Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible Review

Who drives a convertible in this heat? We do, if it happens to be a Bentley Continental GT V8 S! This is our second Bentley test drive after we tested the Bentley Continental GT V8 Coupe version earlier. Boy, despite all the similarities, both cars are poles apart. Here's the lowdown:

Style

This is the sexiest convertible in the market, period. A real head turner and why not? The honeycomb grille, the 21-inch wheels, and the swoop character lines in front and back make for a very elegant yet imposing look. The brake calipers come with signature GT color styling and look very classy. I particularly love the headlights; they are very distinctive from other brands. The chrome exhaust tips come in a distinctive figure 8 form, while aerodynamic touches like side sills improve performance as well. This is one of those few convertibles that look great with or without the top down.

Interior Material and Finishing

As expected, the interior material is top of the line and the finishing is impeccable. The handcrafted sporty seats come with Bentley badges and reveal soft-touch leather stitched unmatched in the industry. The gear lever comes in chrome and the surrounding wood veneer comes in luxurious Piano Black. The alloy foot pedals feel just right and the Breitling clock on the center completes the executive look. The soft top hood can be opened at a maximum of 30 km/h and takes about 7 seconds to deploy. Simply put, the interior is so luxurious it's almost painful to even think about getting out of the convertible!

Interior Space and Visibility

As expected, the rear seats are a kid zone due to the convertible's structure where rear legroom is minimized. The front legroom and headroom are fairly adequate; however, you might face some headroom issues if you're over 6 ft tall. In terms of visibility, it's quite adequate from all pillars; rear view and side spaces have virtually no blind spot issues. There is a huge center glove box which takes care of accommodating cell phones or other knick-knacks. The boot space is lesser compared to the GT V8 S Coupe at 260 liters, good enough for a couple of shopping bags. In terms of spaciousness, this is not the most spacious or 'practical' family car in the market.

Interior Features and Technology

This is one of the susceptible areas of the GT V8 S Convertible. A lot of features one takes for granted are surprisingly not there:

• No lane change warning?
• No collision alerts?
• No blind spot warnings?
• No head-up display?
• No seat massage?

Thankfully, seat cooling is available, as the Bentley heats up pretty quickly in the open sun. When we collected the convertible, the center console and steering were quite heated up, so seat cooling was a blessing. The steering, on the other hand, did not have cooling; rather it had seat heating which is completely useless for the Gulf region. The seat memory options are located alongside the seat controls at the bottom, rather than being on the doors like the German models. Not the most ergonomic as it's a pain to select the right one given you can't see the memory options and you just have to 'feel' the correct button. The infotainment screen is smaller than expected, at 8 inches. However, the system itself is very intuitive and comes with 30 GB space for all your tech storage requirements. There are three standout features that make driving the GT V8 S a joy:

1. The sound system is the best I have ever experienced in a car.
2. You can adjust the suspension settings through a wonderful infotainment system slider, ranging from Comfort to Sport, a brilliant feature that a lot of models don't offer.
3. The convertible height is also adjustable with Normal and High modes, which makes you want to say "You in the office baby," aka Denzel Washington in Training Day!

Power and Transmission

No apologies here. This convertible is fast and accelerates like a rocket. The 4.0 liter V8 Supercharged engine roars with a massive 521 horsepower and a whopping 680 Nm of torque. Our 0-100 km acceleration test showed an average acceleration of 5.5 seconds on a hot day, in Sport Mode. Incidentally, this acceleration is the same as the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible V8, which we drove recently. It's a joy to scream down highways and the adrenaline rush is palpable. The transmission is a ZF 8-speed automatic combined with a cylinder deactivation option, which improves fuel efficiency. The paddle shifters are big and the shifting pleasure is far superior compared to other models.

Brakes and Suspension

One of the strongest points of the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible is its brakes. Compared to the Coupe version, the brakes performed much better with this model, braking from 100 - 0 km in 3.0 seconds flat, which is very good compared to the 4.5 seconds performed by the Coupe. I love the fact that the suspension is adjustable for 4 different settings from Comfort to Sport, making it equally enjoyable on leisurely cruises as well as sporty runabouts on mountain highways.

Handling

The convertible admittedly handles sharp corners at 100 km/h quite well, yet it pales in comparison to the exceptional handling and cornering capability of its Coupe variant for obvious reasons. The Coupe is far better at handling than the convertible, yet the convertible is not bad and certainly much better than its convertible rivals. Keep the car low, turn on Sport mode and negotiate sharp turns; it is great fun and the steering feedback is duly responsive.

Verdict

Priced in the vicinity of 850,000 AED (price varies depending on customization), the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible is the hallmark of convertibles in the automotive industry. It is under-equipped when it comes to driver technologies and certainly well equipped when it comes to driving capabilities. It's not really a family car; it's more for the lone ranger CEO who likes to go out and meditate into the wind, maybe with a pretty face to tag along. Worth a serious look if you're one of those!

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