New Bentley Continental GT S 2026 review: almost impossible not to love

Verdict

You would be forgiven for calling the Bentley Continental GT S a dream car, but it’s certainly one worth lusting over. This is a brilliant car to drive, stunning to behold and sumptuous to sit in; and while its technical arsenal might make you think it’s too complicated to really fall for, its appeal is simple. The Continental GT S is just so desirable, it’s almost impossible not to love.  

The Bentley Continental GT model range can be a bit difficult to navigate, but in essence the new GT S combines a dynamically focused chassis set-up with the lesser-powered plug-in hybrid powertrain. But this is much more than just a mix-and-match exercise with bits of the Continental line-up. Instead this new edition has potentially uncovered the sweetest of spots in an already succulent range. 

The fundamental components here are familiar. Under the long bonnet is a 671bhp tune of the plug-in hybrid V8 petrol engine. Of this total, 512bhp is derived from the petrol engine with the remaining coming from an electric motor packaged within the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Performance is hair-raising, hitting 62mph in 3.5 seconds and topping out at 190mph, but these mere figures don’t do justice to the in-gear punch facilitated from its incredible 930Nm of torque. 

Used - available now

2020 Bentley

Continental GT

21,200 milesAutomaticPetrol6.0L

Cash £105,000

View Continental GT

2014 Bentley

Continental GT

62,000 milesAutomaticPetrol6.0L

Cash £37,500

View Continental GT

2014 Bentley

Continental GT

32,000 milesAutomaticPetrol6.0L

Cash £45,000

View Continental GT

2024 Bentley

Continental GT

29,785 milesAutomaticPetrol6.0L

Cash £123,500

View Continental GT

The GT S’s chassis, meanwhile, has all the hardware of its Speed counterpart, combining a 48V active anti-roll system, the new twin-valve adaptive dampers, front to rear-torque vectoring from the all-wheel drive system, an electronically controlled limited slip differential and rear-wheel steering. 

It’s many of these elements that separate the new GT S from its GT and Azure counterparts, and together with its darkened styling elements, they give this edition a more sinister overtone than its blingier siblings. But there’s one more critical component that exaggerates this: the GT S is the only non-Speed model that can be fitted with the optional Akrapovic titanium exhaust. Although it’s expensive at £10,200, it forms a core part of the GT S’s character. 

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As in all new Continentals, you hit the starter button on the centre console and the car starts up in electric drive. The 25.9kWh battery is good for up to 50 miles of range and at speeds of up to 50mph, if the conditions are right. However, this reliance on the battery only goes to highlight the GT S’s split personality when you need to call on the petrol engine. With that optional exhaust fitted, the V8’s free-breathing nature is unlocked, emitting a deliciously  ungodly burble, especially on cold starts. 

There’s no let-up in ‘Comfort’ mode, either, because when the engine is running, the exhaust note is always present – and like the car’s performance, it only becomes richer and even more captivating the faster you drive. Performance in B or Sport modes is extremely impressive, because in the moments the turbos take to spool up, the electric motor steps in to fill in the torque gaps in the delivery and gain some serious speed. It’s not quite as alarmingly fast as the more expensive GT Speed, but you won’t miss the extra grunt because it’s never anything other than indecently rapid.

All of this extraordinary capability is then backed up by the chassis. Its new dual-valve dampers have exceptional control across pretty much all conditions, and while the large 22-inch wheels can translate bumps into the cabin, everything is always well controlled. 

When you start to hustle the GT S through the corners, things remain just as composed, because the synergies between the hardware and software share the load of controlling its 2.5-tonne kerbweight. Our car was also fitted with the optional carbon ceramic brakes (an eye-watering £14,395), which despite being the biggest brakes fitted to any car on sale, also help reduce unsprung weight and therefore improve the ride yet further. What’s really impressive is the brilliant pedal feel Bentley has been able to instill. 

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We could go on about this car’s superb dynamics, but as always with a Grand Tourer its mandate isn’t just to do one thing well, but to do the more mundane stuff with just as much class – and in this respect, the Continental GT S continues to deliver. The electric part of the powertrain makes commuting or sitting in urban traffic a largely guilt-free affair, and the battery pack is large enough to easily cover two ends of a long commute when coming in and out of urban centres. 

We also like the ease to which you can control the system; it’s a cinch to switch the car into a battery-hold mode when you reach a motorway, and even in the default hybrid mode, the car’s brain will make good use of the battery capacity available based on your driving style, rather than just sticking to battery power regardless of your road speed. Over our week with the car, and running through two battery charges, we averaged a not-bad 37.6mpg over a mixture of motorway and town driving. 

These smarter, more intuitive and more emotive layers of capability overlay what is already a stunning two-door package. The cabin might be largely unchanged since the car’s arrival in 2018, but the fantastic rotating screen still draws a smile, and so too the uncompromising luxuriousness of the materials and overall build quality. 

We love the car’s ability to drop all four windows, creating a pillarless feeling to the cabin, and while there’s not a surplus of room in the second row or the boot, the Bentley is still usable as a four-seater for small journeys, if nothing else. As a convertible, these same sentiments apply, but the cargo space is reduced yet further, barely leaving space in there for a couple of soft bags; hard suitcases are out of the question. 

It’s quite a feat to see how something so insatiably complex like this Bentley can appeal on such a simple level, but Bentley has tapped into the core of what makes a car like this appealing and accentuated it to great effect. The fact it’ll sail silently on battery power for a majority of your journeys is just a bonus.