Bentley Continental information required please

[London GT3]

I am thinking about a Bentlety Continental to run alongside a 2012 Range Rover Westminster as a daily car. My budget would be no more than £100k and I would want a car with less than 10,000 miles. I would expect to do up to 12,000 miles pa and keep it for 2 to 3 years. I would not want a car older than 2012 - so post facelift. I would be looking to sell my 2010 911 Turbo S so I am used to the costs of running expensive cars.

I would tend to lean towards the V8 rather than the W12 but I am not entirely sure why!

Importantly, I don't know what the different models are. Speed, Mulliner etc.

How long was the manufacturers warranty and can it be extended (an at what cost)?

What are the must have options either for usability or resale?

Thank you.

[f430hunter]

hi,ok i have had exactly the same sort of cars as you 4.4 tdv8 westminster etc etc and the only thing i would say wont you miss the 911 as its an awesome bit of kit and feels like a real sports car,my 2015 w12 speed renewed my westy and i also have a xkr-s gt which is my real fun car amongst others.Just be careful as the continental gt is not really a sports car its a grand tourer and is quite a handful when chucking it around.If you do go for a conti gt drive the v8 and w12 models as i love the torque of the w12 its unreal and the sound is fantastic,good luck and if you need a really good dealer try weybridge h r owen and tell them simon from devon recommended you,ask for will in sales great guy.


hope this helps simon

[rgw2012]

With that sort of budget and coming from a Turbo S, I reckon you should consider the Supersports version. Might still be a GT but a super capable one.

Muliiner driving package is good for resale and it makes the interior a lovely place to be!

[mybrainhurts]

You need to talk to a VW mechanic...

[London GT3]

Thank you for the comments Simon (and others). I still have a 911 (a 996 GT3RS) and a 991 GT3RS on the way so the hard core sports car box is ticked. I thought the Bentley would be a good diversification and something that we could use for weekends away instead of always falling back on the Range Rover which is a great vehicle but not very exciting. I also thought that the Bentley would tackle London's awful roads and speed humps.

There are some super cars available with modest mileages. I could do with some guidance on requirements for spec.

[enjoythemusic]

Ahh yes, for rougher roads the standard GT may be a better choice as the Speed has stiffer suspension bits. There are four suspension settings so you can make the GT stiffer, yet it can be set to be extremely forgiving for roads that lack smoothness.

[Boshly]

The speed and Supersports look so much better as they ride a bit lower I believe. This will of course compromise ride a tad. Both Speed and Supersports have most if not all essentials (mulliner spec etc). Supersports feels very different from speed. Not sure it's the extra power, just the ride and gearbox.

If you go Supersports think twice before buying the sports seats. Although they look great and fit well the adjustment on them is severely limited and it would appear that they're not as popular as the comfort version. I would also Lastly add that they are not face lift versions, ie previous interior.

It really depends on what you're looking for. If it's something between the cocooned comfort of a Range Rover and the GT3RS then I would go speed or Supersports. If it's ultimately replacing the RR as your everyday car then maybe not.

I personally think the Supersports may hold its value slightly better (wishful thinking?) as it's rarer and very well thought of.

I have a similar-ish fleet with RRS, GTC Supersports and a more dedicated sports car and it's a great combination

[f430hunter]

boils down now to waht you want to pay,i have owned the supersports coupe and convertible,would only buy the coupe as to much scuttle shake.My 2016 w12 speed is awesome the sound is immense and that torque is just a huge wow factor.Car comes highly specced anyway but carbon brakes are superb,neim hi-fi is excellent apart from those 2 theres nothing i would say is a must have.My car has 30k of options but things such as glasses case and 4g wi-fi etc etc is not a deal breaker.Go drive a w12 speed and a v8s your see what i mean.


good luck simon

[London GT3]

I don't want to pay more than £100k. There is a 600 mile Sep 2013 V8 at Marlow Cars that has caught my eye.

