Bentley Continental 2010 Supersports or 2012 W12?
Discussion
Hey everybody,
Quick question for any Bentley owners or anyone who has made the same decision. I am looking into purchasing a Bentley Continental GT, budget between £45-55k. This car will be a weekend/special occasion car.
Now, I have seen that within the budget I could go for a 2010 supersports or a second generation W12 MY 2011 onwards. I really want something fast but luxurious and special. I think the Bentley fits that bill nicely. My reservations are that whilst the supersports is very fast (0-60 3.7s I think), it’s the older first generation shape with a dinosaur infotainment system. The 2012 w12 has a much nicer shape and much newer touchscreen infotainment system but overall is significantly slower (around 4.4s). I was also looking at 2012 GT Speeds but they’re out of my budget at the mo.
I have not test driven the supersports yet but just wanted to know if any current owners can offer any insight. I think the supersports would tickle my ‘need for speed’ but the car is looking dated IMO. The newer Bentley is nicer to look at, but I’m not sure if it will be too ‘slow’ for a weekend car.
Thanks in advance.
Quick question for any Bentley owners or anyone who has made the same decision. I am looking into purchasing a Bentley Continental GT, budget between £45-55k. This car will be a weekend/special occasion car.
Now, I have seen that within the budget I could go for a 2010 supersports or a second generation W12 MY 2011 onwards. I really want something fast but luxurious and special. I think the Bentley fits that bill nicely. My reservations are that whilst the supersports is very fast (0-60 3.7s I think), it’s the older first generation shape with a dinosaur infotainment system. The 2012 w12 has a much nicer shape and much newer touchscreen infotainment system but overall is significantly slower (around 4.4s). I was also looking at 2012 GT Speeds but they’re out of my budget at the mo.
I have not test driven the supersports yet but just wanted to know if any current owners can offer any insight. I think the supersports would tickle my ‘need for speed’ but the car is looking dated IMO. The newer Bentley is nicer to look at, but I’m not sure if it will be too ‘slow’ for a weekend car.
Thanks in advance.
I have a 2013 Speed and I can't really comment on any comparison, but I do wonder if you are really going to notice much difference in real world performance between the older supersport and the newer standard car. The 0-60 times are only fractionally different in reality I would have though, and once you are rolling I imagine the power and toque will still be immense.
It's worth noting that with each generation, the 'standard' car becomes more powerful. e.g. the latest 2018/19 generation has the same BHP as my previous generation Speed edition.
It's worth noting that with each generation, the 'standard' car becomes more powerful. e.g. the latest 2018/19 generation has the same BHP as my previous generation Speed edition.
Rob F said:
I have a 2013 Speed and I can't really comment on any comparison, but I do wonder if you are really going to notice much difference in real world performance between the older supersport and the newer standard car. The 0-60 times are only fractionally different in reality I would have though, and once you are rolling I imagine the power and toque will still be immense.
It's worth noting that with each generation, the 'standard' car becomes more powerful. e.g. the latest 2018/19 generation has the same BHP as my previous generation Speed edition.
Maybe you’re right. I guess I’ll only know once I test drive. Although, the new 2018-2019 Bentley has a 0-60 of 3.6s as standard. That’s mind blowing considering it’s ‘standard’. I think the previous generation GT speed was only hitting around 4.3s. I’d imagine torque is more with the newer version as technology has improved It's worth noting that with each generation, the 'standard' car becomes more powerful. e.g. the latest 2018/19 generation has the same BHP as my previous generation Speed edition.
I had older shape Speed and now running the second generation Speed. I have driven pretty much all variants as demo car or loaner.
First generation cars are quite ancient not just the infotainment but also the very slow 6-Speed gearbox, yellow headlights, dials, seats, etc. Just feels too old.
Very late first generation Supersports comes with touch screen infotainment though but still whole body design looks outdated.
Speed and Supersports variants feels so much more dynamic and lively than the standard GT. Not just the 0-60 time but suspension, steering rack and especially the sports exhaust which comes live in S mode delivers very different experience than the standard GT. It comes down to personal preference so i strongly recommend test driving all variants as it differs significantly.
If it was my £55k i would hunt for 2013 Model year so 62 plate onwards with Mulliner pack around 40k miles with FBSH. I think 2012 model years still comes with 6-Speed Gearbox.
