Have you ever been on a grand tour? The term seems fairly commonplace – a synonym for a road trip you may think – but there are a lot of factors that actually go into the right car for one. You could argue some brands have it down; we’re here to tell you Bentley is one of them.
For decades now, the Bentley Continental GT has been the British luxury automaker’s bread-and-butter when it comes to GT cars. It’s presence is felt and heard the minute it hits the road, both in aesthetics and sheer power. Hate to sound boring, but the latest one is the best of the batch, not only incrementally but by leaps and bounds.
Let’s get it out of the way – yes, it’s electrified. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: get over it. If you put everything down on paper however, hybridizing the now 4.0L twin single-scroll turbo V8 makes a ton of sense. We’re not talking efficiency, and no, it’s not an eco-conscious remark. It’s logical because it’s incredibly smooth, the power delivery is instant when you need it, and there’s gobs and gobs of push at your disposal. Match that with a really attractive build and luxury you’d expect at $300k+ USD and the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed could very well be your next favorite GT.
As such, we were given the opportunity to Test Drive the new brute coupé for over ~100 miles in the Swiss Alps. Here are our takeaways.
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Bentley
It’s the Best Looking Continental GT of Them All
The Continental GT coupe has always been the aggressive, muscular brute for Bentley. With its long hood and pronounced rear fenders, it exerted a menacing stance and an uncompromising macho aesthetic that borderlines muscle car more than sleek grand tourer. The new edition is no different, but has updates that make it downright sexy.
The most obvious change is at the front, with a new set of eyes that usher the Bentley into a new era of design. Gone are the quad headlamps; we were actually quite fond of them as it exuded a distinct look that signified a Bentley, but we can’t deny the new “eyebrows” aren’t attractive as well. The headlights also are now embedded into a bumper that adopts sharper angles, within a hood that’s lower and less bulbous. In the front, this latest edition is a far cry from the first generation that was too round and curvy for its own good – the Continental GT definitely takes this new design language seriously and speaks the “Grand Tourer” language much more.
At the rear, the elongated LED tail lamps are definitely more up to date, and Design 101 dictates wider elements amplify a wider line making the new Continental GT’s rear end quite immense. The trunk is also redesigned with a pronounced, sharper “tail” that aids in downforce, without the need for an active spoiler that would deploy. This not only makes the design simpler and more streamlined, but one less moving part is always better. Our car was clad in Gravity Grey that felt pretty subdued, but a solid choice for those looking for something less garish – maybe go for the 22” “Tiger Claw”-styled wheels in silver though, as our all-black variety was unremarkable to say the least.
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Bentley
It’s Still Extremely Luxurious
To us, Bentley means “luxury” through and through. Its price is high, its branding is elegant, and its audience expects the best at what the car does. So, for a Grand Tourer that’s not only powerful and smooth on the outside, the inside should be impressively equipped and beyond comfortable.
We were huge fans of the quilt pattern door panels but were impressed how much we liked them even though they weren’t this exotic material – to be honest, it almost felt like cloth. Nevertheless, the design looked sharp and made us stare every time we opened the doors. Accenting leather elements – baby blue against a dark wine interior – also gave a lasting impression. If you’re not a fan of the combo though, of course Bentley provides endless possibilities for you to choose from through its Mulliner customization program.
Thankfully something that hasn’t changed much from the first-to-third generations is the choice of materials inside that feel ultra premium, such as the polished aluminum vent pulls, the metallic paddle shifters, swatches of alcantara above and in front of you, etc. We’re usually not a huge fan of carbon fiber interiors – real or not – but following the grain with our fingers across the entire dashboard and seeing it’s all uniform and perfect is once again something you expect from Bentley, and alas they didn’t disappoint. Needless to say, our spirited cruise through the Swiss Alps was nothing short of spectacular, inside and out.
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Bentley
Hybrid Drive Makes It an Amazing Grand Tourer (As It Should)
And speaking of cruises, this leads to the elephant-in-the-room – the Bentley Continental GT Speed has officially gone hybrid. Say what you will, but a hybrid engine – or dare we say a full EV even – is perfect for a grand tour. Let us expand.
The whole point of a grand tour drive is dependent on a few key factors: speed via smoothness, a refined drive, an elegant interior and, naturally, enormous power. And if electric/hybrid power accomplishes all this, what are we really arguing about? During our briefing we weren’t surprised to learn that our 2025 Continental GT Speed was “the most powerful GT ever” – marketing jargon for “well, duh.” But as we saw the numbers roll out, the advancement was what shocked us the most, as power rose from 659 PS (650 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) to 782 and 1000 (771 hp, 737 lb-ft) respectively. A 120 hp and 107 lb-ft increase is massive, naturally accounting for the added hybridized weight of course. So while you may wax lyrical about “the good ol’ V12,” the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 and electric motor pairing still put a giggle in our bellies.
While a grand tourer isn’t meant to necessarily carve corners like a nimble, lightweight roadster, the CGT Speed performed remarkably well, absorbing not only sudden jerks and dives but also soaking up undulations like a champ. We didn’t feel much pitch and squat either from accelerating and braking. The lattermost did concern us a bit, as our cold drive didn’t quite play well with the carbon ceramic brakes as they squeaked and squealed until we “warmed them up” as needed. But in summary, there were times during out two hour stint where we realized that as heavy as the Conti GT Speed was (Bentley did not disclose an exact number), it met our expectations for a grand tourer excellently.
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Bentley
Is the Bentley Continental GT Speed the new grand tourer benchmark? No. There’s always further development when it comes to everything a GT car should be – balance between power and efficiency, exhilaration, handling, extreme comfort and more. What we experienced in our short time with it however did paint a pretty clear picture; there’s a reason Bentley touts the Continental GT as the ultimate journey car for your ultimate journeys, and for the boffins at Crewe, England to make it a hybrid was the right move, full stop.
