2026 Bentley Continental GTC Speed review

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“Speed… I, am speed…” – Lightning McQueen, 2006.

I have watched the iconic Pixar movie for a (very) young boy.Those words from the opening scene would often play in my head at random times, and were usually played as famous lines of that film. Several years after they are still relevant, some 20 years later.

A Cars fan and general driving enthusiast, it’s hard not to pretend you’re Lightning McQueen psyching himself up for the next round of the Piston Cup.

Lightning McQueen’s voice was in my head when I slipped behind the wheel of the 2025 Bentley Continental GTC, er, Speed. Unlike my childhood fun animated movie, this big British bruiser is a serious ultra-luxury performance car for serious adults-ups.

The new-generation Bentley Continental coupe and its convertible GTC sibling may look almost the same as the models they replace, but there have been some substantial developments and revisions to make them the fastest and most focused Continentals ever.

Watch: Paul’s international first drive of the Bentley Continental GT Speed.

The most powerful road-going Bentley ever was the thumping V8 twin-turbo plug-in hybrid (PHEV) setup that has been retired, specifically in flagship Speed trim.

Besides the increased performance, there is also an unlocked level of efficiency for the Bentley Continental by the powertrain underpinnings of PEV. It can drive as a pure-electric car for nearly 80km on ‘full charge’, greatly reducing its CO2 emissions.

The future of exotic performance cars like this is likely, as global emissions laws continue to pressure luxury auto brands to reduce their carbon footprint because it also allows customers to cling on big-block internal combustion engines designed for maximum performance.

Does a plug-in hybrid system work with the real world $640,000 drop top Bentley? We went on an overnight trip to Victoria’s wine region for information.

How much does the Bentley Continental GTC cost?

Continental GTC Speed is priced at base from $639,800 and costs on-roads in Australia (about $40,000 compared to the Continental GT hardtop) for its initial price.

| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| Bentley Continental GT Speed | $581,900 |
| Bentley Continental GT Speed Mulliner | $629,400 |
| Bentley Continental GTC Speed | $639,800 |
| Bentley Continental GTC Speed Mulliner | $692,200 |

Sadly, the cost of a Bentley is never really ‘fenite number’. But there is a lot of personalisation and equipment options out there, not to mention the company’s unique Mulliner program – which could add tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars to the final transaction price.

The example I drove, not the blue one pictured here but finished in the Tourmaline Green hero paint you’ll have seen on international press images, had about $200,000 of extras added to it. A $22,000-$22,000 paint alone was the only one to use .

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What is the Bentley Continental GTC like on the inside?

Sublime.

Each surface is adorned with soft, smooth leather or detailed by the use of metal or wood accents and only about every surface has been finished with hard-pressed leather. And then there is the beautiful top-stitching, all of which join together to feel perfectly sumptuous.

The driver is given a pair of 12 with the couple facing him. The 3-inch HD displays for the instrument cluster and central touchscreen are also attached to an (optional) revolving door that can hide the multimedia display behind a trio of gauges – very clever, classy.

In contrast to the infamous Bentleys of old, which often had very conspicuous links with the Audi and Porsche models that they shared their platforms (the Continental has much better job at feeling bespoke – save for a couple of elements only trained eyes will notice).

Unlike the first iteration of this marque’s digital bits, which is now in its entirety Bentley finish, new displays are markedly different from the original display. It is also a distinction that makes the craftsmanship of its Volkswagen Group stablemates, with meticulous stitching and knurling details making every interaction with the buttons and switches feel slightly special.

I also love the strength of the touch points, such as the gear selector and column stalks, or the clicky action of physical buttons. The touchscreen has haptic feedback – again borrowed from Audi – keeping the level of tactility and maintaining the quality that is perceived by the British marque.

Similarly, the steering wheel is still very clearly based on an older-generation Audi design and I can see family links in the software interface as a nerd like me. Fairly, I don’t think the average Bentley buyer would take care of a .

Our tester’s cabin was finished in a lovely ‘Beluga’ black hide, contrasted with.Linen’ accents and beautiful details such as diamond quilting and contrast top-stitching to the stunning detail of our tester’s interior which is described by her husband at its time for testing. The optional Piano Linen over Grand Black was the matching ‘Veneer’, according to the as-tested spec sheet, which adds ahefty $10,153. Ouch .

The stuff that you can see or touch pretty much everything else is covered with smooth leather or finished in metal, and there are some cool details such as the ‘organ stops’ for the air vents.

The optional Bang & Olufsen 1500W sound system with 16 speakers and 16-channel amplifier was also installed in our test car. It’s $13,849 (before stamp duty) and increases the ante over standard Bentley audio setup of an hour.

Although the B&O system is not the flagship 18-speaker, two-shaker Naim system (about $5000 more) it’s still a great deal of work and pumping out crisp tunes with the roof down during our time with Continental GTC.

A deep, detailed audio quality is provided by s with solid thumpy bass. A loud enough resounding of the is that you can actually hear nothing else with the roof down, without distortion.

The package, which was also installed in our test car, consists of niceties such as automatic seat climate control with heating and ventilation, full electric adjustment including the cushion extensions and bolsters, extended heating for surfaces like the armrest on cold days – should probably all be standard at this price point.

Being a high-end two-door convertible sports car, you’d be right not to expect a great deal of practicality.

Nevertheless, you’d think that any Bentley would fit in a decent suitcase or some golf clubs in its boot and maybe good rear seats to accommodate the children of your second marriage. I don’t think that is the case here, sorry.

This isn’t much at all, but the GTC Speed offers only 134 litres of cargo space because it has an PHEV battery and space for the roof that was retracted. I had a carry-on suitcase and backpack that was barely swallowed by it, the rest (including my co-pilot’s suitcase) having to be strapped into the back seat.

No one has a lot of places to throw stuff in the front of the cabin either, with’stow it under the centre armrest good for if you have gotten – shallow cubby (it includes i.e. wireless charger) but not much else), couple of cupholders and iceboxbox box.

The leather-lined door bins add a bit more storage space, but are almost too nice to be used in fear of damaging or marking the upholstery.

| Dimensions | Bentley Continental GTC Speed |
| — | — |
| Length | 4895mm |
| Width | 1966mm |
| Height | 1392mm |
| Wheelbase | 2848mm |
| Cargo capacity | 134 litres |

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What’s under the bonnet?

A new twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid drivetrain is much more powerful than any GT or GTC before it was released, but you can no longer get the Bentley Continental with 12 cylinders; however, this has been significantly stronger than that of any other type of .

| Specifications | Bentley Continental GTC Speed |
| — | — |
| Engine | 4.0L twin-turbo V8 PHEV |
| Engine outputs | 441kW + 800Nm |
| Electric motor outputs | 140kW + 450Nm |
| System outputs | 575kW + 1000Nm |
| Battery | 25.9kWh li-ion |
| Transmission | 8-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Driven wheels | AWD |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 3.4 seconds |
| Top speed | 285km/h |
| Weight | 2636kg kerb |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 10.6L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 80 litres |
| Electric driving range | 78km – WLTP |
| CO2 emissions | 31g/km |

The 4. V8 (0-litre) Flat-plane crank twin single-scroll turbocharger and twin Single-Scrolled turbo charger. This is the most powerful production vehicle that Bentley has ever built, combined with the plug-in hybrid system, and its drivetrain.

You can drive at speeds of up to 140km/h when in EV mode. The Continental GTC Speed is also recharged at a rate of up to 11kW (in the 400V electrical system) with AC power, which should replenish the battery in 2 weeks. 5 hours after .

While not mentioned by Bentley, the Speed’s PHEV drivetrain is very similar to the one used by the latest Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which quotes identical outputs. The Bentley Continental two-door and Flying Spur four-door have historically shared their underpinnings with Porsche’s flagship limousine.

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How does the Bentley Continental GTC drive?

This is this 4 on the surface. 9 metre and almost 2. It’s a bit scary to drive with outputs of 575kW and 1000Nm – but really, it’ll be no longer -wide drop-top.

From Bentley Melbourne in Collingwood out to Balgownie Estate in Yarra Glen, we drove the Speed from our own car through winding roads of the yarra Valley and into Balgarious Roads.

My co-driver and I had a stunning drive for myself that offered all the open-top thrills the Continental offers on ‘a mild, overcast Melbourne morning day’.

My rule is ‘no rain, no roof’ so we spent the rest of our day with that roof down – otherwise, what’s the point?

When leaving Melbourne’s inner north, the Continental GTC Speed defaults to electric mode and silently rolls along in city traffic with only the rushing of the wind and surrounding cars being heard by the roof down.

A 160kW/450Nm output of the electric motor is not a lot like that on paper, especially given the Continental GTC’s 2636kg weight; torque peak from moment you hit this ‘loud’ pedal – and it has more than enough to waft around the city and the -burbs while saving fuel.

There are a few ways you can do it in terms of drive modes, such as . There’s the drive mode select which allows you to cycle through Bentley, Comfort, Sport and Custom profiles as well as toggle ‘E Mode’ when you want to use only electric power.

A lot of Volkswagen Group vehicles with ‘Auto-Algorithms’ settings will optimise the drivetrain for efficiency in normal driving but can open up floodgates if you need some more shove. For those who want the full gamut of what the twin-turbo V8 PHEV drivetrain has to offer – even with the loudest exhaust setting it’s best to twist the selector dial over to ‘Sport’.

This model’s ‘Speed’ badging of the GTC is certainly the most consistent mode with its ‘Sport’ mode, whether you’re bellowing down a freeway on-ramp or tear through Yarra Glen B-road winds. This is the most sophisticated and slickest form of paranoid speed in its ratios, which protects you from “funny-raff” like road noise and unwanted mechanical sounds; instead it’s about the deep and brassy V8 engine note (and some exhaust pop/crackles when the eight-speed DCT auto flicks through its proportions).

If you’re worried that the dual-clutch transmission will make refinement less than the conventional torque converter autos of old Bentley cars, don’t worry about this if you’re concerned. It’s a bit of smooth off the line thanks to the electric help, and its shift speeds are almost imperceptible when you’re going hard; it has nearly no interruption to power delivery under rapid acceleration.

Earlier I said that the Continental should be intimidating to drive on paper, but it really shrinks around you like a big Porsche does. Afterwards, the Continental GTC has its DNA — including it’s MSB evo underpinnings — with the great Porsche Panamera.

Although it’s not quite as a feelsome steering rack like the one of its Stuttgart-born cousin’s, it is very quick and direct enough to give you confidence when pushing this big British brute through thumping bends.

A grip from the AWD system (including an electronic limited-slip diff) adds to that confidence, and you don’t think it is going to send you sideways off a mountain hairpin by the GTC Speed’s mammoth outputs.

The claim of just 3 0-100km/h acceleration by Bentley was made in the context of his ‘s 0-100kilometre/H acceleration claim. I think the seat of the pants makes 4 seconds believable, but testing for this 285km/h top speed rating will have to wait until I can get one onto a German autobahn. Regardless, this is faster than anyone has to go on an Australian public road and you’ll hit the national highway limit way before you even touch the Bentley’s performance ceiling.

It’s just as fun when you slow things down, too, like . A. sense of comfort is that the adaptive air suspension in all environments, although there are noticeable differences between modes and in Sport there’s almost no body roll (i.e. And cruising in B (for Bentley) mode, while you are driving for hours without getting bored or tired, it’s so very well-crafted that you could really drive with your heart.

A. GTC Speed motors run effortlessly along with the drivetrain shuffling between power sources at its leisure time, while it is an easy-to-use vehicle that has been driven by two of the most powerful motor engines in one’s life? But even when the V8 is over, its smoky growl only adds to the calm atmosphere of peace. If I had a complaint, it’s that in all of its settings the noise could be louder because when the roof is down it’s drowned out by the wind running over your ears.

The Continental is just so physically large that some of the twisty country roads we drove on felt too narrow, my other gripes are that it made some twilighty nation roads I was driving on. It’s a Bentley again, this is. A blisteringly fast grand tourer that it smashed straight up and sweeps bend with ease is the stuff of If you want a British corner-carver, get an Aston Martin or. McLaren?

I didn’t spend much time with the driver assistance features, but it is a lot like they do in any Audi or Porsche (the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist work very well) as we have found that intuitively calibrated and never over-zealous or intrusive.

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What do you get?

As with most ’boutique’ brands, the made-to-order nature of cars such as the Continental GTC means you more or less build your car from scratch rather than just browsing a spec list and choosing coloured.

As such, our test car was fitted with a number of extra-cost alternatives to the baseline specification (more than $130,000(!)! But that’s not to say there’d be a good kit standard, but it’ll certainly have no decent kit.

2026 Bentley Continental GTC Speed equipment highlights:

• 420mm front, 380mm rear ventilated brake discs
• Red brake calipers
• 22-inch Speed alloy wheels – silver painted
• 22-inch summer tyres incl. Pirelli noise cancellation
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Tyre inflation kit
• Bentley Performance Active Chassis – sports steering, active dampers
• Air suspension – two-chamber, two-valve, with Continuous Damping Control
• Torque vectoring by eLSD
• Bentley Dynamic Ride
• All-wheel steering
• Launch Control
• Auto-folding, four-layer insulated fabric roof
• Dark tint matrix front grille
• Dark tint lower bumper grille
• Electrically adjustable door mirrors – heated, power folding, auto dimming, memory, dip on reverse
• Matrix LED headlights incl. welcome and coming home animation
• LED tail-lights incl. smoked lenses, welcome and coming home animation
• Acoustic, heat-insulating windscreen
• Acoustic side glass
• Sports exhaust
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Hands-free boot
• Keyless entry and start
• Nappa leather and Dinamica suede combination upholstery
• Diamond knurling to rotary switches, column stalks
• 12-way electric front seats incl. 2-position memory
• Single-tone, 3-spoke leather/Dinamica heated steering wheel
• Bentley analogue clock with smooth bezel
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Multi-zone automatic climate control
• 12.3-inch HD touchscreen navigation system
• DAB+ digital radio
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wireless Android Auto
• 60GB SSD – 10GB available user space
• Bentley Signature Audio

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Options

As noted earlier, our test car was fitted with a litany of options.

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Option packages as-tested include (prices excl. stamp duty):

Touring Specification: $13,368.07

• Adaptive cruise control with Lane Guidance
• Night Vision
• Head-up display

Front Seat Comfort Specification: $8587.15

• Adjustable front seat bolsters
• Adjustable seat cushion length
• Front seat neck warmer
• Power-adjustable head restraints
• Front seat ventilation and massage
• Heated front armrest
• Leather-trimmed seatbelt buckles

Continental Blackline Specification: $8866.00

• Black door handles
• Black gloss front grille, black surround
• Black lower side blades
• Black rear bumper strike
• Black rear number plate embellishers
• Black headlight and tail-light embellishers
• Black side window surrounds
• Black tailpipes

Front Wellness Seating: $4368.65

• Postural Adjust
• Seat Auto Climate

Single-item options as-tested include:

• Animated welcome lamps – By Mulliner: $2545.40
• Deep pile overmats front, rear: $1229.80
• First aid kit and warning triangle: $293.15
• Bang & Olufsen for Bentley: $13,849.55
• Bentley Rotating Display: $13.020.15
• Contrast stitching: $7357.35
• 22-inch ’10 Swept Spoke’ wheel – black painted: $7493.20
• Dual finish veneers – Piano Linen over Grand Black: $10,153.00
• Mulliner Range Paint – Tourmaline Green: $22,679.80
• Bright Chrome diamond knurling: $4997.85
• Leather Specification: $5484.04
• Mood Lighting Specification: $4125.55
• Standard Brakes with Black painted calipers: $3417.70

To see how the Bentley Continental lines up against the competition, check out our
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Is the Bentley Continental GTC safe?

Like most high-end vehicles, particularly sports cars, the Continental range hasn’t been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

Standard safety features include:

• Adaptive Cruise Assist
• Lane Assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Emergency Assist
• Reversing camera incl. 3D Surround View
• Parking sensors – front, rear
• Intelligent Park Assist
• City Assist – AEB
• Manoeuvre Assist
• Pedestrian warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert

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How much does the Bentley Continental GTC cost to run?

Bentley covers its range with a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. You also get five years of free servicing.

| Servicing and Warranty | Bentley Continental GTC Speed |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 3 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 3 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 16,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years complemintary |

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childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Bentley Continental GTC

This is the kind of car that buys one’s heart, not one’s head. I feel like this once or twice before but these types of cars are what they say to a person?

As with many of the mainstream models that we test at childcareman.xyz, there’s no financial or practical sense in buying a car like this for most people.

What is the reason for a $600,000 Bentley over -$600,000.000 Ferrari or Aston Martin? Crewe from Crews will want to tell you about status, luxury and comfort. Brushed performance

A. GTC Speed offers just that, but also cuts an attractive silhouette which’s instantly recognised and desirable – the colour of eyes doesn’t hurt, either because it’s not harmful to be seen as ‘advanced’ or isn’t too much for its eye-popping in a way where you can see what your favourite looks like?

The new plug-in V8 hybrid drivetrain has been a good piece of Bentley’s effort to preserve the character of Continental Speed and, if anything else, the quietness and refinement of electrification is more important for this car and the Bentley brand than most boutique manufacturers.

However, if you’re in the market for one of these and have read this far I know that you don’t mean your opinion about what you think to be – but just know I like it very much and am extremely jealous.

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