2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed
MSRP $238.00
“A person who would buy a Lamborghini for its power and a Range Rover for its all-weather capabilities need look no further than the Bentley Continental GT Speed, as it can do almost everything both cars can do at once.”
Avg
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Proud but subtle exterior styling
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The silky power of W12
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Firm yet incredibly compliant suspension
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The quiet interior of the cabriolet
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Craftsmanship
As I stood at the edge of the bunny slope at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colorado, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
That’s the biggest takeaway I got from the GT Speed; it’s the complete package.
I hadn’t skied in 15 years and yet I was dressed in the latest and greatest ski clothing the industry had to offer, including cutting edge technology; I had a pair of Oakley Airwave 1.5s strapped to my head and a Canon 1D-C around my neck.
Why premium Canon? Just so I could capture all the scenic majesty in 4k video while slicing pizza down the hill.
By the time I agreed to go skiing, I was really at the Ritz for the car. When the folks at Bentley asked if Digital Trends contributor Davis Adams and I would like to drive a 2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed in the snowy Rockies, we jumped at the idea.
They added a caveat though; Bentley’s public relations representatives wanted not only to put the GT Speed - the most powerful Bentley ever – on the snow, but also for us to experience the full, luxurious Bentley lifestyle.
2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed Video
Snow speed
Why did Bentley want to put the GT Speed in the snow? The British custom car maker has a history in winter weather conditions.
Just three years ago, the brand set the ice speed record in the Continental Super Sports Cabriolet. And with a masterful four-wheel drive system at the back of every one of its models, Bentley really is the only kind of exotic car you can drive on the track as confidently as you can on the snow.
A shift lock allows the transmission to jump from, say, eighth gear to fourth.
Wonderfully, the GT Speed is just as capable as its brand brothers, but also fast… very fast. As I mentioned before, the GT Speed is the fastest Bentley ever. It will accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4.0 seconds, from 1 to 100 in 9.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 205 mph.
How does a coupe with a gross vehicle weight of around 6,400 pounds handle such speed? It packs a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces 616 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque under a long, silky hood. Mated to that liquid-smooth twelve-cylinder engine is a new eight-speed automatic transmission that features something called “block shifting.”
Essentially, the transfer block allows the transmission to jump from, say, eighth gear to fourth if the driver is feeling overzealous. This saves precious seconds in transmission confusion, but also allows the GT Speed to become a true luxury rocket ship.
I’m not just being hyperbolic either. GT Speed has the latest engine management system, which can perform 180 million individual calculations per second. And its dynamic mode ECU enables wheel slip at higher speeds.
However, if the wheel slips, it will snap it back into place and give you all your torque faster than ever before.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
While the deep throaty tones of the twin-turbo twelve coming out of the carved twin tailpipes are my new favorite sound, the best part of the GT Speed is its suspension.
The suspension systems of other Bentleys are smooth, yes. But they lack real, planted feel, erring more on comfort than responsive handling. However, the sports suspension of the GT Speed is a different story.
The engineers left only the aluminum twin fork setup, but lowered the GT Speed by 10 mm compared to the Continental GT. Then they added new air springs, stiffer bushings and thicker anti-roll bars. The self-adjusting system constantly monitors ride height and damping, limiting body roll but increasing agility.
While these suspension tweaks are sure to keep Bentley’s British engineers up at night drooling, what do the changes mean in the real world? Quite simply, the GT Speed has the best suspension I have ever experienced. It feels connected to the road without transmitting road imperfections to the cabin – or the passenger’s spine.
You can go 50 mph in a corner at 70 in the snow and feel in complete control. You can also hit a rocky hole and not feel a thing. Sure, you’ll hear the tire hit the hole, but that ends the experience.
Snow technique
While the GT Speed can handle snowy hills like downhill dunes, I can’t.
I watched small children pass me on the hill as my dapper, gray-haired ski instructor Gus and I talked about technique, especially Oakleys.
“Yeah, I can see my compass direction, speed, and can even call up text messages from my smartphone on this thing,” I said from behind a pair of white and orange glasses.
Quite simply, the GT Speed has the best suspension I have ever experienced.
“That’s great. Does it project like augmented reality?”
“No, you have to look at this little box down in the corner,” I said, straining to look down the far right corner of my glasses, focusing on the nickel-sized screen.
“Then why do they call it Head-Up Display?”
“I guess because your head can stay up?”
“But not your eyes.”
“Law.”
“What about that camera, is it any good?”
“It is.”
Yes, of the tech toys I chose for Bentley’s snow trip, the Canon 1D-C was by far the best. In fact, I used it to photograph the cars you see in this story, as well as the corresponding video.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
I usually shoot my pictures and video in a Canon 5D, which I thought was superb. Still, it pales in comparison to the 1D-C. The cameras share a sensor, but the 1D’s image clarity is stunning, especially with the CN-E50mm lens.
The 1D-C will shoot 4k video. I didn’t use that feature though because I didn’t bring compact flash cards large enough to accommodate the massive amounts of data created by 4k recording. Shooting in a lower resolution format did return some of the most memorable images I’ve ever taken. I’ll let the video review speak for itself.
Interior
Not only is the GT Speed’s suspension sporty and supple, but so is the interior. My blue convertible was fitted with Flax leather with Beluga as a secondary color, which extended over the beautiful dashboard and on the three-spoke steering wheel. Both colors, of course, had contrasting stitching.
Amazingly, the interior of the convertible is actually quieter than the coupe. However, that cheerfulness was punctuated by the optional and incredibly powerful Naim Premium Audio system, which – while I was driving – filled the cabin with bass-y hip-hop tunes.
Put the top down even in a blizzard, turn on the heated and massaging stitched leather seats, turn up the neck warmer and heater, and you’re cocooned in relaxing warmth. Behind the wheel of the GT Speed at highway cruising speeds is what I imagine being towed to heaven.
This is what is perhaps most impressive about the GT Speed; it can be the sporty coupe or convertible you’ve always dreamed of, but also the incredibly luxurious cruiser you really need for everyday use.
Conclusion
That’s the biggest thing I got with the GT Speed: it’s the complete package.
Yes, it will set you back $272,000 if you go for the convertible, but you’re getting a lot more for that price than you’d get with anything else. Think about it. For less than $300,000 you get a 600+ horsepower open top, custom built luxury machine and one of the most beautiful shapes in the automotive industry.
Certainly, you can get any one—or maybe two—of those things in another car for similar coin. But with Bentley you get them all. And for that, I love it.
Tall
- Proud but subtle exterior styling
- The silky power of W12
- Firm yet incredibly compliant suspension
- The quiet interior of the cabriolet
- Craftsmanship
Falls
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn