When it comes to powerful luxury cars, few names stand out as well as Bentley does in the industry today. A maker of awesome cars since 1919, Bentley's past is filled with race-winning monsters, along with luxury cars that focused as much on the sumptuous side of things as they did pack a seriously powerful punch.

That split personality of luxury and performance is exactly what makes the Continental GT their most beloved and successful modern model, carrying the spirit well. Introduced in 2003, the Continental nameplate had been used in the past but now was affixed to Bentley's latest luxury car, which also was the first car introduced after VW acquired them.

Smaller, more affordable - though still very high end, and far sportier than the typical big top-end luxury cars on the market, the Continental GT was an instant hit and now the best selling model in their history thanks to its blending of all these attributes into one attractive package, with a driving style akin to a luxurious muscle car than.

Fast forward to today, and the Continental GT has been in its 3rd generation since 2018, as good as ever with its design, tech, power, performance, and overall luxury appointments. An excellent offering for 2022, the new Continental GT introduces more trim versions, as well as many cool features.

Via Bentley Motors

The Best Of Both Worlds

As it has been since its introduction, the Continental GT rides on a Volkswagen Group developed platform. Also, like its other generations, the Continental GT's platform is shared with the Panamera, and the 3rd generation's is the modular MSB platform introduced with the 2nd gen Panamera. But, Bentley themselves had their hand in its development, and shared parts are negligible, consisting mainly of just the paddle shifters.

Updated for its 3rd generation as well, the Continental GT's body looks absolutely stunning, with all the hallmarks of the original present, like the grille, lights, and overall shape, but with thoroughly modern updates like the aggressive lower grille, body creases, and more. Still packed with sumptuous luxury and plentiful features, the Continental GT is a great jack of all trades, offering much more direct driver-focused dynamics than other luxury cars.

Making those dynamics even better for 2022, the Continental GT sees the introduction of a new GT Speed model that enhances performance further, while the other trims get updates of their own. Each of those trims, though carries with it what makes the Continental GT great, including a low center of gravity, advanced AWD system, and a big powerful engine, all topped with an incredible interior that has a plethora of options to make it your own.

Via Bentley Motors

The Sporty Side Of Things

Since its creation, the Continental GT has used an awesome and unique engine type, namely a W12. For 2022, this engine remains, namely the 6.0 L twin-turbo W12, making a plentiful 626 hp, while the 4.0 L twin-turbo V8 option introduced in 2019 continues, making 542 hp.

Pairing to these engines, the only transmission option is a dual-clutch 8-speed auto derived from Porsche's PDK transmission, with excellently smooth shifting action to give the Continental GT a constant rush of acceleration. Speaking of acceleration, the W12 powered coupe models can do a 0-60 mph run in 3.3 seconds, while the weaker and more affordable V8 ones do it in a not far off 3.4 seconds, all while delivering massive muscle-car-like waves of power.

This isn't where the Continental GT's sportiness ends, though, as the nearly 5,000 lb car gets some surprisingly impressive handling thanks to precise steering, active anti-roll bars, a standard AWD system giving excellent grip with its 22" wheels wrapped with Pirelli P Zero tires, as well as drive modes that can vector torque. Topping all this off, the Continental GT has an equally impressive top speed, with 207 mph claimed for the coupe, while the convertible similarly can crack the 200 mph barrier.

Taking this further, 2022 sees the new performance-oriented GT Speed introduced, packing many tweaks like new turbos taking the W12 engine from 626 hp to 650 hp. These tweaks though are most impactful on the handling, with a rear-wheel steering system, electronic limited-slip differential, more rear-bias for the AWD torque split, a revised chassis, giant 17.3" carbon-ceramic brakes optional, and more.

Making the big Continental GT into a serious sports car, the GT Speed can do 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and has a marginally higher top speed of 208 mph. Furthermore, styling changes like a dark tint grille and unique wheels distinguish the GT Speed as the sportiest of an already impressive lineup.

Via Bentley Motors

The Seat Of Luxury

As much as the performance makes it an awesome machine, the Continental GT has always stood out even more for its incredible interior, and 2022 continues that beautifully. Re-designed for its 3rd generation, the Continental GT's interior design is amazing, with a wrap-around style that encompasses occupants with an awe-inspiring array of materials and trim.

Offered with rich leather and bespoke choices like Alcantara, real wood, aluminum trim with finishing options lifted from Swiss watches, and more, the leather inside the Continental GT is more impressive than the highest-end furniture, requiring a full seven cows to line the interior, and using 310,675 stitches to hold it all together with 2 miles of thread. With so many options, the Continental GT's interior can be customized exactly to your liking, from the leather colors to the types of wood veneer used, along with countless other touches.

Furthermore, the Continental GT's more practical side is good, with small backseats that aren't exactly made for adults but can carry cargo, as well as a 13 cu-ft trunk that is good but falls behind other 6-figure luxury cars like the Rolls-Royce Ghost's 18 cu-ft trunk.

Tech is excellent, though, with a 12.3" infotainment screen that can be hidden behind a swiveling panel to streamline the interior with more wood and beautifully finished analog gauges, and offers Apple Car Play and Android Auto along with smartphone connectivity, and connects to an awesome sounding Bang & Olufsen or Naim audio system.

Also packing plenty of driver assists, the Continental GT offers active lane keep assist and blind-spot monitoring and can be equipped with some advanced ones like night vision, adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and more. Topping all this off, the W12 Continental GT gets 13 mpg city / 22 mpg highway, while the V8 models get around 16 mpg city / 26 mpg highway.

Via Bentley Motors

Pricing And Trim

A high-end beast of a luxury car, the 2022 Continental GT doesn't come cheap, but since its release is planned for the fall of 2021, the pricing on it is still an estimate for now. According to Car and Driver's estimations, the lowest end of the lineup, the V8 powered coupe, will start at around $210,000, while the top-end GT Speed will stretch into the $300,000 range.

When it comes to trim levels, though, the 2022 Continental GT lineup is confirmed though:

Continental GT Mulliner: 

Available with either the V8 or W12, the Mulliner focuses on bespoke luxury, with plentiful interior options, exterior accents, and badges.

Continental GT Mulliner Convertible:

The same as the Mulliner coupe, the main difference is that it's a convertible.

Continental GT V8:

Only available with the V8 engine, this is the "entry-level" Continental GT (but still has a $210,000 estimated base price) and has compromises from the Mulliner like only having single-tone interior color options as opposed to the much larger list of bespoke options.

Continental GT V8 Convertible:

The GT V8, but as a convertible.

Continental GT Speed:

The awesome performance-enhanced Continental GT Speed has the tweaks listed earlier, like a power boost, rear-wheel steering, chassis tuning and more to make it an absolute beast of a car.

Continental GT Speed Convertible:

The GT Speed, but as a convertible.

Whichever version you get, though, Bentley gives you a three year / unlimited mile limited and powertrain warranty, as well as one year or 10,000 miles of complimentary maintenance.

NEXT: Get Behind The Scenes Of Bentley Continental GT Speed Launch Courtesy Of Mr. JWW