First generation cars are quite ancient not just the infotainment but also the very slow 6-Speed gearbox, yellow headlights, dials, seats, etc. Just feels too old.
Very late first generation Supersports comes with touch screen infotainment though but still whole body design looks outdated.
Speed and Supersports variants feels so much more dynamic and lively than the standard GT. Not just the 0-60 time but suspension, steering rack and especially the sports exhaust which comes live in S mode delivers very different experience than the standard GT. It comes down to personal preference so i strongly recommend test driving all variants as it differs significantly.
If it was my £55k i would hunt for 2013 Model year so 62 plate onwards with Mulliner pack around 40k miles with FBSH. I think 2012 model years still comes with 6-Speed Gearbox.
memzy88 said:
I had older shape Speed and now running the second generation Speed. I have driven pretty much all variants as demo car or loaner.
First generation cars are quite ancient not just the infotainment but also the very slow 6-Speed gearbox, yellow headlights, dials, seats, etc. Just feels too old.
Very late first generation Supersports comes with touch screen infotainment though but still whole body design looks outdated.
Speed and Supersports variants feels so much more dynamic and lively than the standard GT. Not just the 0-60 time but suspension, steering rack and especially the sports exhaust which comes live in S mode delivers very different experience than the standard GT. It comes down to personal preference so i strongly recommend test driving all variants as it differs significantly.
If it was my £55k i would hunt for 2013 Model year so 62 plate onwards with Mulliner pack around 40k miles with FBSH. I think 2012 model years still comes with 6-Speed Gearbox.
Thanks for the reply. If I could stretch to a 12 plate onwards GT speed, do you think that would be the best option then (based on everything you said about steering, suspension and handling)?First generation cars are quite ancient not just the infotainment but also the very slow 6-Speed gearbox, yellow headlights, dials, seats, etc. Just feels too old.
Very late first generation Supersports comes with touch screen infotainment though but still whole body design looks outdated.
Speed and Supersports variants feels so much more dynamic and lively than the standard GT. Not just the 0-60 time but suspension, steering rack and especially the sports exhaust which comes live in S mode delivers very different experience than the standard GT. It comes down to personal preference so i strongly recommend test driving all variants as it differs significantly.
If it was my £55k i would hunt for 2013 Model year so 62 plate onwards with Mulliner pack around 40k miles with FBSH. I think 2012 model years still comes with 6-Speed Gearbox.
I wasn’t even going to test drive the speed because they’re all above £55k but if the difference is noticeable compared to a standard GT, it may be worth a look.
%100! When you put the Speed to Sport mode you got very different car in comparison to the standard GT. Also not to forget many options which are optional extra on the standard GT comes with the Speed as standard. So its not just the handling, more power, sports exhaust but also more luxury. Also if you are planning to use PCP, cost ownership of the Speed might be even cheaper than the standard GT as residuals are higher.
Just to put to the perspective how does £18k deposit and £280 a month sound for 13 plate at around 15k miles. 24 months / 6k miles per year deal at %6.5 APR.
Just to put to the perspective how does £18k deposit and £280 a month sound for 13 plate at around 15k miles. 24 months / 6k miles per year deal at %6.5 APR.
memzy88 said:
%100! When you put the Speed to Sport mode you got very different car in comparison to the standard GT. Also not to forget many options which are optional extra on the standard GT comes with the Speed as standard. So its not just the handling, more power, sports exhaust but also more luxury. Also if you are planning to use PCP, cost ownership of the Speed might be even cheaper than the standard GT as residuals are higher.
Just to put to the perspective how does £18k deposit and £280 a month sound for 13 plate at around 15k miles. 24 months / 6k miles per year deal at %6.5 APR.
Fair point. Where are you getting those finance examples from? That sounds unrealistically reasonable. £18k deposit and £280 per month? Noice Just to put to the perspective how does £18k deposit and £280 a month sound for 13 plate at around 15k miles. 24 months / 6k miles per year deal at %6.5 APR.
Ive had them all,supersports and speed and a w12 gt,without a doubt the supersport gives the most driving pleasure,the sound on start up is immense and the i just love the exhaust note,yes its a bit of a tank and gearchanges take an age compared to todays offerings but the looks and smile for mile make up for it all.Make sure you get a car that has bentley history and bentley warranty.All the above is just my opinion.
cheers simon
cheers simon
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