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2017 Bentley Continental Review

“Craftsmanship, speed, luxury and prestige. You get all four with the 2017 Bentley Continental.”
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by Calvin Kim
Edmunds Editor

Edmunds expert review

The 2017 Bentley Continental offers all the sport and luxury you'll want, and then heaps on a seemingly endless array of customization possibilities. It's an ultra-fast and ultra-luxurious grand tourer for those of the most discerning taste.

Bentley offers this year's Continental in five variants, one of which is the new Supersports version. But the core model continues to be the Continental GT: a supremely confident grand tourer, powered by either a turbocharged V8 or a turbocharged W12 engine. Both send effortless power through an eight-speed transmission and then to an all-wheel-drive system.

The key point for the Continental is that the driving experience isn't diluted with overt amounts of technology. The Continental GT is a car that you can get in and drive with no special instruction, as well as a car you'd want to drive every day or cover some good distance in on a weekend road trip.

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What's new for 2017

The 2017 Bentley Continental debuts with a new Supersports trim level. Available for the coupe and convertible, the Supersports comes with an upgraded W12 engine that produces 700 horsepower. Carbon-ceramic brakes, a sportier suspension calibration and a revised all-wheel-drive system from the limited-edition 2015 Continental GT3-R are also part of the deal.

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For our money, the Bentley Continental GT Speed is the one to get. With an uprated version of the W12 from the standard GT, the Speed produces 633 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. This allows the Speed to accelerate to 60 mph in a claimed 3.9 seconds, with minimal sacrifice to the car's grand touring abilities.
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Trim levels & features

The 2017 Bentley Continental comes in five main versions: GT V8, GT V8 S, GT, GT Speed and Supersports. The GT V8 features the V8 engine, while the GT V8 S version makes a bit more power. The remaining Continentals all come with the W12 engine. The regular GT serves as the base. The line then expands with the Continental GT Speed, which has a more powerful W12, and the Supersports, which produces even more power. All Continental variants have an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, and you can get all as either a coupe or convertible.

Under the hood of the GT V8 is a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that produces 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. This allows the V8 to accelerate to 60 in a claimed 4.6 seconds. Bentley upgrades this engine on the GT V8 S to produce 521 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque.

The Continental GT uses Bentley's turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine, and here it produces 582 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. One step up in terms of power and performance, the Continental GT Speed has a revised W12 good for 633 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. The Speed sits 10 millimeters lower thanks to a sportier suspension calibration.

At the top, the new Continental Supersports takes the power levels up an additional notch to 700 hp and 750 lb-ft of torque by utilizing larger turbos and different internal hardware. The Supersports features the most aggressive suspension, transmission and stability control calibration.

As with all Bentleys, buyers can choose from a dizzying array of exterior and interior colors, wheels, embroidery, stitching, piping and wood or metallic trim.

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Driving

The Continental is a grand touring machine. It's heavy, but the adaptive suspension and all-wheel drive do their best to keep the car composed when you're driving around turns. Thanks to the stout V8 or W12, there's no shortage of smooth, effortless power.

Comfort

Plush leather seats and a quiet interior make the inside of the Continental a great place to spend time. But the car's high beltline can make it a bit hard to see out for some shorter drivers. The rear seats, while convenient for around town trips, are too small for adults to do any real touring in.

Interior

The Continental doesn't have the latest in-car technology. Instead, Bentley focuses on old-world craftsmanship and the relatively analog nature of the cockpit. The Continental is one of the few performance cars you can just hop in and easily figure out how everything works.

Utility

While the rear seats are beautiful, the seatbacks don't fold down. The trunk itself is deep, but it's difficult to fit larger suitcases or boxes in the back due to the short aperture of the trunk opening. But the trunk carpeting is plush and soft, so you might just want to leave it empty anyway.

Technology

The navigation and climate control systems are easy to use. But the Continental lacks many of the latest in-car technology and advanced driver safety features found on rival cars.

Edmunds expert review process

This review was written by a member of Edmunds' editorial team of expert car reviewers. Our team drives every car you can buy. We put the vehicles through rigorous testing, evaluating how they drive and comparing them in detail to their competitors.

We're also regular people like you, so we pay attention to all the different ways people use their cars every day. We want to know if there's enough room for our families and our weekend gear and whether or not our favorite drink fits in the cupholder. Our editors want to help you make the best decision on a car that fits your life.

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