Bentley Continental GT review

It hasn’t changed much (as we said earlier the investment has mostly gone in under the skin) but then not much really needed to change. It remains a beautifully made and luxurious cabin that is as solid as they come and outrageously tactile.

It’s this last one that sets Bentley apart from the German premium brands. Leather, wood, metal and wool is treated with the utmost care and respect in here. You can smell it, you can touch it and it helps instil that sense of occasion that makes the Conti GT and GTC so special.

And these materials are used imaginatively – there’s now 3D use of leather in some places and for our money the Dinamica fabric on the seats is better than Nappa leather alone – it’s softer to sit on and holds you in place better through corners. The seats themselves are enveloping and wonderful. You sigh when you sit on them.

But it’s got the tech in it as well, hasn’t it?

More than that this new car has brand new electrical architecture that helps support everything from infotainment to more extensive driver assistance. As ever, judge that as you may. Whether you think the car is trying to be too clever in switching the air to recirculate when it enters a tunnel, or attempting to predict green traffic lights (from next year) is your call. File under ‘unnecessary, but interesting’ in TG’s book.

Oddly, advanced cruise control isn't actually standard. It comes in a pack with a HUD and night vision.

Far more importantly, you can still have the rotating display (AKA Toblerone) and in our book the best thing to do is hide the screen away and replace it with the dials. Fewer distractions means more engagement with the luxury and experience.

Can you genuinely carry four?

It’s harder to get into the back seats than it is to be comfortable in them once you are there. The bulky front seats take some squeezing past, but once you have twisted and settled yourself in, there’s less to complain about. Just don’t be too tall or big unless the front passenger moves forward. Call it a three-plus-toddler. Leg and head space isn’t that generous.

And nor, now, is luggage space. Unfortunately, the battery pack had to impinge on something, and that something was the load bay which is reduced from 358 litres to 260. A scant 134 litres in the GTC. That’s a significant drop, but mostly it’s the depth into the car that’s been reduced, so you now don’t have to reach in as far, which was undignified in the first place.