2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 Second Drive Review

Opening the door to the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 greets you with a big white “B” illuminated on the ground from the puddle light, surrounded by a yellow circle. I don't recall seeing another multi-colored puddle light before, but I’ll remember this one.

We got in the Bentley, fired it up, and gingerly crept out of the basement garage. Before exiting, I made sure to give the car a few revs, but there wasn’t much to hear from inside the cabin.

Despite the lack of volume, the 4.0-liter V8 is potent. With 542 horsepower, it’s just shy of the 552 horses of the original Conti GT’s W12, and it out-torques it at 568 pound-feet. Helping to motivate it is a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers. As Alex and I took the Bentley for a cruise down Woodward Avenue, I got to test its straight-line acceleration at stoplight after stoplight. Despite the Bentley’s 5,000-pound curb weight, it’s brisk, but also smooth. There’s no noticeable turbo lag as it motivates itself toward extralegal speeds. Bentley claims it’ll do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. There was no way I’d get this thing anywhere near its 198-mph top speed.

The big V8’s sound doesn’t intrude inside. There’s no constant drone, and you only really hear it when you get on the gas. Then it’ll give you a sonorous growl, punctuated by a little whistle from the turbochargers. In Sport mode, you can hear the faint crackling of the exhaust. It’s much louder from outside, which is a testament to the sound deadening.

In "Bentley" mode (which is just a default, normal mode) the response to a bootful of right pedal isn’t instantaneous. The car hesitates a moment before downshifting, as if to ask, “Do you really want to gun it right now?” The car is much more responsive to accelerator input when in Sport mode, or you can go the foolproof route and put the transmission in manual mode.

Despite its athleticism — and its 22-inch wheels — the Conti's ride is rather forgiving. Even in Sport mode, it doesn’t transmit much of the thumps and bumps into the cabin. At the same time, it doesn’t feel disconnected in Sport mode, either. In the more detached Comfort mode, the car seems not to float on its suspension, but to hover above the ground like a Star Wars landspeeder.

Despite the brand, and the price tag, this Bentley didn’t turn too many heads on the road. When it did get the occasional discerning car fan’s attention, it kept it. It sure kept mine. As good as it is to be in the car, there’s a lot to appreciate on the outside, too. Its profile is voluptuous, and the closer you get, the subtler details come to life. Malburg and I spent a good amount of time circling the Bentley, pointing out things like the size of the brakes, the slim carbon fiber aero work, and the diamond patterns in the lighting that mimic the look of the grille.

With the snow, and the resulting potential for danger from both the road conditions and other motorists, my couple hundred miles in the Conti GT were spent civilly. The brief miles spent stretching the Bentley’s legs were a treat, though, and it felt quite comfortable and neutral hugging the ground in a carved corner. I’ll be interested to try it again when the weather cooperates. As much as I enjoyed starting it in the parking lot or picking over every little detail in the cabin, the Continental GT V8 is only that much more satisfying in motion.