Bentley Continental GT (2010 – 2018) Review

Bentley Continental GT (2010 – 2018) At A Glance

5/5

+Huge performance thanks to immense W12 engine. Hand built quality. More efficient 500PS twin-turbo V8 engine available. New eight-speed automatic from mid 2012.

-The previous Continental GT had a bit of a 'footballer's wives' image.

Insurance Group 50
On average it achieves 78% of the official MPG figure

Bentley launched an all-new version of its luxurious Continental GT coupe in 2010 which added further improvements to the original model, introduced in 2003, with a sharper exterior look along with a contemporary, hand-crafted cabin which promises class-leading refinement. The immense V12 engine has also been upgraded and a new V8 twin turbo powerplant was added to the range in 2012.

Inspired by the iconic Bentleys of the past, the trademark Bentley grill is now more upright, while a new headlamp design includes LED daylight-running lamps. At the rear, ‘floating' LED lamps extend around the corners of the wings, emphasising the new coupe's width. The track is 41mm wider at the front and 48mm wider at the rear than the previous model. The bootlid design has a ‘double horse-shoe' motif, reminiscent of the new Bentley Mulsanne, while there are flared elliptical exhaust tailpipes.

The shape of the new GT coupe's body is also more aerodynamic. In conjunction with a range of extensive underbody refinements (including wheel arch and exhaust aerodynamic aids) the GT's drag coefficient has been reduced to create greater stability at higher speeds.The new GT is comes with 20-inch alloy wheels as standard, with - for the first time on the Continental family - the option to upgrade to 21-inch designs. Three styles of wheel are offered - a 20-inch five-spoke version and two 21-inch Elegant and split-rim Sports variations, which come in a variety of chromed and painted finishes.

When it comes to power, the Continental GT has a choice of two high-performance engines. In addition to the 575bhp version of the renowned 6.0 litre W12 powertrain, a new high-output 4.0-litre V8 engine with 500bhp was added in 2012 with 40 per cent lower emissions than the W12.

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Child seats that fit a Bentley Continental GT (2010 – 2018)

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Real MPG average for a Bentley Continental GT (2010 – 2018)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

78%

Real MPG

15–23 mpg

MPGs submitted

4

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.

Satisfaction Index

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Ask Honest John

Which luxury car is the wisest financial decision - Ferrari, Bentley or Aston Martin?

"In early 2013, I bought a new BMW 640d M Sport Gran Coupe. I part exchanged it two years later for a new BMW M4. That cost me £32,000 in depreciation. I'm now thinking of selling my M4 at the three year point and expect a similar amount of depreciation. The total in five years will be about £64,000. I want to minimise the cost of ownership with my next purchase and have a short list of four second hand vehicles for my budget of £80,000. The options are a low mileage Aston Martin Virage, low mileage Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari California or, at a push, high mileage Ferrari F430. The BMW have cost very little in servicing or road tax. Including depreciation, cost of servicing and road tax - could you advise which might be best in terms of total cost of ownership? I drive about 4000 miles per year. Feel free to suggest an alternative car if you can."
Massive risk factor and high servicing costs with the Aston and the Ferrari, but recently Ferrari have been holding their prices quite well. A California makes more sense than a 430. Why not a Porsche 911? Obviously you will amortise your M4 more effectively by keeping it for another year or two, but if you're fed up with it that isn't an option.
Answered by Honest John

Which high-performance sports car should I buy?

"I am a pensioner and have a budget of around £50,000 to treat myself to a 'fun' car before I am finally too old to enjoy driving. I have owned many high-performance cars in the past and I shall keep my Audi A3 3.2 Quattro for everyday use. My shortlist, all of which I have driven and would purchase from a main dealer with an appropriate used car warranty, comprises: Bentley Continental GT, Audi R8 V8 Coupe (manual) or the Porsche Cayman S (PDK or manual), but not the newly announced model. My annual mileage in the car would not exceed 4000. What do you think? "
The Audi R8 V8 manual if the money stretches to it, but they can be quite high maintenance. An RS4 certainly is. Or the new model manual Porsche Boxster S that has much better ride quality than the previous Boxster. For a fun car, a convertible makes more sense. And a Boxster has two boots, front and back, so is a better tourer than the new Jaguar F-Type that doesn’t have a lot of luggage space.
Answered by Honest John

Which luxury saloon?

"You helped me before and we took your advice which turned out well. My son having now sold his business has around £55k to spend on a luxury saloon/estate. He has a 3.0D Jaguar XF-S which you advised and he loves. He needs room for two adults + two eight-year-olds plus a fair amount of luggage and he drives 18,000 miles per annum. He is looking at Panamera (diesel) and CLS or E-Class AMG about 18m old but is tempted by Bentley coupe - this would be older so is this sensible or not worth it and any other ones to suggest?"
So he's not worried about fuel economy, or is he? Porsche now does a Cayenne diesel turbo S that I drove on Thursday, but was restricted to 55mph so found out absolutely nothing about it. I love the hand built Mercedes '63' 6.2 litre naturally aspirited V8, but you can only get that now in a C Class and in the SLS. E-Class, CLS, etc., now run a more fuel efficient 5.5 litre twin turbo V8. BMW does a hugely torquey triple turbo 3.0 litre diesel, but an X6 fitted with it feels clumsy. I did like the XJ L 3.0V6 diesel - looks better with the longer wheelbase. Not too stuck on a Bentley Continental.
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

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