2026 Bentley Continental GT S Review

The S is another option in the Continental GT range for those who like a mix of hand-finished luxury and a lavish serving of dynamics. It’s pricey but special.

Back in the late 19th century, building carriages by hand was the industry standard. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and the Ford Model T was being built on a production line with the help of machines to ramp up numbers. Ever since, machines have taken over most jobs in the automotive manufacturing industry as firms look to remove as much human labour from the build process as possible.

These days, there are just a handful of automakers that still pride themselves on building cars by hand. Or at least finishing them by hand. And while these cars are meticulously pieced together in a quaint fashion, the price tags worn by the finished products are anything but.

Bentley is an example of a heritage brand still committed to involving genuine human craftsmanship in the build. Just last month, the British brand marked 80 years of production at its headquarters in Crewe. Celebrations included an array of classic Bentleys on display, while the team also built a special one-off Continental GT finished in an eye-catching purple hue.

The fact that a Continental GT was the centrepiece of the celebrations is no coincidence. These two-door grand tourers account for a third of the 10,000 cars Bentley produces each year, and the Continental GT is the oldest current nameplate in the line-up. But before you go digging too far into the British marque’s history, it only dates back to 2003 and was introduced after Bentley was acquired by Volkswagen.

Spoilt for choice

According to Bentley, each Continental GT takes around 16 hours to assemble, passing through 64 build stations during that time. This is before the bespoke details are added, which is the most exciting part of the process.

Bentley offers more than 100 exterior colours, and that doesn’t include the bespoke paint-matching option. When specifying the cabin, customers have a choice of 11 primary colours, 11 secondary colours and eight wood veneer options. As well as being somewhat overwhelming, all these costly options add up quickly.

The Continental GT S we recently had on test starts at $446,782 in New Zealand. As the local press car, it has been outfitted with a range of high-end options to best represent the Continental GT experience. Things such as the Cambrian Grey paint ($14k), 22-inch wheels ($3k) and rotating interior display ($11k) push up the total.

By the time these options are added, along with driveaway costs and GST, this Continental GT comes in at a touch under $630,000.

At this price point, the Continental GT comes up squarely against the likes of the Aston Martin DB12 and Ferrari Amalfi. While I was quick to assume these more exotic machines would offer far better driving experiences, I was equally quick to eat my words after spending some time behind the wheel.

The driver’s choice

Every Continental GT in Bentley’s line-up is now a plug-in hybrid. This system pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with an electric motor mounted within the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The outputs of this all-wheel-drive system are dizzying at 500kW and 930Nm, with around 140kW coming from the electric motor. Paired with a 25kWh battery, the coupé can also cover around 80km on electric power.

As you’d expect, this makes for impressive performance, with the 0–100km/h sprint dispatched in just 3.5 seconds. What makes this more remarkable is that the Continental GT S tips the scales at almost 2.5 tonnes.

While every Continental GT uses this powertrain, each variant seems to serve a different purpose. This S model sits squarely in the middle of the range and is something of a driver-centric value proposition – if such a thing can even exist at this price point.

Continental GT S models can be distinguished by the black pack they wear, with the badging, grille and wheels all darkened. Beneath the skin, the S makes use of Bentley’s Performance Active Chassis, which otherwise features only on the Speed and Mulliner models. Its engine is also slightly detuned from the 575kW produced by those models, but I found the GT S’s 500kW more than enough on Kiwi tarmac.

An unbelievable all-rounder

On the road, there’s no denying the sheer mass of the Bentley. It’s almost 4.9 metres long and weighs more than some dual-cab utes. But whatever those clever engineers over at Crewe have done, it has negated most of the ill effects of this mass.

I expected it to ride impeccably and accelerate with blistering pace – both of which it does – but what I didn’t anticipate was how well it could corner. Thanks to the body control system, the GT doesn’t wallow through turns at all. Instead, it seemingly dips into them, anticipates the lateral forces and steadies itself as you get back on the loud pedal.

I’ll acknowledge that it isn’t as dynamic as some other grand tourers in its segment, but the sheer level of grip it offers is insane. It gives drivers an immense amount of confidence to push on through the turns.

When it’s time to settle things down again, the GT has no issue with the mundane. The air suspension smooths out even the worst of our asphalt, seemingly mitigating any harshness the 22-inch wheels might generate.

The electric drive system is helpful, especially considering our test car was fitted with a rather loud Akrapovič exhaust system. For urban errands, the GT can move in silence. Once you get back out on the motorway, the V8 wastes no time in recharging the battery. It’s a very intuitive system.

A lush interior

With all those upholstery options on the table, you’d hope the interior was comfortable, and it is. As the name suggests, this car is intended to cover continents in other parts of the world. It’s supposed to be like flying first class without leaving the ground.

The test car featured a $7,300 Front Seat Comfort Specification, which uses “pneumatic cells to make micro-adjustments to the seat surface and support over time, preventing muscle fatigue.” In other words, you can rest assured that you won’t be climbing out with a sore back.

It also had more than enough space in the front for a normal-sized person to sit comfortably, although the same can’t be said of the rear row. You’d be putting children or people you aren’t fond of back there.

It gets a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with wireless phone connectivity, plus a digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. As these hand-built cars are seemingly all about nostalgia, I can’t help but feel that analogue gauges would be a nicer touch.

There’s also a boot at the rear, with around 260 litres of space. You’d only be able to fit a couple of carry-on bags in there.

The grandest of tourers

This Bentley Continental GT S surprised me immensely. Its sheer dynamism is astounding. It feels like the ‘old money’ choice among its more exotic rivals, but if I won Lotto tomorrow, I’d have a hard time convincing myself that this wasn’t the best way to blow $600,000.

Obviously, it isn’t as adrenaline-inducing as some of those other machines, but it’s so confident in what it does well and has such an imposing road presence that you forget about its more fickle rivals.

Above all else, it’s yet another example of how building things by hand in modern times creates a product that feels that much more special.  

Bentley Continental GT S

$446,782  /  4.1L/100km  /  93g/km
0-100 km/h 3.5s
Engine  3996cc / V8 / T / DI
Max power  382kW@6250rpm
Max torque  770Nm@2300-4500rpm
Motor output  140kW / 450Nm
Battery  25kWh
Range  86km
Hybrid System Output  500kW / 930Nm
Drivetrain  8-speed twin-clutch / AWD
Front suspension  Wishbones / air springs
Rear suspension  Multilink / air springs
Turning circle  11.3m (2.4 turns)
Front brakes  Ventilated discs (420mm)
Rear brakes  Discs (380mm)
Stability systems  ABS, ESP, TV
Safety  AEB, ACC, BSM, LDW, RCTA, ALK, AHB
Tyre size  f-275/35R22  r-315/30R22
Wheelbase  2851mm
L/W/H  4895 / 2187 / 1397mm
Track f-1672mm  r-1664mm
Fuel capacity  80L
Luggage capacity  260L
Tow rating  Not rated to tow
Service intervals  12 months / 16,000km
Warranty  3yrs / unlimited km
ANCAP rating Not rated
Weight (claimed)  2459kg