Bentley Continental GT 2011 Review - International

But now, seeing it in the metal, on a mountainous Omani road, my point of view is changing gradually yet emphatically. The new creases and muscle seem hard to miss as the play of light and shadow showcases the revamped Conti's crisp new contours with startling clarity while the big coupe carves through the rocky surrounds.

We're here to sample the 2011 model over a 400km-plus drive route, comprising some fast freeway cruising and a couple of nice stretches of mountain switchbacks. It's while shadowing another Conti piloted by a fellow journo through the twisties that I'm savouring the new car's profile, particularly the far beefier stance – thanks to tracks that have been widened by 41mm at the front and 48mm at the rear.

The bulbous derriere that made the old GT resemble a jellyfish has also been nicely resolved. The broadened haunches are now defined by razor-sharp edges, while the bootlid terminates in an equally sharp upturned lip that's the result of 'Aluminium Super Forming' (see boxout below).

Up front the same theme pervades as the slightly blobby look of the superseded model has been alleviated by crisp-edged surfacing and a more upright grille, contributing to a purposeful face that appears hungrier to devour the tarmac ahead of it. The new bejewelled headlights house the now almost mandatory LED daytime running lights, and are perhaps the most obvious differentiator between the latest Conti GT and the superseded version.

The overall impression is of a car that's spent some serious time in the gym, pumping heavy iron and slamming down loads of protein while cutting back on the love-handle-inducing carbs. For me, it works. In its latest guise the Bentley looks less boulevard cruiser and more driver's car. But is it, really?

No complaints about the straight-line urge, as the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 has been worked over to kick out 423kW and 700Nm, which is a handy increment over the oldie's 411kW and 650Nm. More tellingly, the peak torque figure is on tap from a barely-ticking-over 1700rpm, and it remains undiminished for another 4000 revs or so. Bentley claims a 0-100km/h split of 4.6sec and top whack of 318km/h, which isn't too shabby at all for a 2.3-tonne coupe.

The W12 also has FlexFuel capability that enables it to run on petrol, E85 ethanol, or any mix of the two, but Bentley won't be able to do any real enviro grandstanding until the high-output twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 debuts later this year. The Crewe crew claims the V8 will deliver a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, without sacrificing "Bentley levels of performance and refinement". We're guessing it might be more agile than the W12 too, due to having less weight over the front axle.

Bentley has already tried to make the Conti less understeer-prone and enable at least some degree of throttle-steer by altering the all-wheel-drive system to deliver a 40:60 torque split to its front and rear axles (formerly 50:50). The Conti also gains the latest-gen stability control, which is subtler in its operation, and Continuous Damping Control (CDC), which adjusts the suspension settings hundreds of times per second and automatically lowers the car in v-max mode.
 
Meanwhile, the ZF six-speed auto has been tweaked to deliver shifts that are 50 per cent quicker (200 milliseconds) and a new Quickshift function enables double downshifts that are smoothed by auto rev-matching throttle blips.

How does it feel on the road? Brisk, but never nimble, is the short answer. Bentley's boffins may have used a range of trickery to pare 65kg from its mass, but the Conti still tips the scales at a sumo-like 2320kg, and anything that hefty is never going to feel particularly agile. Compounding matters is the lifeless steering, which conveys little in the way of feedback to your fingertips.

On the plus side, grip levels are impressive as the 275/40ZR20 rubber – wrapped around 20-inch rims – hangs on gamely even in max-attack mode. Oh, and in case more bling is your thing, you can specify the optional 21-inchers, which further beef up the stance, albeit at some cost to ride quality.

The standard stoppers are 405mm discs at the front and 335mm rear (carbon silicon carbide, cross-drilled discs – 420mm front, 356mm rear – are optional), but they don't pull the car up with particular urgency. No doubt the sheer weight of the car is again a factor here.

After about 45 minutes of frenetic thrashing through the sinuous stuff it's clear the Conti GT is best enjoyed when driven at up to six or seven-tenths. Beyond this it begins to feel ponderous and out of its depth. At the end of the day, it's a grand tourer, not a sportster. If you want something more hardcore, look to an Audi R8 V10 or Mercedes SLS AMG.

You won't find too many more comfortable and opulent coupes though, and the updated cabin features a sweeping dashboard and instrument panel finished in premium, soft-touch leather hides. Nevertheless, there are still some telltale Volkswagen bits, and these include most of the knobs and switches, as well as the gear selector housing – a slight disappointment for a car in this exalted segment.

The new 'Cobra design' seats are nicely sculpted, and their thinner seatbacks have liberated some welcome extra legroom in the rear. The roof also summits 14mm higher than before, providing marginally more clearance for lanky occupants' noggins.

Among the surprise-and-delight features are an excellent 11-speaker Naim premium audio system and a 30GB infotainment system with satellite navigation with dynamic route guidance, seven-digit postcode entry and Google Map compatibility.

Overall, Bentley has done enough with the latest iteration to ensure the continued success of the Continental GT. It's not a super-sharp driving tool, but it stacks up convincingly as a luxurious, refined and stylish grand tourer, which is what is says on the box in any case.

The new Conti is due to land here around April-May, priced circa-$420,000, which represents an increase of about five per cent over the existing model.

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