4 in 1 - Bentley Continental GT V8S Convertible

Piotr Wnuk
Jul 13, 2016
4 min read

Test-driving any of the Bentley cars always feels somehow special. Even after a few years spent in automotive media, and after many of global brands I have driven already, the Flying B always feel extraordinary. Opening the door, taking the driver's seat and pushing the start button delivers a significant level of excitement and a sudden increase of serotonin in my body. This time, however, what struck me the most was the view of bold lines and hunches I saw in the side mirror. I must admit: the new Bentley Continental GT V8S has been remodeled very gently; however the new shape is very handsome indeed. Its soft sculpture has now become more pronounced, masculine and athletic. This new attitude does not end with the exterior design. It has been very successfully translated into the overall vehicle's character as well. The four-layer fabric hood quickly found its place in the boot, and I could hear the Continental calling me for an adventure. We set off to the climb Jebel Jais together.

"The Bentley Continental is the definitive grand tourer. Its effortless performance, generous space, handcrafted luxury, and all-wheel drive capability takes you on a journey in refined style and comfort. Now, for those customers who want even more drama and excitement, the sharper, sporting edge of the new GT V8 S adds a new dimension to the Continental range," says Wolfgang Schreiber, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors in an official press release and I could not agree more after three days spent in this red athlete.

All GT V8 S models feature a more powerful version of Bentley's high-efficiency four-litre, twin-turbo V8 engines with a capable army of 521 horses, which can pull this vehicle with 680 Nm of torque. These impressive numbers translate onto 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 308 km/h. Impressive huh? It is partially thanks to the superb close-ratio ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The increased power of the S model provides effortless, exhilarating high performance with excellent acceleration and imperceptibly smooth power delivery in the normal driving mode.

Once I have switched into a Sports mode via the gear selector, the V8 S rewarded me with a sharpened throttle response, faster shifts, while the Flying B was holding gears for longer for a sportier feel and driving experience. Ahhh, so this is what Wolfgang Schreiber had in mind. More excitement and edge is definitely what I can agree with, especially after testing it on the Jebel Jais approach. It pulls amazingly well from well under 2000 rpm all the way to the 6200 rpm fuel cutoff. The eight-speed gearbox works well when left to its own devices, but it comes to life when switched to the Sports mode letting the driver use its incredible reserves of aggressive engine's torque. And the engine's soundtrack is a pure pleasure to listen to, especially with the roof down, a big, bass-heavy roar that gets louder and more melodic proportionally with the revs needle moving up its clock and resonates fantastically on the sharp corners of the Ras Al Khaimah mountain tracks.

I can only imagine how hard designers must work on convertible models. There are no corners cutting, I fact, they have to design two cars, coupé and convertible as the car must look striking both with the hood up and folded away. The result is outstanding, and this car rewards with an uninterrupted sweep of bodywork and crisply defined body creases and masculinity.

The body has been re-sculpted with astonishing precision. The curves disappeared and made space for some strong and sharper lines, especially visible on the back fenders, which I noticed for the first time in the side mirrors. The lowered suspension provides a sleeker and purposeful stance, complemented by unique, lower-body styling including a sharp front splitter, discrete side sills and subtle rear diffuser finished in Beluga gloss. The black gloss radiator grille with single chrome divider bar and "figure of eight" exhaust tailpipes instantly signify the powerful V8 engine. The signature 20-inch wheels are unique to the S models with an open-spoke design that reveals distinctive, red-painted brake calipers. Subtle V8 S badges are applied to each front fender just to remind politely that this is a seriously powerful vehicle.

Inside, the cabin gets some unique color accents to help differentiate it from other models. There are also newly restyled "cobra" seats with smaller diamond upholstery and a semi-aniline hide options, but most impressively with a great seat massage system, which includes two lumbar and ten surface cells to keep the driver alert and relaxed. Nonetheless to say it is the only way to travel.

However fast and powerful it might be, the V8S is a grand tourer as well. The combination of extremely well-damped air suspension and more than 2.5 tons works miracles well over rougher roads, especially with the dampers switched to the Comfort setting. Corners don't seem to frighten this car either. Despite the weight of its metal, glass, and acres of leather, it does appear to follow the direction of the steering wheel without any hesitation delivering the comfort of damping perfection at the same time.

Bentley is quite bold with their marketing statements about this car, but after testing it for a few days, I can say that this buzz is entirely justified. The 2013 model hit the company's best sale numbers yet, and I expect the new version will just up those scores. Car designers usually describe the convertibles as two in one; we would change it to four in one for this model. It is a perfect coupé when it is too hot outside, classic convertible in the winter; it is as fast as a performance car and as comfortable as a limo.

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