Bentley releases MY16 Continental GT range

Bentley announced a raft of upgrades for its facelifted MY16 Continental GT range ahead of its world debut at the Geneva motor show in March this year and now Australian pricing has been revealed ahead of first deliveries in early October.

As we reported in February, all Conti GTs come with mild interior and exterior cosmetic tweaks, more equipment and – in the case of the 6.0-litre W12 models – more power and efficiency.

However, while all other luxury cars cost now a little less from July 1 due to the slightly higher luxury car tax threshold from July 1, Bentley has jacked up the prices of its four-year-old Continental GT by at least $20,000 across the board and up to $27,000.

The cheapest Continental GT – the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 Coupe – now costs $402,600 plus on-road costs, which is up $21,600 from before ($381,000) and sees all GTs now priced over $400,000.

The GT S Coupe is now $405,600 (up $22,300), while the twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 version – the only model to receive a performance upgrade – is now pegged at $408, 870 (up $22,430). Topping the coupe line-up in the GT Speed at $461,300 speed – up $23,900.

The Continental GT Convertible, meantime, now starts at $419,100 (up $24,600), while both the V8 S and W12 are about $25,000 more expensive at a respective $446,000 and $449,500.

The biggest price increase is reserved for the GT Speed Convertible flagship, which now tops the range at $507,400 – up a handsome $27,000.

As we've reported, 6.0-litre W12 models come with power and torque increased from 423kW/700Nm to an even more generous 434kW/720Nm. Yet Bentley claims it’s improved fuel economy for the W12 by five per cent, thanks to cylinder on demand technology, although the Continental GT can still only manage 14.1L/100km while emitting 329g/km of CO2.

Cosmetically, the big Bentley coupe now comes with a new front bumper with a smaller grille and front wings with vents complete with Bentley ‘B’ logos. At the rear there’s a more sculptured boot lid that incorporates a very subtle spoiler. The rear bumper is also new.

Bentley has introduced new 20 and 21-inch alloys and three new paint colours -- Merlin (metallic blue), Camel (bronze) and Jetstream (light metallic blue) – as part of the Continental's midlife makeover.

Inside, it claims all driver controls are new, and a new sports steering wheel that incorporates larger gearshift paddles is now also available.

More widespread use of chrome highlights has also been introduced on the Bentley as well as LED interior lighting. Continental GT coupe models also gain a new storage bin between the two rear seats that can charge handheld devices as big as an iPad.

The British car-maker has also introduced some new leather interior options on both the four-door Flying Spur sedan and two-door Continental GTs, plus onboard WiFi.

The Flying Spur also gets a bump in power and now produces 460kW/800Nm, while cylinder on demand technology also sees its emissions slightly reduce, from 343 to 333g/km of CO2.

However, there's no sign yet of local prices for the similarly upgraded MY16 Continental Flying Spur sedan.