There are a few ways to negotiate the southern Californian desert. And make no mistake, it’s a desert. Not in the “shifting sands of the Kalahari” sense, but this harsh, scrubby landscape remains an unforgiving environment ravaged by an ongoing drought. The colour palate of the hills, mountains and plains has been reduced to a dirty beige with only a clear, light-blue sky offering any contrast.
Well, that and the bright yellow blur streaking up one of the many mountain passes.
The blur is, in actual fact, a Monaco Yellow Bentley Continental GT V8 S in motion. As trans-desert dashes go, this is definitely one the better vehicles to choose for such a journey. The newcomer is the Crewe-based firm’s latest offering and essentially a GT V8 with tweaks to its engine, suspension, steering, and some exterior mods.
To test its abilities we undertook a 550 km one-day roadtrip from San Diego to the desert oasis of Palm Springs and back. The route would take us up and over some very tight, snaking mountain passes that opened out onto long, sweeping swathes asphalt across high altitude, bone-dry valleys. That constitutes a good mix of roads to test the abilities of this latest coupé and convertible version of Bentley’s renowned luxury 2+2 grand tourer.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
Exterior: there’s not much to give the game away, but then again subtlety and understatement are currencies in the land of British bespokeness. You need to look below the waistline to spot the S-ness, where a new front splitter, side sills, and rear diffuser signal its pedigree. The famous mesh grille also gets a black, high-gloss treatment, and there are two new signature colours – the aforementioned Monaco Yellow and Kingfisher Blue. The S also has signature 20-inch open spoke alloys designed to showcase the optional red brake calipers and ceramic brake discs, should you choose to specify them. Two small chrome “V8 S” badges on the front wheel arches seal the deal.
Interior: nothing much different here and that’s a good thing. The marque prides itself on the quality and customizability of its interiors and to this end the S offers a 17 different hide colours and duo-tone options. Tick the Mulliner Driving Pack option and you’ll also get quilted seat inserts and drilled alloy pedals, as well as 21-inch, 7-soke Black Edition wheels.
Engine: the Continental GT V8’s 4,0-litre twin turbo V8 has been refettled to deliver 389 kW and 680 N.m via an 8-speed ZF auto transmission mated with a (40:60 rear biased) all-wheel drive system. It is, of course, a set-up derived from the VW Group, though you’d need to be a cynic to see this as a negative. It’s a mighty powerplant with a glorious engine note (particularly with the optional Sports Exhaust) and bags of torque on tap from 1 700 right through to 5 000 r/min.
Suspension: The engineers at Crewe have lowered the S’s ride height by 10 mm, stiffened the springs (45% front, 35% rear), and revised the damping to add what they believe is an new level of agility to the Continental’s established reputation as comfortable, long-legged cruise missile.
DRIVING IT
To be honest, first impressions were a little sketchy. For the journey up to Palm Springs we were behind the wheel of the yellow convertible, shod with those 21-inch alloys courtesy of the Mulliner Driving Pack. Once out of the greater San Diego area, the first mountain pass was upon us… and here the Bentley battled a little.
It’s a big car and tight, twisty bits will always be a challenge. Even on these super smooth and wonderfully cambered US roads, and even with the new stiffer suspension set-up, the Bentley’s 2 470 kg heft made the all-wheel drive system and big rubber work hard for its money. Typically of a 4WD car, there’s a tendency to understeer when the front suspension’s loaded up and the convertible’s extra 175 kg certainly didn’t help matters.
Once free of this unflattering road however, the V8 S convertible came into its own on the superb open desert B roads. With the top down and the Elvis Presley satellite radio station playing full volume on the sonorous wonder that is the Naim sound system, mile upon mile of Mr State Trooper-free asphalt was dispatched with.
I later drove the grey Quartzite coupé over another mountain pass and was far more impressed with its agility. Lighter and shod with the more forgiving 20-inch rubber, the car felt a tad more agile and responsive to steering inputs.
But that’s neither here nor there. The Bentley Continental GT V8 – be it in standard or S guise – was never meant to be a hillclimb specialist. It’s a lithe, powerful grand tourer designed to gallop effortlessly over great distances, cosseting its two passengers in bespoke luxury (there are rear seats, but you wouldn’t occupy them for any great length of time).
In S form it produces a little extra power, slightly improved agility, and extra (though subtle) cache. Is it worth the extra money over the standard Continental V8 GT? Dahling… if you have to ask etc.
*Specifications: Coupé
Engine: 4,0-litre twin-turbocharged direct injection V8
Transmission: ZF 8-speed automatic with column-mounted paddleshift
Drivetrain: Continuous all-wheel drive (40:60 rear bias)
Power: 389 kW @ 6 000 r/min
Torque: 680 N.m @ 1 700 r/min
0-100 km/h: 4,5 sec
Top speed: 309 km/h
Fuel consumption: 10,6 litres/100 km
CO2 emissions: 246 g/km
Price: TBA
*Specifications: Convertible
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbocharged direct injection V8
Transmission: ZF 8-speed automatic with column-mounted paddleshift
Drivetrain: Continuous all-wheel drive (40:60 rear bias)
Power: 389 kW @ 6 000 r/min
Torque: 680 N.m @ 1 700 r/min
0-100 km/h: 4,7 sec
Top speed: 309 km/h
Fuel consumption: 10,9 litres/100 km
CO2 emissions: 254 g/km
Price: TBA
* Manufacturer’s claimed figures
