Bentley Continental GT review - Interior, design and technology

If there’s a car today that speaks to the fundamentals of looking like a grand tourer, it’s the Continental GT. The short front overhang, upright grille, long bonnet, luxurious dash-to-axle ratio, fastback roofline and over-accentuated haunches are all straight from the GT playbook, and combine to create the extravagance you’d expect from a Bentley. 

The exterior is then covered in ornate detailing, from the cut-glass effect of the headlights that are designed to emulate fine crystal glassware to the chrome grille mesh. Depending on your chosen variant, or the depths of the options list you’re willing to go, elements such as the wheel design, brightwork, splitters and spoilers can all be customised. If this still isn’t enough, Bentley will gladly customise your car even further to your taste via its Mulliner bespoke program. 

The interior is a real treat, with a fascia design inspired by the wings of the Bentley badge. The dashboard ‘wings’ sweep out from the central console housing the major controls and the large touchscreen, and continue into the door trims, circling the occupants with a ring of wood and leather. There’s a vast range of luxurious leather and veneer finishes, too.

As you’d expect there’s a wealth of new tech built into the latest Continental GT, and it’s all shared with the other luxury models that share this platform. As well as the formidable chassis tech, there’s an array of bang-up-to-date infotainment and safety systems that are a match for anything else on sale, which is not something that could be said with any conviction about the ageing previous-generation Continental models.

23

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

A highlight of the Bentley’s cabin is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It’s permanently on display in standard spec, but the Rotating Display option allows it to be hidden behind the wood veneer dash when the engine is switched off, only swivelling into view when you fire the car up.

If you want a more ‘classic’ feel, you can rotate it again to reveal a third face, which is a veneer panel housing three analogue instruments – chronograph, compass and temperature gauge. When hidden, the navigation mapping can be shown on the digital screen between the instruments in front of the driver, making the Rotating Display a neat option.

The infotainment system comes packed with features including Apple CarPlay and a range of apps, while a head-up display system is optional too.

As standard you get a 650-watt sound system with 10 speakers, but you can upgrade to a 1,500-watt Bang & Olufsen set-up with 16 speakers or really push the boat out on a 2,200-watt, 18-speaker Naim system.