If I go with the V8, what is the difference between V8 and V8S?

[f430hunter]

with 100k would look for 2013 speed or low mileage ss coupe,sorry v8 does nothing for me felt like a poverty model,sorry if this upsets someone it is just my opinion,the v8 and w12 drive so different.Which is why you need to drive both.

[TonyF]

Fwiw, I drove both and ended up buying the V8 gtc as for me there was very little difference in performance and the biggest thing was that with the v8 there is a lot less weight over the front which makes for much better handling. The w12 understeered when pushing on there's far to much weight over the front axle. I've had mine remapped to 704 bhp and there's plenty more to come from that very underrated V8.
V8 all day long for me but drive both, you will be surprised.

[London GT3]

Thank you for the further input. I would lean towards effortless comfort rather than sports car handling as I have the 911's as sports cars. If the suspension was more compliant on the W12, even at the expense of a bit of understeer, then that would be a good thing.

Based on the feedback here and the further research I have done, am I right in thinking that the W12 Speed is a higher spec (comfort wise) than a base V8 (i.e. non V8S)?

[TonyF]

London GT3 said:

Thank you for the further input. I would lean towards effortless comfort rather than sports car handling as I have the 911's as sports cars. If the suspension was more compliant on the W12, even at the expense of a bit of understeer, then that would be a good thing.

Based on the feedback here and the further research I have done, am I right in thinking that the W12 Speed is a higher spec (comfort wise) than a base V8 (i.e. non V8S)?

No, it is not higher spec comfort wise,for the difference in cost you get all the glitzy bits as standard, to match that on the V8 you will need the mulliner spec car V8 which is basically the same as the W12 spec wise. The suspension on the V8 will be more compliant on the road than the speed due to stiffer settings.
Hope this helps.

[enjoythemusic]

London GT3 said:

Based on the feedback here and the further research I have done, am I right in thinking that the W12 Speed is a higher spec (comfort wise) than a base V8 (i.e. non V8S)?

The Speed has less comfort due to stiffer suspension. Please re-read my previous post. Have lived in places with horrible roadways and you probably want the W12 normal GT version. A normal V8 would be ok as well yet you said you do not need lower weight or nimble driving (which, frankly, neither Bentley offers as compared to a *true* sports car). The Bentley is a Grand Touring (GT) car and thus a normal GT spec offers the more comfortable suspension / ride.

[f430hunter]

honestly you really need to drive both,i found the speed felt more suitable to my style of driving for what i wanted from a gt car and the v8 did not feel so planted but it really is a personal opinion.You may well drive the v8 and say hell thats spot on but theres only one way to tell drive em!!!

[enjoythemusic]

f430hunter makes an excellent suggestion and make sure your test drives include tackling London's awful roads and speed humps.

[London GT3]

Thanks again guys for the helpful contributions. I will drive both a V8 and a W12.

[London GT3]

Well I drove a very low mileage 2013 W12 Speed today. Beautiful ride but not quite as soft as I had expected. Good quality overall and I would be happy to have one. Making enquiries about extended warranty which will be due in September.

[f430hunter]

Top man,i was at bentley surrey today and drove the new bentayga but thats another story,dont forget the suspension is adjustable not alot but it can adjust,rememeber your be driving with a w12 a fully assembled bentley engine not the audi bought in v8 so it should feel really special and the sound is just awesome.

keep us posted cheers simon

[Gilbertd]

I've had custody of a 2015 model GT Speed for the last few weeks and last week I drive it around 250 miles in a day. In all honesty, I wouldn't want one. The performance is phenomenal, the interior is a beautiful place to be and the ride, for a performance car, is superb. However, it is totally lacking in any character, it is as soulless as any other modern car. It's actually not that comfortable after 100 miles or so either and don't even get me started on the build quality. On a car costing as much as this did I would have expected it to be held together by a little more than plastic clips and self tapping screws.