Launched roughly 12 years ago and currently at its second generation, the opulent Bentley Continental GT is still underpinned by the ol’ Volkswagen D1 platform, which debuted on the Phaeton in 2002. Howbeit, the carmaker’s engineers constantly updated to make it feel fresh and taught. But for 2015, Bentley upped the ante even further.
On March 3rd at the Geneva Motor Show, the Crewe-based luxury manufacturer announced that the Continental GT family is set to receive some well-deserved updates for 2015. Because first deliveries are slated for this summer, time is short and you’d better be quick about it before the ordering books open.
First and foremost, the 2015 Bentley Continental GT W12 increases from 575 PS to 590 PS (582 HP / 434 kW) and from 700 Nm to 720 Nm (531 lb-ft), improving performance and efficiency. As the British marque mentions, the added oomph boasts with fuel economy improvements of up to 5 percent.
Is fuel economy improvements of any relevance to Conti GT buyers?
If you’re interested though, the GT W12 is now benefitting from a variable displacement system, as well as a part throttle driving mode that uses six of the W12’s twelve cylinders to reduce fuel consumption. Speaking of such dreary details, CO2 emissions have been cut down to 329g of CO2 per km and the combined economy sits at just 20 UK mpg (16.6 US mpg or 14.1 l/100 km).
Besides the typical add-ons to the list of interior combos, leather upholstery, wood trim, exterior hues and such, the 2015 Bentley Continental GT (2016 model year in the US) boasts with a more sporty front fascia, fenders that feature gills that are shaped to resemble the metallic B emblem, as well as a dramatically sculpted boot lid and full-width chrome brightware for the rear bumper.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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