After greater than 20 years of manufacturing its modern W12, Bentley has retired the engine because the world strikes in direction of hybrids and full EVs. In fact, the British model nonetheless wants high-performance flagship trims in its lineup, so enter the brand new Continental GT Pace. Described as an “Extremely Efficiency Hybrid” by Bentley, the up to date Pace has a plug-in-hybrid V8 setup that makes it essentially the most highly effective series-production Bentley of all time. Bentley is asking this the “fourth-generation” Continental GT Pace — it’s not, that’s foolish. That is very clearly only a main refresh of the present mannequin, however that doesn’t take away from what an enormous deal the automobile is.
By itself, the Pace’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 produces 592 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, will increase of fifty hp and 22 lb-ft over the V8 discovered within the V8 S mannequin however 58 hp and 74 lb-ft shy of the previous Pace’s W12. Augmenting the V8 and making up for the less cylinders is an electrical motor mounted within the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission’s housing, which makes 187 hp and 332 lb-ft. Complete system output is a mega 771 horsepower and 738 lb-ft, making the brand new Continental GT Pace a bit extra highly effective than the limited-run Batur. The 0-to-60-mph run takes simply 3.1 seconds, four-tenths faster than the previous Pace, and the highest pace is 208 mph, the identical because the W12. (The convertible GTC Pace is two-tenths slower to 60, and its high pace is a mere 177 mph.)
The electrical motor supplies torque-fill at low speeds and through gear shifts, and since it negates turbo lag Bentley was in a position to match the engine with single-scroll turbochargers as an alternative of the previous V8’s dual-scroll ones, which might run hotter for fewer emissions. The one-scroll turbos are additionally much less complicated, and the engine doesn’t want cylinder deactivation {hardware} because the engine will be completely switched off when the automobile is being powered by the electrical motor. Bentley says “a major quantity of growth” went into ensuring the exhaust sounds good with out utilizing synthetic enhancement, too.
Mounted behind the rear axle is the 25.9-kWh battery pack; Bentley says its location helps give the automobile a near-perfect 49:51 weight distribution, versus 55:45 within the outgoing vehicles. Bentley claims an EV-only vary of fifty miles on the European cycle, which ought to translate to round 40 miles on the EPA cycle. Prime pace in electrical mode is 87 mph, although when you go above 75 p.c throttle utility, the engine will kick in. Along with the EV mode, the Pace has a mode that may cost the battery utilizing the engine, and the automobile has regenerative braking, as effectively. With 11 kW of charging functionality, the battery will be totally recharged in below three hours.
New for the Pace are dual-valve dampers with dual-chamber air springs, which Bentley says has a bigger power unfold between agency and mushy, and the damper’s management ECU has “full management” over unbiased compression and rebound damping. Different customary efficiency options embody Bentley’s Dynamic Experience lively anti-roll system, digital limited-slip rear differential, rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring for each axles and new stability management software program. In Dynamic mode, the soundness management permits for extra rear-end slip, and it may be utterly turned off. Ventilated iron brakes are customary however bigger carbon-ceramic discs are non-obligatory; each have 10-piston entrance calipers and 4-piston rears.
The brand new Continental GT is the primary “mainstream” Bentley because the Fifties to have single headlights, which is fairly wild, and I believe the automobile’s up to date face seems actually good. Its oval headlights characteristic an LED slash by them that types an eyebrow-like form, and the crystal-cut internals with 120 separate LEDs are as intricate as we’ve come to count on from Bentley. The grille mesh is a little more complicated, the entrance bumper intakes are extra sculptural, and there are not any extra vents forward of the doorways on the entrance fender.
On the rear, the redesigned, wider taillights have a extra pinched oval form and protrude out from the trunk, with a “molten lava” visible impact from a brand new 3D diamond sample. The trunk lid has a further crease, and there’s no extra lively rear spoiler, with “an built-in aerodynamic kind” offering sufficient downforce. The rear bumper is new, as effectively, with trapezoidal exhaust suggestions and a body-color diffuser. Different modifications embody new 22-inch wheel designs and new paint colours.
Inside modifications are tougher to identify, which is okay from a styling standpoint, because the Continental’s cabin stays one of many prettiest available on the market. There’s a brand new “precision quilt” sample with fading perforations, out there darkish chrome trim and Wellness seats with Postural Alter and computerized local weather capabilities. The ambient lighting now has 30 selectable colours, and the Rotating Show remains to be out there, thank god. Three sound techniques are supplied, together with the outstanding 18-speaker Naim setup that has lively bass transducers constructed into the seats, and there’s new laminated acoustic glass that reduces noise by 9 decibels.
The GT Pace’s superior hybrid powertrain was made attainable by switching to a 400-volt electrical structure, which additionally allowed for a significant know-how improve, together with an overhauled infotainment system. Simpler-to-use menus are paired with nicer graphics, each within the central touchscreen and the digital gauge cluster. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are actually out there, and there’s a brand new My Bentley App Studio that may have a variety of third-party apps for media streaming, gaming, parking and charging. Computerized parking help is obtainable for the primary time, with the automobile in a position to remotely park itself or be summoned by the motive force’s cellphone, and inexperienced site visitors gentle prediction can also be new. The local weather management has distant cabin pre-conditioning, new air ionizers and a particulate matter filter, and it makes use of navigation information to mechanically enhance cabin air high quality.
Bentley has but to say how a lot the brand new Continental GT Pace will price, however don’t be shocked if it prices much more than the W12 Pace’s $300,000-ish base value when the PHEV mannequin goes on sale within the third quarter of this yr. It’ll be adopted by a facelift for the remainder of the Continental GT lineup, and its four-door Flying Spur sibling ought to obtain the identical PHEV Pace setup briefly order.
