Luxury cars like the Bentley Continental GT are items of excess, but sometimes a 6.0-litre W12 engine can be just a little too much, even for the wealthy. Luckily for you, Bentley Kuala Lumpur has now introduced the “toned-down” Bentley Continental GT V8 here on our shores.
PERFORMANCE
We say toned-down in inverted commas, because it is still plenty fast, especially for a huge chunk of metal like this luxury grand tourer. The lower weight and better weight distribution thanks to the smaller engine also helps with the Continental GT V8’s handling and fuel efficiency.
- Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8
- Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch transmission
- Drivetrain: Front engine, active all-wheel drive with rear bias
- Max horsepower: 550 hp
- Max torque: 770 Nm
- 0-100 km/h: 4.0 seconds
- Top speed: 318 km/h
Aside from the new “characterful V8 burble”, the new engine is also capable of shutting off half of its cylinders in suitable conditions to help with fuel consumption, all while being pretty much imperceptible to the driver.
Ride and handling on the new Continental GT has also been tweaked for the V8 version, with the use of new lightweight hollow anti-roll bars at the front and rear. Air suspension is available as standard, while customers can select the Bentley Intelligent Dynamic Ride System adaptive chassis as an option.
EXTERIOR
The Continental GT is still as much a beautiful art piece as it is a mind-bendingly quick grand tourer. The V8 version differentiates itself with the quad exhausts, 20-inch 10-spoke painted alloys (with nine other options ranging up to 22-inches), and V8 badging on the front fenders.
Otherwise, exterior equipment are pretty much the same as its W12 counterpart, including the cut-gem-like LED Matrix headlights. For a more aggressive and striking look, buyers can opt for the Blackline Specification, which replaces the following exterior items with specially-commissioned high-gloss black carbon fibre and black-painted trims:
- Door handles
- Headlight surrounds
- Taillamp surrounds
- Number plate surrounds
- Side window surrounds
- Wing vents
- Lower side sills
INTERIOR
The cabin of the Continental GT V8 stays true to its luxury heritage of the Bentley badge, handcrafted with a generous use of rare wood veneers and the highest quality leathers. As standard, the Bentley Continental GT V8 in Malaysia comes with a new Crown Cut Walnut on the dashboard but as is standard Bentley affair, there are a multitude of other options to choose from.
Other standard interior equipment include the fully-digital instrument cluster, 22-way adjustable leather seats in monotone colour split, and 650W 10-speaker Bentley audio system. But if there’s one option you have to tick during checkout, it’ll be the Bentley Rotating Display.
The rotating display features a 12.3-inch infotainment display housed in a three-sided revolving unit in the veneer – letting the occupants choose between displaying the infotainment screen, three analogue dials, or just plain shiny veneer on the dashboard.
SAFETY
The all-new Bentley Continental GT V8 is equipped with a wide range of safety and convenience features, including:
- Active Lane Assist
- Traffic Jam Assist
- Park Assist
- Variable ratio electric power steering rack
- Continuous damping control
PRICING
The all-new Bentley Continental GT V8 is now available in Malaysia, starting at RM795,000 before duties, taxes, options, and insurance.