Bentley Continental GT

Stunning grand tourer doesn’t light our driving fire

- Dylan Campbell

ENGINE 5950cc W12, DOHC, 48v, twin-turbo POWER 467kW @ 6000rpm TORQUE 900Nm @ 1350-4500rpm 0-100KM/H 3.7sec (claimed) WEIGHT 2244kg • PRICE $422,600

“THE BILL” must be discussed only in hushed voices around the water coolers of the Volkswagen Audi Group. And no, we don’t mean the popular British cop show, but something rather more unsavoury. And it’s paying this “bill” that is driving a level of homogenisation and efficiency-seeking within the VAG we’ve not seen between sister companies before.

Take the new Bentley Continental GT, which has just arrived in Australia. A brand new generation of car replacing the best-selling previous model, it is, ostensibly, a Porsche Panamera underneath, built off the same ‘MSB’ platform. Obviously it’s shortened and made into a coupe. The body-in-white is even built alongside the Porsche at its Leipzig plant, before being shipped to Crewe in England for final assembly.