The Bentley Continental GT: What the critics say

The Wall Street Journal

The 2013 Bentley Continental GT remains a beautiful, elegant grand touring car, but with one major difference—the traditional 12-cylinder engine can now be passed over for a turbocharged V8 and a lower price tag. “So let’s confront the 12-cylinder thing for what it is: a numerical fetish.” In fact, thanks to the turbo, a lighter build, and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the V8 Continental is “at least as awesome to drive.”

Car and Driver

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Fuel economy improves by 40 percent, an enviro-friendly leap that we suspect was engineered “mostly to sell more very expensive cars to more very wealthy people.” Still, there’s zero penalty. Not only is the V8 edition slightly faster from zero to 60, the lighter engine has this Conti “dabbling in outright athleticism”—and emitting a “distinctive V8 growl,” too.

Edmunds.com

Let’s not get carried away: The improved mileage got us only 14.4 mpg. The V8 is actually slower than the 12 in the slalom. And the price surges past $200,000 once you add options. Then again, “none of that matters when you’re sitting in the amazingly well-appointed, hand-stitched interior,” with leather “so supple you’d swear the cow was still wearing it.” Wanting this car has nothing to do with cold reason.