2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed Drives Great, Looks ... Fine?

• The Bentley Continental GT gets a big overhaul for 2025.
• The big news is what's under the hood: a 771-horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain.
• Design-wise, the interior is largely the same, but we aren't sold on all of the exterior tweaks.

Driving a prototype of the new Bentley Continental GT Speed earlier this year was an awesome experience. The Big B ditches its old twin-turbo W12 engine for a plug-in hybrid V8 setup, and the end result is a super-luxurious grand tourer that's also a formidable performance machine. What's not to love about 771 horsepower, 738 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.1-second 0-to-60-mph time?

But now we're able to talk about the other details surrounding the 2025 Continental GT Speed — specifically, the way it looks. The interior retains a lot of the same design cues as before, with small technology and quality-of-life updates. The exterior, however, is a bit polarizing. Bentley worked to really streamline and refine the Continental GT's appearance. Has it worked? Mostly. But there are a few fussy things here and there.

Design details

Bentley is launching both the GT Speed coupe and GTC Speed convertible at the same time. Mechanically, they're the same, the only difference being the electronically folding soft top.

The most obvious design change for all Continentals is up front: Bentley no longer uses a split-headlight design, instead incorporating all of the lighting into one large ovular housing with a strong horizontal line cutting outside the edges (like it's wearing cat-eye eyeliner). It's a design clearly influenced by the Batur — and not a bad one, at that.

The lower fascia is a little less pretty, as is the forward-facing camera that sticks out of the grille like a poorly mascaraed pimple. The wheels are cool, and we applaud the decision to remove some of the brightwork along the Conti's profile. Another big win: There's no more pop-up spoiler on the rear deck, which gives the back of the car a super-clean look. The taillights are also awesome, with a jewel-like effect. They're really cool in person.

But here's the one thing that, once you see it, you won't be able to unsee: The fuel door on the passenger side and the charging port door on the driver's side are different shapes, different sizes, and placed in different locations. We suppose it's easier to mirror these doors on larger vehicles — or, at least, ones that aren't as swoopy as the Continental GT. But it's a decidedly incongruous bit of design on an otherwise attractive car.

Cabin and tech changes

Not a ton, actually. This isn't a complaint, of course; not many cars are as scrum-diddly-umptious inside as a Bentley Continental GT. The world's still your oyster when it comes to color and trim combinations, and you can continue to opt for the very cool Bentley Rotating Display in the dashboard.

Inside that display, you'll find an updated version of Bentley's infotainment system, which is, effectively, a reskinned take of what Porsche uses in the Panamera. The 12.3-inch display is bright and crisp, and it looks great alongside the redesigned digital instrument cluster. Bentley's kickin' Naim audio setup is available as an option.

One downgrade: the trunk. Err, make that boot. Because the 25.9-kWh battery pack is housed above the rear axle, it drastically eats into cargo space. Of course, just buy the perfectly sized Bentley luggage and that won't be a problem.

How's the new GT Speed drive?

You can read our prototype drive for the full scoop on how the Bentley Continental GT Speed performs. Long story short: It's an impressive machine, with a seamless transition between fully electric and internal combustion power. The 25.9-kWh battery is said to provide about 50 miles of electric range (final EPA numbers are still TBD) and can be charged at a rate of 11 kW when plugged into a Level 2 outlet.

The bigger story is that the active body stabilization and adaptive dampers really help the GT Speed feel nimble — or at least as nimble as any 5,500-pound car can be. We hope none of this verve is lost in the non-Speed GT models, which will be unveiled in due time. Those cars will also have the plug-in hybrid setup, likely just detuned to make less power.

Edmunds says

Bentley calls this the "fourth-generation" Continental GT, though the changes seem more Conti 3.5 to us. Nevertheless, its hybrid powertrain is rad, the interior is splendid, and it'll no doubt be worth every penny. Look for prices to start around $250,000 when it goes on sale later this year.