusiastically about the driving dynamics of a 2,385 kilo (5,258 pound) luxury coupe made me even more intrigued than I was leading up to the event.
Fortunately, I found myself behind the wheel of the car the next morning. Before climbing in I took the opportunity to get close and personal with the finely detailed workmanship that went into building it. I know of no rival carmaker that does a better job fitting panels, trim and components than Bentley, and what’s more the paint is mirror smooth and almost as reflective. While a large car, it sits low to the ground and sports short overhangs for a much smaller appearance on the road than its dimensions suggest.
It feels smaller than I had expected when on the road too. I should have expected as much, being that the Arnage I tested last year was larger, heavier and still felt “tossable”. Comparatively the Continental GT was light on its feet, ridiculously energetic off the
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| I can’t remember ever driving a car with a more ideal ride, handling balance. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
line thanks to all four tires digging into the pavement simultaneously, and felt ready for hard charging through the corners.
We had to wait for a ferry ride across the inlet before any significant high-speed curves came our way, but they did soon enough and I was able to experience Bentley’s racing bred chassis for myself. I can’t remember ever driving a car with a more ideal ride, handling balance. Normally a car is set up to either bias ride or handling, but in the case of the GT it seems as though the Crewe engineers made no compromises at all. While every nuance of the road can be felt, feedback is more like regular subtle reminders than overbearing intrusions, unfortunately the way most sports coupes relay information.
It’s not hard to get going much faster than the posted limit, as the Bentley is rock solid on the road no matter the speed, so
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| The GT is practical enough for two couples to go out on the town in without complaint. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
when finding a corner approaching faster than I had anticipated I turned into it with only a slight tap on the brakes before entering. Whew! Now that’s exhilarating! Can a car get any better than this? Turn-in is so quick, body-roll so nonexistent, and power so corruptible on exit that I just had to find another fast, sweeping corner. Fortunately for me a nice collection of perfectly staggered “S” turns lay ahead, and my newfound confidence inspired me to pick up the pace. Left, right, left, right, and left again, what perfection - and this from a 2+2 that actually seats two adults in the rear, comfortably.
I can say that with a surety too, as I purposely spent more than an hour in back while a colleague took the wheel. The seat
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| The sights of beautifully finished wood trim and the feel of polished metal brightwork, olde English tradition that makes a Bentley one of the most coveted vehicles in the world. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
gave me excellent support, while its head, shoulder and hip room never made me feel cramped. It’s not an Arnage for sure, but the GT is practical enough for two couples to go out on the town in without complaint.
No doubt passengers will be overcome with the smells of rich leather, the sights of beautifully finished wood trim and the feel of polished metal brightwork, olde English tradition that makes a Bentley one of the most coveted vehicles in the world. The GT delivers such intricacies in spades, while adding new world electronics such as an easy to use center stack-mounted navigation screen cum infotainment interface, accessible via a simple rotating knob and quick access buttons laid out just below.
The audio system is by far the best I’ve ever tested, whispering the subtleties of Satie or contrarily blasting “REX!” from
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| The Continental GT easily has this auto journalist’s favorite automotive interior of all time. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Mozart’s Requiem Mass until all souls in Vienna could feel the fury, no doubt. It also made John Lee Hooker sound like a new man and boosted the bass of Seattle’s X104.5 hip hop and R&B station beyond otherworldly levels. Yeah, now I know why all the rap stars feature Bentleys in their videos.
The stellar sound system, user friendly electronics, polished metal detailing, gorgeous lacquered woodwork and sumptuous leather surroundings, make the Continental GT this auto journalist’s favorite automotive interior of all time. And that’s no easy feat. Those who read my ramblings regularly can to attest to the relentless beatings I give to cars that don’t measure up, no matter what price their automakers attempt to charge. Actually, the more expensive the car the more severe my criticism can be. The Continental GT is near perfect.
Near perfect?! Well I must admit that the 6-speed automatic transmission’s paddle shifters were a bit of a stretch for my smallish hands. I like the placement of the Audi TT’s better, as they’re pulled up tightly next to the wheel. I still managed to get into the groove, shifting the car without challenge after a few
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| The placement of the steering-wheel mounted paddle shifter and the shortsightedness of a CD-based navigation system were my only complaints on an otherwise perfect car. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
minutes of acclimatization. The transmission is perfectly set up for the job at hand, by the way, providing more cogs than are probably necessary considering the ample torque at my disposal.
Also, a multi-disc CD-based navigation system in a modern car? Blame that on the German supplier that didn’t see a need for putting more information on a disc than what’s necessary to navigate around a single country. If that country is Germany, one CD is sufficient of course, but the U.S. or Canada? Hardly. Ironically the olde-world Arnage sedan features a much more sophisticated DVD-based navigation system from a different supplier. Bentley’s public relations manager John Crawford assured me the problem will be resolved for 2006 model year cars, however, and if you don’t have your order in for a 2005 by now you’ll probably be getting a 2006 as it is. These are my only complaints by the way.
The twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque at an extremely low 1,600 rpm, 4,500 fewer revs than needed to extract all of its 551 horsepower. And the engine sounds sensational too, more sporting than the traditional blower Bentley 6.1-liter V8. Where the old V8 makes more torque and less power, the new W12 feels sensational when the revs build, surging forward with a newfound enthusiasm that I’ve never felt in a Bentley before. Don’t get me wrong, the old 6.1 puts down power to the road with more authoritative kick than a 426 Hemi, and with ten times the refinement, but the new W12 is a different kind of monster. It purrs where the V8 rumbles, and howls when the V8 growls. I love them both, but the high revving W12 suits the lighter, sportier coupe better.
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| The twin-turbocharged 551-hp 6.0-liter W12 makes a substantial 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
I think the lighter, sportier coupe suits me better than the big sedan too, although an Arnage T Mulliner would make a wonderful stable mate. When all is said and done, mind you, I won’t be stepping up to the Bentley plate quite yet, yet like the Red Sox I’ve got an undying faith that will no doubt lead me to success, and to that end to one day find a Continental GT parked among my long-term test fleet. Those who experience good fortune grace their door sooner, however, may want to take advantage of the most enticing new Bentley, no, one of the most enticing new cars to be offered in decades.
Specifications:
- Base Price: $230,990 CAD ($155,990 USD)
- Body Type: 2-door coupe
- Layout: front engine, AWD
- Engine: 551 hp, 479 lb-ft of torque, 6.0-L, 48-valve, DOHC, twin-turbocharged W12
- Transmission: 6-spd auto with paddle shift actuated manual mode
- Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
- Curb Weight: 2,385 kg (5,258 lb)
- Performance (0 - 100 km/h): 4.8 seconds
- Top Speed: 318 km/h (198 mph)
- Cargo Volume (trunk): 370 L (13.1 cu ft)
- Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 26.2 / 11.9 (9 / 20 mpg) (EU certified)
- Warranty (mo/km): 36/unlimited comprehensive Direct Competitors: Mercedes-Benz CL55 / CL600
- Web Site: www.bentleymotors.com
Note: Additional larger photos are available in the photo album.
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