The W12 Is Gone and the Bentley Continental GT Is More Powerful Than Ever, Here Is Why

There is a category of automobile that exists beyond the reach of ordinary automotive classification — a vehicle that is simultaneously a supercar, a luxury saloon, a technological statement and a work of applied craftsmanship, all assembled by hand in a factory in the English Midlands that has been producing distinguished motorcars since 1919. The Bentley Continental GT has occupied this category with singular authority since its introduction in 2003, and across four generations and more than two decades of continuous production, it has never wavered from its fundamental mission — to provide its owner with the most complete combination of devastating performance and profound luxury available in a two-door grand touring coupe at any price. The 2025 Continental GT, the most comprehensively redesigned and most powerfully specified model in the nameplate’s history, represents the apex of that mission fulfilled. With 771 combined horsepower from its new Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain, a zero to 60 miles per hour time of 3.0 seconds from a car weighing over 5,500 pounds, a completely redesigned exterior that launches Bentley’s future design language and a handcrafted interior of genuinely extraordinary material quality, the fourth-generation Continental GT is the most remarkable, the most capable and the most significant Bentley road car ever produced.

Gallery: Bentley Continental GT

The 2025 model marks the conclusion of the Continental GT’s combustion-only era and the beginning of its electrified future with a decisiveness and a performance dividend that leaves no room for nostalgia. The legendary W12 engine — the 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged twelve-cylinder that powered every speed-focused Continental GT since the original and that delivered its own considerable performance credentials in the outgoing W12 Speed — has been retired in favour of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 Ultra Performance Hybrid system that betters it in every measurable performance dimension while simultaneously improving fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and adding the new capability of electric-only operation in urban environments. Starting at $302,100 for the GT Speed and rising to $326,800 for the GT Mulliner, the 2025 Continental GT asks a price commensurate with the exclusivity, craftsmanship and engineering sophistication it delivers — and delivers a return on that investment that is, by every credible assessment, fully and genuinely proportionate.

A New Design Language That Balances Heritage With Bold Modernity

The exterior design of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT is the most extensively revised in the model’s history — Bentley’s engineers and designers describe it as incorporating approximately 68 percent new components compared to the outgoing model, and the visual result is a car that carries the Continental GT’s essential character forward into a new design era with remarkable conviction and coherence. The most immediately striking and most discussed exterior change is the adoption of a single headlight housing per side, replacing the twin-beam motif that had defined the Continental GT’s face since the model’s 2003 introduction. This is the first mainstream Bentley since the 1950s to feature a single headlamp unit, and the visual effect of the change is immediate and authoritative — the front of the car appears cleaner, more focused and more contemporary than any previous generation while maintaining the unmistakable presence and visual authority that the Continental GT has always commanded.

The headlight clusters feature an illuminated eyebrow structure above each unit, composed of a deep crystal-cut diamond effect pattern that creates a distinctive and instantly recognisable light signature in darkness. Each headlight is a Matrix LED unit incorporating 120 separately controlled LEDs that adjust their beam pattern continuously to maximise illumination while avoiding dazzling oncoming traffic — a level of lighting technology appropriate to a car at this price point and one that makes a meaningfully positive contribution to nighttime driving confidence. The lower fascia is wider and more aggressively defined than the outgoing model, with larger air intakes and a more pronounced splitter element that communicates the car’s performance credentials while maintaining the understated elegance that Bentley’s clientele consistently demands.

At the rear, the taillights have been completely redesigned — dramatically longer and more sculptural than those of the previous generation, stretching into the trunk lid with a pronounced three-dimensional quality that incorporates a diamond pattern creating a molten lava visual effect when illuminated. The trunk lid features an integrated aerodynamic form that generates rear downforce without requiring the deployable wing spoiler of the outgoing model, maintaining the rear’s uncluttered elegance while contributing to high-speed stability. Standard 22-inch alloy wheels — available in dark tint with polished accents, gloss black or silver — complete an exterior presentation that is simultaneously more dramatic and more refined than the generation it replaces. The Continental GT is available in a range of standard exterior colours alongside Bentley’s vast Mulliner bespoke colour catalogue, which extends the palette to a virtually limitless range of options for clients who require complete personalisation of their automobile’s external presentation.

The Ultra Performance Hybrid: 771 Horsepower, 30 Miles of Electric Range and 3.0 Seconds to 60

The powertrain at the centre of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT represents the most significant single engineering development in the model’s history — a complete replacement of the mechanical architecture that had defined the high-performance Continental GT variants across two decades of production, delivering a performance improvement that the W12’s own considerable credentials could not have achieved through further development alone. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that forms the combustion foundation of the new system is a unit of proven reliability and considerable character in its own right, producing 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque from its own combustion cycle. The addition of a 140-kilowatt electric motor integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission elevates the system’s combined output to 771 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque — bettering the outgoing W12 engine’s output by 121 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque from a powertrain that weighs less, occupies less space and consumes fuel with dramatically greater efficiency.

