2007 Bentley Continental Gt Coupe Mulliner on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 coupe and convertible – the frugal Bentleys

The Bentley Continental GT is getting its V8 option for the 2020 model year now. Released last year with the monster 6.0-liter W12, this will be the cheaper and less powerful version of the big Bentley coupe and convertible. That doesn't mean the Continental GT V8 will be a slouch, though. It's packing a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. A 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds is claimed by Bentley, with a top speed of 198 mph. For comparison, Bentley claims the W12 Continental goes 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and tops out at 207 mph. The V8 lags behind the W12 in brute force by 84 horsepower and 96 pound-feet of torque. Truly, the difference in driving these two engines will be minimal. There's nothing like the silky, effortless torque of a 12-cylinder engine, but this high-powered V8 is just half a step behind it. Bentley says you'll be able to audibly tell a difference between the two easily, because the V8 has a louder, burbling exhaust note. The quad exhaust tips look different on the V8, in addition to new 20-inch wheels. Subtle V8 badging is applied, but we're sure you can forego that for fear of advertising that you bought the cheap one. Another reason to take the V8 over the W12 is efficiency. Your wallet probably won't be hurting at the pump if you can afford either, but you'll be making less stops with the V8 due to its better gas mileage — Bentley says the V8's cylinder deactivation helps in that department to give the V8 better range with a full tank for those long European vacations. Bentley says customer deliveries begin in the U.S. in the third quarter. Prices for the V8 start at $203,825 for the coupe and $223,675 for the convertible. That ain't cheap, but it's cheaper than the $214,600 sticker on the W12. It's tough to say no to four more cylinders at that price point, especially when you'll then be able to brag about having all 12 of them.

Bentley will phase out all non-electrified powertrains by 2026

Bentley will accelerate its electrification offensive during the first half of the 2020s, Autoblog can reveal. It will release an array of plug-in hybrid and electric cars, and it plans to phase out all non-electrified powertrains. "Next year, we will launch two plug-in hybrid models. In the end, it's the best of both worlds. It means the customer can decide when to use the internal combustion engine, and when to go electric. It also reduces fuel consumption massively," affirmed company boss Adrian Hallmark during a virtual roundtable discussion. He stopped short of revealing whether the plug-ins will be based on existing models, or if they'll be new additions to the range. As of writing, the Bentayga is the only Bentley available with a plug. My crystal ball tells me the Continental and the Flying Spur (which are marketed as separate models) are prime candidates for electrification. Bentley's first electric car is scheduled to make its debut by 2025. Details are also scarce, but Hallmark revealed the model will be built on a new platform, and it will benefit from the latest battery technology. Going electric won't be an excuse to radically overhaul the company's design language, however. Chris Cooke, Bentley's board member for sales and marketing, noted the zero-local-emissions car will look "much more modern and more interesting," but it will remain immediately recognizable as a member of the Bentley portfolio. He warned not to expect a revolution. Take the limited-edition, 650-horsepower Bacalar (pictured below), for example. It looks like a Bentley, it doesn't represent a stupefying break with tradition, but it's not a Xerox copy of the Continental, either. Bentley Mulliner Bacalar - 1 View 22 Photos After 2025, the floodgates open. Hallmark pledged to create a family of electric cars, and that every model in the Bentley range will be either a plug-in hybrid or fully electric. He realistically refused to say the internal combustion engine's days are numbered, however, and he added his team disagrees with the bans floated in some markets. "Whenever the deadline is for banning combustion engine sales, we're advocating an overlap so that hybrids are allowed to be sold for longer, until everybody can afford, charge, and live with the range of an electric car. I think we're now getting through; we trust the right decisions will be made," he said candidly.

Bentley EXP 9 F to be redesigned, renamed Falcon?

In concept form, the Bentley EXP 9 F had neither the styling nor the name to impress us when we first saw it earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, and while we already knew some sort of design change was imminent, we're unsurprisingly now hearing that a name change is also in the cards. Automobile Magazine is reporting that the eventual production Bentley SUV will get a complete redesign from what we saw in the EXP 9 F, and it will wear a new name as well: Falcon.
The article says that Luc Donckerwolke, Bentley's newly appointed director of design, is giving the SUV a complete redesign from the concept vehicle, which goes against what we last heard of the vehicle in August that a "radical redesign" was not in the cards. Donckerwolke has been on the design team at various Volkswagen Group automakers since 1992, helping to pen such memorable designs as the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murciélago, but now he is tasked with giving Bentley an SUV worthy of its lineup. Last we heard, the model could go into production in 2015, but there is no indication whether the Falcon will get three-row seating or a plug-in hybrid version as has been previously rumored.