2018 Bentley Continental GT

It’s all-new. It’s very fast and it’s very luxurious too. Meet the new Continental GT from Bentley.

- Shubhabrata Marmar

Type Twin-turbo 5,950cc W12

Max power 635PS@6,000rpm

Max torque 900Nm @1,350-4,500rpm

LxWxH(mm) 4,850x2,187x1,405

Gearbox ZF 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, active all-wheel drive

Kerb weight 2,244kg

0-100kmph 3.7s*

Top speed 333kmph*

Suspension 48v active electronic roll bar, three-chamber air suspension, active damping. Aluminium double wishbone(f), aluminium multi-link(r)

+) Performance, feel, quality

(-) Hard to find faults!

Price From 23.6 crore

OD Rating ****

I like Bentleys. I enjoy their blend of sporty intent and luxurious feel. To be more specific, while the acres of fantastic leather is nice, it’s that smooth, intense surge from the giant W12 that really attracts me. So the all-new generation of the Continental GT? Driving? From Crewe? I said yes before the lady from Bentley could finish her sentences.

And in a word, the Crewe factory is a massive surprise. It’s small in feel but perhaps not in size. People are working but they seem to have time to think and the pace doesn’t seem hectic. As the lady sewing leather onto steering wheels smiled and told us, “I want to make sure every stitch is perfect.” A lot of work is still done by hand although automatic creep is clearly happening. Bentley, for example, is testing a machine that identifies flaws in the leather skins as they arrive, a process that leather experts do by hand right now.