Skip advert
Advertisement

Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible video review

The new Bentley Continental GT V8 S costs nearly as much as a Ferrari 458 - but is it better?

This the Bentley Continental GT V8 S, the very latest model from the firm. It costs about £9,000 more than the standard car, but what do you get for that? Well, there's 20bhp more, some black splitters at the front, side skirts, a new spoiler, new paint colours and a whole host of options.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The standard convertible version of the V8 S costs £152,900 and you can go for the coupe instead (at £139,000), but what about the car you see here?

• Bentley Continental GT V8 S coupe review

To start with, there's the Mulliner Driving Specification (that's £6,325), which gets you these lovely 21-inch wheels, some quilted leather inside, a knurled gear lever and alloy pedals as well.

There's also the dark tinted front and rear lamps (£1,300), this lovely yellow paint (£3,295), contrasting stitching (£1,425), carbon fibre facia panels (£1,225).

Adaptive cruise control (£2,045), a tracking system (£1,345), the Naim audio system (£5,475), the sports exhaust (£1,860) and some fantastic carbon ceramic brake discs (£10,405) are included as well.

That's a grand total of £193,000, but that puts it into Ferrari 458 territory. Can it match that sort of car on the road?

Under the bonnet is a glorious 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 521bhp - the engine itself is a work of art, with the twin turbos nestled neatly down in between the V for a lower centre of gravity, which means better handling.

Throttle response is great; this car will do 0-60mph in about 4.5 seconds and on to about 190mph. The handling is just solid, really high quality. The steering is responsive, not exactly 911-sharp but pretty impressive nevertheless, especially when you consider this car weighs the best part of 2.5 tonnes.

Plus, it's comfortable at all times and given the sporting intent of this car that's something very special.

Bentley says that around 60 per cent of all buyers go for the W12 model. Frankly, it's a bit unrealistic - it's spending money for the sake of spending money. We'd rather save a bit of money and go for this V8 S.

It's lighter, feels better, still makes a great noise and you'll save a bit of cash to spend on the options.

In fact, it's one of the best sports cars you can buy to drive on everyday roads in the real world. It may not be as electrifying to drive as a Ferrari 458 but for most people most of the time it's a pretty damn good sports car.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Exclusive new Bentley Continental GT Expressions of Texture collection has "200-million year-old" trim
Bentley Continental GT Expressions of Texture collection

Exclusive new Bentley Continental GT Expressions of Texture collection has "200-million year-old" trim

If you happen to want a hyper-exclusive Bentley with a prehistoric piece of California stuck on the dash, Mulliner has you covered...
News
22 Nov 2024
New Bentley Continental GT Mulliner and Flying Spur Mulliner have arrived
New Bentley Mulliner range

New Bentley Continental GT Mulliner and Flying Spur Mulliner have arrived

Mulliner versions of Bentley’s new plug-in hybrid “daily supercars” feature bespoke details and offer even more options for personalisation
News
1 Oct 2024

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025