Edmunds’ independent testing confirmed a zero to 60 miles per hour time of 3.0 seconds — a figure that is, by any reasonable standard, astonishing from a coupe that exceeds 5,500 pounds of kerb mass and provides four seats and a full complement of luxury appointments. The quarter mile is dispatched in 10.8 seconds, and the Continental GT Speed reaches a top speed of 208 miles per hour — a maximum velocity that places it in the company of dedicated supercars while the car’s occupants sit in what is indisputably one of the finest handcrafted interiors available in any production vehicle at any price. The 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery provides an EPA-rated electric-only range of approximately 30 miles — Edmunds’ real-world testing confirmed 47 miles on their specific evaluation route, suggesting that the EPA figure is conservative under certain conditions — and the system enables electric-only operation at speeds up to 87 miles per hour, making the Continental GT genuinely capable of completing typical urban daily driving cycles on battery power alone when charged regularly.

The efficiency improvement over the previous generation is substantial and practically meaningful even in the context of a vehicle at this price point. The combined EPA fuel economy of 52 MPGe in hybrid mode and 19 miles per gallon on gasoline alone compares favourably with the outgoing W12’s 14 miles per gallon combined — an improvement of approximately 36 percent in fuel efficiency under mixed driving conditions that materially reduces the Continental GT’s running costs and environmental impact simultaneously. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission executes gear changes with the speed and smoothness appropriate to both the car’s performance capabilities and its luxury positioning — imperceptible in grand touring mode and satisfyingly decisive under full-throttle acceleration. All-wheel drive is standard across the Continental GT range, distributing the hybrid system’s extraordinary torque output between all four wheels with the electronic sophistication and mechanical composure that a car of this performance level requires.

Chassis Composure: Supple, Stable and Surprisingly Agile

The 2025 Bentley Continental GT rides on a chassis that combines steel and aluminium construction with an air suspension system enhanced by active anti-roll bars at both axles — a sophisticated arrangement that allows the car to transition between genuinely supple grand touring compliance and the firmer, body-motion-minimising platform that its performance capabilities demand, without requiring any manual adjustment from the driver beyond the selection of the appropriate driving mode. The air suspension maintains ride height automatically under all loading conditions and adjusts its damping character in response to road surface inputs, vehicle speed and selected driving mode, providing a level of ride quality adaptability that fixed spring and damper systems cannot approach.

Multiple automotive journalists who have driven the 2025 Continental GT extensively have noted that the car’s ride quality in its most comfortable mode approaches the standard set by dedicated luxury sedans costing comparable sums, while its handling composure in Sport mode reveals a chassis of genuine dynamic competence that manages the car’s considerable mass with an effectiveness that defies straightforward expectation. The active anti-roll bars allow the suspension to remain compliant in a straight line while providing the body roll resistance that cornering at speed demands — a combination that passive anti-roll systems can achieve only by compromising one quality in favour of the other. Carbon-ceramic brakes are available as a factory option and are recommended for buyers who intend to exploit the car’s full performance envelope regularly — standard cast-iron discs provide adequate stopping power for normal grand touring use, though Edmunds’ testing noted that stopping distances from 60 miles per hour were longer than optimum for a car of this performance level, a consideration that buyers prioritising track or spirited mountain road use should weigh accordingly.

An Interior of Extraordinary Handcrafted Excellence

The cabin of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT is the environment in which the car’s fundamental identity is most completely and most convincingly expressed — a space of handcrafted luxury so comprehensively executed and so consistently impressive in its material quality and attention to detail that it occupies a category of interior excellence shared by very few production vehicles in the contemporary market. Bentley’s craftspeople at the Crewe factory assemble each Continental GT by hand, applying the same skills and the same standards of material selection and finish quality to every example that leaves the production line — a process that results in a cabin environment whose quality is genuine rather than cosmetic, substantive rather than superficial and deeply impressive in the manner of fine furniture or haute couture rather than automotive production engineering.

The front seats are 20-way power-adjustable units of exceptional comfort and support, incorporating heating, ventilation and massage functions of a quality that Edmunds specifically praised — noting that the seat massagers are genuinely effective therapeutic instruments rather than the token comfort additions that lesser vehicles offer. The materials throughout the cabin include the finest available grades of leather, selected wood veneers and metal accents, with no plastic surfaces visible in any area of regular occupant contact. Bentley’s new precision quilting pattern — developed in collaboration with modern fashion design influences and featuring sculptured quilting, quilt embroidery and fading perforations — creates a contemporary update to the traditional Bentley interior aesthetic that feels genuinely fresh while respecting the heritage it evolves from.

The infotainment system centres on a 12.3-inch touchscreen that incorporates Bentley’s adapted version of the Volkswagen Group’s MIB3 interface — wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the system’s organisation is logical and responsive in daily use. The Naim for Bentley audio system, available as an option, delivers audio performance of the extraordinary standard that the Continental GT’s cabin environment demands and that the car’s quietness at speed — genuinely exceptional, particularly in electric mode — allows to be fully appreciated. Rear passenger accommodation is limited to two occupants with 32.1 inches of legroom — adequate for shorter journeys but not the car’s primary priority — while the 9.2-cubic-foot boot is modestly sized, partially as a consequence of the hybrid system’s battery packaging requirements.

The Mulliner: When Perfection Requires Further Personalisation

For buyers who find the already-extraordinary specification of the Continental GT Speed insufficient as an expression of their personal preferences, the Continental GT Mulliner — priced from $326,800 — provides access to Bentley’s most complete personalisation programme within the Continental GT range. The Mulliner specification opens an expanded menu of interior and exterior colours, finishes and material combinations that extends the already-vast customisation options of the Speed to their absolute limits, allowing clients to create an automobile whose specification is functionally unique to their personal brief. The mechanical and performance specifications are identical between Speed and Mulliner — both carry the 771-horsepower Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain and the same chassis and technology architecture — meaning that the Mulliner’s price premium is invested entirely in the breadth and depth of personalisation it enables rather than in any performance or engineering enhancement.

The First Edition specification, available as a limited-production upgrade to the Speed trim at an additional $50,940, provided early adopters of the fourth-generation Continental GT with unique badging, a curated specification of exterior and interior options and the distinction of owning one of the first examples of the most significant redesign in the Continental GT’s history. Total prices for tested First Edition examples, incorporating popular factory options including carbon-ceramic brakes and bespoke paint finishes, have reached $398,920 — a figure that reflects the Continental GT’s position in the automotive market as an object of genuine luxury aspiration whose personalisation potential extends its base price substantially and whose clientele regard that personalisation investment as an intrinsic part of the ownership proposition rather than an optional addition to it.

The Most Complete Grand Tourer in Production

The 2025 Bentley Continental GT stands, by the weight of virtually every credible independent assessment it has received since its introduction, as the most complete expression of the grand touring coupe formula currently available in the production automobile market. No other two-door grand touring car combines 771 horsepower, a 3.0-second zero to 60 time, 30 miles of electric-only range, handcrafted British luxury of this standard and the kind of effortless high-speed composure that makes covering continental distances at three-figure speeds feel not merely easy but genuinely restorative. The Continental GT has always been the car that made the case for the grand touring coupe as the pinnacle of automotive ambition — combining the performance of a supercar with the refinement of a luxury saloon and the exclusivity of a handbuilt British thoroughbred. The 2025 model makes that case more powerfully, more completely and more convincingly than any of its predecessors. It is, without qualification, the finest Bentley Continental GT ever produced.

Read: Audi A6 TFSI Sedan Combines Luxury, Technology and Turbo Power

2025 Bentley Continental GT – Specifications & Performance Chart

Category	Specification
Vehicle Type	Luxury Grand Touring Coupe / Convertible (PHEV)
Generation	Fourth Generation (2025–Present)
Engine	4.0-Litre Twin-Turbocharged V8
V8 Output (Combustion Only)	591 hp / 590 lb-ft Torque
Electric Motor	140 kW (188 hp) Integrated in DCT Transmission
Combined System Output	771 hp / 738 lb-ft Torque
Transmission	8-Speed Dual-Clutch Automatic
Drivetrain	All-Wheel Drive (Standard)
0–60 mph (Edmunds Tested)	3.0 Seconds
Quarter Mile	10.8 Seconds
Top Speed	208 mph
Battery Capacity	25.9 kWh Gross / 21.8 kWh Net
Electric-Only Range (EPA)	Approx. 30 Miles
Max EV Speed	87 mph
Fuel Economy (MPGe Combined)	52 MPGe
Fuel Economy (Gasoline Only)	19 MPG Combined
Suspension	Air Suspension with Active Anti-Roll Bars
Brakes	Standard Iron Discs / Carbon-Ceramic (Optional)
Wheels	22-Inch Alloy (Standard)
Kerb Weight	Approx. 5,500 lbs
Wheelbase	112.2 Inches
Headlights	Matrix LED – Single Unit Per Side (120 LEDs Each)
Seating	4 Passengers (2+2 Configuration)
Cargo Capacity	9.2 Cubic Feet
Infotainment	12.3-Inch Touchscreen / Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto
Available Trims	GT Speed / GT Mulliner
Starting MSRP – GT Speed	$302,100
Starting MSRP – GT Mulliner	$326,800
First Edition Upgrade	+$50,940
Assembly	Crewe, England (Handbuilt)
Warranty	3-Year / Unlimited-Mile Bumper-to-Bumper