It has become common these days to disclose power and torque; in more genteel times, one was simply told that the car’s outputs were “sufficient.” Well, 771 hp (575 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) could definitely be described by that word, even with two and a half tons to move. The twin-turbo 4.0 L V8 generates 584 hp (435 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), and, as long as you have the car in sport mode, sounds rather like Thor gargling as you explore its rev range.
Even if you can’t hear that fast-approaching thunder, you know when you’re in Sport mode, as the car is so quick to respond to inputs. I was able to tell less of a difference between Comfort and B mode, the latter standing for “Bentley,” obviously, and offering what is supposed to be a balanced mix of powertrain and suspension settings.
Even in Sport, the Continental GT will raise its nose and hunker down at the rear under hard acceleration, and the handling trends more toward “heavy powerful GT” rather than “lithe sports car.” For a car like this I will happily take the slightly floaty ride provided by the air springs and two-valve dampers over a bone-crushing one, however. It can be blisteringly quick if you require, with a 0-to-60 time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h), while cosseting you from most of the world outside. The steering is weighty enough that you feel you’re actually piloting it in the corners, and it’s an easy car to place on the road.
Jonathan Gitlin
I might have gone for a different highlight color.
Jonathan Gitlin
Jonathan Gitlin
Puddle lamps.
Jonathan Gitlin
I might have gone for a different highlight color.
Jonathan Gitlin
Puddle lamps.
Jonathan Gitlin
As this is a plug-in, should you wish, you can drive off in silence thanks to the electrical side of that equation. The 188 hp (140 kW) electric motor isn’t exactly fast on its own, but with 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) there’s more than enough instant torque to get this big GT car underway. The lithium-ion battery pack is in the boot—ok, the trunk—where its 25.9 kWh eat some luggage capacity but balance out the weight distribution. On a full charge, you can go up to 39 miles, give or take, and the electric-only mode allows for up to 87 mph (140 km/h) and 75-percent throttle before the V8 joins the party.
