Bentley Continental GT

But this is far more than just a fresh model for the firm. It represents a whole new way of doing business - and we just had to get behind the wheel.

Incredible though it may seem, the ΂£110,000 GT is cheap for a Bentley - its last coupé started from ΂£250,000. Referred to as the "Baby Bentley", the new machine is aimed at the likes of the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish and Mercedes' V12-engined CL.

The GT is based loosely on VW's Phaeton platform, and offers all-wheel drive and a new six-speed automatic gearbox. It's not all German technology, though, and the finishing touches come courtesy of Crewe's incredibly talented wood and leather trim departments.

Get up close to the Continental and the sheer quality of some of the components becomes more obvious. Hand-prepared wood almost glows, while the leather has been fitted beautifully to every part you touch. The driving position is incredibly comfortable, too. While some drivers may initially find the seats a little hard, they offer great support.

Press the starter button - located in the centre console - and the engine bursts into life with a baritone growl. The W12 offers 550bhp and 650Nm of torque from only 1,600rpm, so the Bentley's performance is amazing. Capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in only 4.7 seconds, it's easily fast enough to keep up with the opposition. However, speed alone is not the most impressive attribute of this car - we love the way the chassis and steering work, too.

Despite an enormous kerbweight of 2,385kg (around 500kg more than a Mercedes S-Class, for example), the Bentley responds eagerly to the well weighted steering. Meanwhile, the electronically adjustable air-suspension offers a blend of comfort and stability few rivals can match. The suspension, together with the four-wheel drive, also provides tremendous stability in tight corners.

The brakes are amazing, too. Measuring a staggering 405mm across, the front discs are the largest ever fitted to a production road car and are as big as a supermini's entire wheel. As you'd expect, they offer great stopping power.

Low-speed refinement is a match for the most competent GTs, but the Bentley still has a few niggles, notably the intrusive wind noise at higher speeds. While this is unlikely to bother drivers in the UK, it could trouble autobahn users.

We also felt there were a couple of quality issues on the early build car we drove. Most obvious was the poorly fitting glovebox, but the door had to be slammed to shut properly, too. In isolation, these problems are insignificant, but on a ΂£110,000 car, they become more prominent - although Bentley insists they have already been resolved.

We also had a fright 190 miles into our test drive, when the GT nearly ran out of petrol. On winding Scottish roads, we'd averaged less than 9mpg! Economy will be better on longer motorway runs, but even the wealthiest drivers will balk at having to stop every couple of hundred miles to refuel. In between filling stations, though, the Continental GT is a truly great car to drive.