Bentley Continental GT S and GTC S: A Luxurious Blend of Speed

For Bentley, the Continental GT has been one of the best models to ever roll out of its hub in Crewe, England. A sporty Grand Tourer that it is, the Continental GT has always been about a blend of speed and luxury – characteristics that customers have always appreciated about this car. Now, Bentley has launched the new Continental GT S and GTC S in the UAE. By “new”, I mean to say a facelift of the third-generation model which was launched back in 2017. As before, the highlight of the model range is the super-fast and spicy S variants. Underneath, however, the new Continental GT S (coupe) and GTC S (convertible) share the Volkswagen Group’s MSB platform with the standard Continental GT.

How Exciting is it to Look At?

The S variant of the Bentley Continental GT is meant for those who want their grand tourer to have that sporty edge, apart from just comfort. When it comes to the new Continental GT S, the exterior features include:

• Large gloss black radiator grille flanked by suave matrix headlamps with bright black surrounds.
• Black surround for the windshield.
• Carbon-fiber lip extensions on either side of the front bumper.
• Lower apron finished in black.
• Long and muscular hood, enhancing the sporty look.

The gloss black treatment is further found on the door mirrors and window surrounds, whilst the ‘S’ badges on the front fenders are also finished in the same color. While the rims of the new Continental GT S can be optioned in the new Pale Brodgar Satin finish, it’s usually offered in an all-gloss black paint just like the rest of the highlighted areas on this car. Of course, this being a Conty S, the wheels available as standard are large 21-inch models that are, to no one’s surprise, finished in gloss black. You can also upgrade to the even larger 22-inch rims that look spectacular with their unique Y-shaped spokes, bespoke for the S! Bentley has then painted the massive brake calipers in red – of course they did.

When it comes to the side profile of the new Continental GT S, it looks absolutely sublime, with its enlarged wheel arches, hunkered-down stance, and carbon-fiber side skirts (similar to the ones found on the Speed). Moreover, there’s a gloss black trim that runs between the side vents, all the way up to the rear bumper. The silhouette is sporty and enchanting – a true Bentley. Usually, the convertible versions of GTs don’t look more appealing than their hard-top siblings. However, the new GTC S looks drop-dead gorgeous, especially when viewed from the front third. There isn’t a bad angle on these two cars, anyway.

At the back, the new Continental GT S gets quad exhaust pipes finished in black, and LED taillights that feature the gloss black surrounds (just like with the headlights up front). There’s no denying that the new Bentley Continental GT S is not lacking in the flair department, especially not when it comes to its exterior.

Does the Interior Have That Bentley ‘Wow’ Factor?

When you step inside a modern-day Bentley, the whole cabin will make you feel special. At the same time, when you’re inside a Continental GT’s cabin, it feels like you’re sitting in a special yet sporty long-distance cruise missile that has the attitude to match. Bentley emphasizes that cars like its new Continental GT Azure are designed to capture the essence of “Wellbeing behind the Wheel.” However, while that slogan still applies on some fronts, this Conty is more about the driving pleasure – well, it isn’t called the S for no reason.

The two-tone interior looks sporty, but doesn’t sacrifice the luxury appeal that defines a Bentley. The neat touches here come in the form of suede material (which Bentley calls “Dinamica”) on the steering wheel, gear lever, seat cushion, and seat backrests. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of high-quality leather throughout the cabin – from the door pads, center console, instrument console, to the seat bolsters. This combination of sporty suede with luxurious leather is exactly what makes the Continental GT S what it is. The sportiness of this interior is further accentuated by the GT S-specific gauge cluster and graphics, S design fluted seats with optional quilting, ‘S’ logo embroidered on the headrests, bespoke metal ‘S’ badge on the center fascia, and illuminated Bentley treadplates featuring the ‘S’ emblem.

Technology and Features

The new Bentley Continental GT S can be equipped with a plethora of impressive features and technologies. Some of these include:

• Mighty Naim premium sound system.
• Central touchscreen infotainment system supporting Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, and the My Bentley smartphone app.
• Wireless charging pad.
• Multi-zone automatic climate control system.
• Powered and climate-controlled seats.
• Power sunroof.
• Bentley Rotating Display on the center console.
• Bentley Dynamic Ride with adaptive dampers.
• Four individual driving modes.
• Adaptive cruise control.
• 360° Top View Camera.
• Lane Assist.
• Several airbags and other electronic safety features.

Thrilling Performance That Masks the Sheer Mass

Tucked away under that muscular hood is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that, in the new Continental GT S, comes equipped with Sports Exhaust as standard. This powerhouse generates 542hp and 770Nm of torque, enabling this heavy grand tourer to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds. To prevent the new Continental GT S from rolling excessively in the corners, Bentley has fitted it with an active anti-roll control system. This 48-volt system uses powerful electric motors that can generate up to 1,300Nm to firm up the roll bars – all within just 0.3 seconds. Meanwhile, this Conty’s top speed is just under 320 km/h.