Bentley’s cookbook has long consisted of colossal engines in a package where long-distance ambitions and luxury have been the watchwords. We have gone to the top of the Bentley hierarchy, and tested the new Bentley Continental GT Speed.
The tsunami of electrification has claimed many victims, not least those whose primary food consists of copious amounts of soup. With that said, there are still some players struggling to the last with offering the latest high-caliber fossil-fueled engines before the end of the fun.
Bentley Continental GT Speed (2022)
Motor: 6-liter, W12, 660 horsepower, 900 newton meters
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, four-wheel drive
Acceleration 0–100 km/h: 3.6 seconds
Top speed: 335 km/h
Weight: 2 273 kg
Dimensions (length / width / height): 4850/2187/1405 mm
Taken: SEK 3,000,000 (Test car approximately SEK 4,100,000)
Performance as a showpiece
What distinguishes the Speed variant of a Bentley model is the real increase in performance and a greater focus on the driving experience. Speed means, as is well known, speed in Swedish, something that Continental GT Speed certainly has plenty of.
Under the hood broods a 6-liter W12 at a full 660 horsepower that helps the bastard get to 100 in just 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 335 jerks.
The gas at the bottom results in brutal acceleration and that you as an occupier drown in a wave of force. All British riders storm down the hill via all four wheels and regardless of the surface, the car is in the match.
You are very quick up at speeds that make you realize that the alleged top speed of 335 is extremely grounded in reality.
Bentley Continental GT Speed also has four-wheel steering which makes it better both in the city and on country roads but which also increases the stability when driving at high speeds.
On country roads, it is surprisingly easy to walk, but blindly relies on the ability to get from curve to curve in no time, rather than its ability to tackle curves.
However, Bentley has worked hard to hide the real mass of the car, something they succeed well with. In sport mode, it feels genuinely tightened and all the car’s systems work in symbiosis to get around in a gentleman’s speed, without it being particularly difficult.
The sport mode allows up to 95 percent of the power to be sent to the rear axle, which is favorable for its more athletic ambitions; for example, the car can be skidded.
Regardless of driving style, the Bentley Continental GT Speed remains accommodating and it ensures that you do not get lost. The sound picture is also mammoth and the whole package oozes the brutality you want from a Bentley.
The weight of the car is well hidden and the ceramic brakes that our test car was equipped with were much needed when the highway was turned into a country road.
Comfort in drifts
When you do not press too full mugs and put the car in Comfortthe situation is met instead by an incredibly comfortable experience.
The difference between the different driving modes is noticeable and in the most comfortable setting there is a desire to cross an entire continent, just as the name suggests.
In the case of our test car, however, the 22-inch rims contributed to a lot of road noise, not least on the highway. The noise level in the cabin is thus not as low as you would like.
What is one of Bentley’s trump cards is its ability to offer a combative side that encourages, to say the least, inspiring driving while having a side that is dominated by a calm. You feel terribly good in a Continental GT Speed - unless you sit in the minimal rear seat – and you look forward to long rides.
The sum of the cardamom
The Bentley Continental GT Speed is without a doubt the most Bentley Bentley in the model range. Its ability to marry comfort and long-distance skills with an impressive athletic ability and brutal performance is nothing short of impressive.
It lives up to the designation with bravura and is phenomenal at taking on entire continents in a fast-paced way.
When it comes to 12-cylinder GT cars, it is one of the last of its kind, and Bentley has certainly not saved on gunpowder.
Today’s PS first impression of the new Bentley Continental GT Speed
Final rating: 4.5 / 5
Performance, comfort and fantastic amounts of luxury are exactly what the Bentley Continental GT Speed manages to deliver. It offers a side that is permeated by comfort, and a side that is genuinely brutal. It urges one to drive like a fool while taking care of one. Stockholm to Saint Tropez in one go? Yes thank you.
Other Bentley models we tested
Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible i Miami
Bentley Continental GT i Stockholm
Bentley Flying Spur in Germany
Bentley Mulsanne Speed in Eastern Europe
Former Bentley Continental GT Speed in Italy
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