The Bentley Continental GT range has been expanded to include two new ‘S’ performance variants, namely the Continental GT S and GT Convertible S. Filling the gap between the entry GT and the more powerful Speed models, the ‘S’ cars combine bits and pieces of both for those who want a middle ground.
Starting with the engine, the GT S features the base car’s 4.0 litre twin-turbo petrol crossplane V8 with a plug-in hybrid system for 680 PS and 930 Nm. Bentley says this setup, joined by an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive system, is 130 PS more powerful than the previous generation of the GT S, which enables a 0-100 km/h that is half a second quicker at 3.5 seconds – the top speed is just over 305 km/h.
The company also notes that the ‘High Performance Hybrid’ powertrain outperforms the retired W12 engine while providing as much as 80 km of pure electric range. As a step up over the entry GT, the ‘S’ cars come with a sports exhaust system to make the V8 sound better.
Additionally, Bentley’s Performance Active Chassis, which is usually reserved for the Speed and Mulliner models, is standard on the GT S cars. With it comes handling enhancements in the form of twin-valve dampers, torque vectoring (front to rear and across the axles), 48V Bentley Dynamic Ride active anti-roll system, a new generation of ESC control software and for the first time in the GT S line-up, an electronic limited slip differential and all-wheel steering.
In terms of aesthetics, the Blackline Specification adds on plenty of stealthy components to project a sporty character. These include the dark front lower spoiler, gloss black matrix grilles, black Bentley wings and lettering, while the lighting units are all dark tinted. The 22-inch ten swept-spoke wheels are silver as standard, but money can change them to gloss black units.
Inside, the two-colour upholstery split is unique to these GT S models, with other luxury touches being the fluted seat design, Dinamica technical fabric and piano black veneer. As you’d expect, Bentley offers plenty of other finishes such as high-gloss carbon-fibre, and you can opt for full leather upholstery and darkened brightwork.
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this is weaker than the merc and bmw b8 hybrids which output more than 700hp.