Bentley's new Continental GT combines power, style and luxury

Bentley's new Continental GT is a mix of power, style and luxury

$ VLKAY

It's been a long time coming, but thanks to the sister company's co-development and cooperation Porsche, Bentley, Volkswagen's unit (OTCMKT: VLKAY) has released its first new Continental GT in 15 years.

Porsche's contribution is not visible, but the new Continental rolls on a modular platform shared by the VW Group's front engine with a rear or all. We saw it last year in the new Porsche Panamera

It will be seen then appear with the Bentley Flying Spur.

For now, it is the reference of a truly remarkable GT coupe, lighter, more luxurious, technically advanced and roomy than the model it replaces

Under the hood is a 626 horsepower 6-cylinder 6-cylinder W12 engine that looks familiar but very different from those used in earlier Bentley.

Having made his debut in the Ben Tayga, this W12 engine not only lost 30 kg, but it was also radically redesigned, the front drive shafts entering the sump to get it into the small bay of the coupled engine to a new ZF transmission.

Fuel injection system including both the injection of the old car for more power and direct injection to ensure compliance with new emission standards.

Twin turbos were also converted to double volute units.

Helps the vehicle achieve 16% better fuel economy with 800km and even more than 600km of range thanks to mountain passes and high-speed motorways, which exceed the average of 13L / 100km . The transmission is an 8 speed ZF unit that uses Porsche's PDK dual clutch system and is one of the reasons why the launch of the car was delayed compared to late last year . 0Nm of torque

On the road, it offers a fast gear change that was almost without breaking thanks to its 8 teeth.

Double volute turbos eliminate any delay because the thrust of power is almost unlimited and despite its 2,244 kg Bentley says it will reach 100 km / h in 3.7 seconds and 333 km / h.

This new C-GT lost 80kgs thanks to the use of aluminum and composites in the body. The combination of more power and less weight was immediately noticeable.

The Continental dives into turns like no Bentley before.

This is helped by Bentayga's dynamic 48-volt anti-roll rear suspension and its 3-chamber air suspension, which gives the driver more control in the rigidity Vs comfort battle.

Stop is not a problem because it is equipped with the largest brakes used on a production car of 420mm, 10 pistons in the front and 380mm, 4 Disappear the discs to the rear .. [19659002] Finished the claim of the car to be an AWD (AWD) in the sense that we knew it because the previous model had a fixed all-wheel drive system at 60:40 The new car is actually a RWD ( rear-wheel drive) with a clutch that gives torque on demand to the front wheels as needed.

The front axle has advanced 135mm not only for better weight distribution but also to give it more aggressive look, while the longer wheelbase of 110mm and 50mm wid the imprint of not give the car its assertive position without sacrificing size and margin.

The interior is an earlier Bentley departure and differs from Bentayga, feeling lighter and more spacious retaining the Bentley features of wood, leather and chrome. Ambient ambient lighting includes thin LED strips flush with the dashboard and doors at the back, mimicking the hips of the coke bottle.

Not satisfied with a single veneer, buyers can specify 2 on the dashboard. a chrome band, while a new 12.3-inch navigation screen is hidden behind a smart panel that turns to show either a trio of analog dials or continues the clean wood look.

A host of driving aids such as a head-up display, active lane assistance, traffic assistance, parking aids and reversing cameras are also included for bring the Continental GT into the modern era.

By Damien Reid

Paul Ebeling, publisher

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