Bentley's cabins exude warmth and comfort like a signature castle or upscale pub, the only influences from Teutonic owners being better organization, more sophisticated systems, and ergonomics that don't cry out "Darwin was right." The substantial luxury encourages everyone to ride along, while the human-machine interface encourages the driver to press onward.
One doesn't speak of materials in a Continental as plastic is employed rarely, and only at a touch point for some switches where it is the best substance for the job. The predominant elements are leather and wood, with complementary pieces of alloys and chrome; one need only look upward to the headliner to find stitched hides like a fine briefcase, or in the convertible, a fully insulated and lined fabric top that even has an interior light in the middle of it. Bentley has always mandated that convertibles give up nothing to their coupe cousins, and the GTC meets that standard.
Yet even the leather can be upgraded, our GTC featuring a two-tone leather steering wheel (blue and dark red) to match the interior, and contrast stitching that uses counterpoint thread colors to great effect. The hides generally come from Northern Europe because electric fencing doesn't scar like a barbed wire fence might and it minimizes insect bite imperfections.
Wood work is superb, and flows along consoles and through roll-top drawer openings as well as it circles over the top of the doors right to the window line on Flying Spurs; wood inserts may be fitted to interior door and side panels for further gloss. Even simple touches like the aluminum guards on the seat tracks, the leather pull-tab on the trunk carpet and spring-loaded covers around the trunk latch exude luxury.
The helm-size steering wheel tilts and telescopes for comfort and good view of the instrument panel; the shift paddles behind the wheel are sized more like oars relatively speaking, and mounted to the steering column so they do not move with the wheel, reducing miscues when turning the wheel. Deeply recessed analog instruments with non-glare covers and a new TFT information panel transfer the variety of data and directions available via the steering wheel and infotainment controls. Four large round vents punctuate the dash, with vintage organ stop pull levers to close airflow, but the slat adjustment is a bit awkward. Above it all, the Breitling clock each occupant can admire.
Between the hooded dash ahead of driver and passenger is a conventional layout of ancillary controls, dominated by the navigation/audio screen at the top. The Bentley system uses a series of fixed label hard keys and primary knob laid out like the Bentley wings, and keys next to screen displays for input, a design neither as difficult as some German operations nor as intuitive as leader Lexus; some familiarization is in order, and more voice-activated functions have been added for 2008.
Sunlight tends to wash out the screen image, an unfortunate situation in a convertible, and if you use polarized glasses it's advisable to carry a map or qualified navigator.
Below the screen are climate controls for all four seating positions, fully automatic or fully manual by your request, switching for vehicle systems such as air suspension, and seat temperature. The shifter is surrounded with the mirror adjuster (left/right synchronized if you wish), start button, and parking brake switch.
Even with the top down the sound system is stout and clear enough to hear the pedal tones and real organ stops on pipe organ recordings; the extensive systems require the 6CD changer be mounted in the glovebox where it's not the easiest to load but is quite safe. All Continentals use laminated side glass, which combines with the good aerodynamics to quell any wind noise.
The two-door models sport very comfortable bucket seats that you'd label a tailored fit in apparel, with integral headrests, and available massage; hefty releases and fore/aft switches ease entry to the rear seat. On the coupes the rear seats are separated by a walnut-topped console and are generally cozy; four adults can fit as long as none are especially tall.
Because of the folding soft top, the convertible's rear seats lose the center console (yet keeps a ski sack pass-through) but gain enough headroom for 6-footers, again however, this requires the front seat not be very far aft. We found rear and quarter vision in the convertible superior to that in the coupe, thanks to the higher roof line, larger side windows, and distortion-free rear glass window that is wider than the view available through the inside mirror.
In the Flying Spur, front seats are wider, more generous, more armchair like, and have adjustable headrests; they don't provide that ensconced feeling of the coupe yet they provide support for hours on end and sufficient lateral retention to explore the car's abilities. Despite the thickness of the backrests, rear-seat room is considerable.
Flying Spur passengers will have no concerns about front riders intruding on their space, only about potential caviar and champagne spills if the picnic tables get reclined. Whether three-person bench or two individual rear seats, adjustments are electric and the full array of luxury amenities awaits your specification.
There's a quality of timeless beauty inside every Continental, and variety enough in color, texture and trim to ensure that uniqueness buyers aspire to. next page