Bentley Continental GT review

It’s deeply lovely in here and while some of its electric architecture is shared with the wider VW Group, this cabin is in a league of its own for luxury, tactility and ambience. The materials are obviously a dream; the wood and leather is beautifully done, but you can have stone or aluminium veneer if you really wish.

Few cars offer such a range of interior options: possible configurations soar into the billions and unless you’re really intent on buggering it up, the Conti looks swish and very contemporary inside, whichever material you choose.

If you’re stuck, then a visit to Crewe for a proper sit down with tea and a biscuit (no doubt a fancy Earl Grey and some premium shortbread) before a wander around the wood store might help you make your mind up. Or widen your array of options even further.

If it helps, going for a V8 S or W12 Speed brings darkened trims and more microfibre and metal inside for that more modern touch, while fancy Azure and Mulliner versions are all about glitz and finely stitched leather.

How’s it all laid out? 

The steering wheel has none of that flat-bottom nonsense and connectivity is first class. Save for the car being so well insulated, you might actually struggle for 4G signal. Relish the peace and quiet that brings.

It’s not big in the back, but you’d volunteer this as a way to get four people an hour or two away with room for weekend luggage in the Volkswagen Golf-rivalling 358-litre boot. And it’s hardly cramped; dropping all four windows creates open flanks that give the cabin a lovely fresh airiness if you’re just mooching about. And although there’s a trace of wind noise from the A-pillars at motorway speeds you can distract yourself by flipping the (admittedly optional) Rotating Display that flicks, like a Q branch numberplate, between three separate plates: a blank veneer, the vast touchscreen and three analogue dials (compass, outside temp and chronometer) for that hint of olde worlde elegance.

Our recommendation is to opt for the latter, squeezing nav directions or your music choices into the digital instrument display. Really lean into that ‘switching off the outside world’ stuff that Bentley’s trademark opulence allows more than any rivals. The sheer discombobulation of a Ferrari Roma’s steering wheel controls feels an aeon away in here.

Any qualms?

The virtual cockpit dash display perhaps doesn’t operate as intuitively and attractively here as in various Audis. The gear lever has an annoying détente to stop it going straight from D to R. And the confluence of laid-back A-pillar and chunky door mirror makes for a big forwards blind spot, while the view out the back is much narrower than you might expect given the length of that piece of rear glass.

But as somewhere to sit and feel good about the world and your (financially elevated) place in it, this takes some beating. More high-tech and driver orientated than a Rolls-Royce Wraith, more spacious and better finished than an Aston Martin DB11, it’s all clear and mostly logical to use and with a satisfying heft to the control weights so you know you’re operating something with proper status.