Bentley Continental GT

Cabin

In the ultra-luxury car segment, the cabin is always what stands out. In fact, owners are paying the premium for pure luxury. Here, that is actually visible throughout the cabin, starting with the seats’ mix of supportive bolstering with enough softness for a long run to Abu Dhabi without discomfort, trimmed in leather that Bentley hand-finishes at the Crewe factory in England. A new dashboard design keeps the driver’s view of the road clear while still giving passengers a proper sense of occasion.

A digital instrument cluster sits ahead of the driver, and the central touchscreen supports both wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A built-in Wi-Fi hotspot comes standard, and the new My Bentley App Studio lets owners install their preferred navigation or music apps directly onto the car rather than relying entirely on a paired phone.

An enhanced air conditioning system filters out fine particles before they reach the cabin, worth having given how much dust rides on the wind during a Shamal storm. Buyers on the Azure and Mulliner models get seats that actively adjust pressure points to reduce stiffness on longer drives, a feature most buyers will only fully appreciate after a two-hour motorway stretch

Front Seat

• Hand-finished leather upholstery across the range
• Heating, ventilation, and massage functions on higher trims
• Postural Adjust technology on Azure and Mulliner to reduce fatigue
• Twelve-way electric adjustment with memory settings 

Rear Seat

• Two individual rear seats rather than a bench, in keeping with the car's four-seat layout
• Leather upholstery, matching the front seats
• Limited legroom compared with a proper four-door, better suited to shorter trips or smaller adults
• Heated rear seats available on higher trims

The rear seats exist mainly for occasional use rather than daily carpooling, and buyers who need to regularly carry adults in the back should look at the Flying Spur instead. 

Climate Control

Automatic climate control comes standard, backed by the same particle-filtering system found across Bentley’s current range, useful given how much dust and pollen the UAE’s coastal cities push through the air for parts of the year.

Storage

• Door pockets sized for phones and small items
• Centre console storage bin
• Rear parcel shelf space behind the individual seats
• Wireless charging pad on higher trims

Every Continental GT comes with Bentley’s City Specification fitted as standard, built around the everyday hazards of driving through Downtown Dubai or DIFC traffic, while the Azure and Mulliner add the motorway-focused Touring Specification as standard equipment.

• City Specification standard across the range, with pedestrian detection, anti-collision systems, and phone-activated parking assist
• Touring Specification, a standard on Azure and Mulliner, adds adaptive cruise control, lane detection, and night vision
• Driver, passenger, and knee airbags fitted across the cabin
• Side airbags with head protection for front occupants
• Electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution

Front

Two oval headlamps are set low and wide, each carrying a sharply defined upper edge that Bentley calls a focused-eye design. The grille sits behind an integrated radiator shell, giving the nose a cleaner, more unified look than previous generations managed, and the overall face reads as confident without tipping into aggressive.

Side Profile

The Continental GT carries a long bonnet and a short rear deck. At 4,895 mm long and 2,187 mm wide, including mirrors, it has the classic grand tourer shape Bentley has refined for over twenty years. A single, uninterrupted shoulder line runs from the front wheel arch to the rear, and the roofline drops gently toward the boot without ever looking like it is trying too hard to be sporty.

Alloy Wheels

Wheels range up to 22 inches depending on trim, with each model getting its own design and finish to match its character. The larger wheels here do more than decorate; they help the hybrid system’s extra weight stay controlled through faster direction changes.

Rear

New tail lamps showcase a sharper version of the Bentley “B” motif when illuminated at night, paired with a body-coloured panel around the number plate that replaces the chrome trim seen on older Continentals. The rear end looks classic without being overly dramatic; the car’s dimensions and shape do all the impressive work on their own.

Colors

When it comes to choosing your favourite colour, Bentley offers many choices. 

• Black
• Red
• Appletree Green
• Yellow
• Breeze
• Orange Flame
• Bronze
• Beluga Brown Metallic, 
• Rose Gold Over Magnetic, 
• Magnetic
• Purple. 

Yellow and Orange Flame suit buyers who want the Continental GT to announce itself from across a Downtown Dubai car park, while Beluga Brown Metallic and Bronze work for those who would rather let the shape and dimensions carry the impression instead of the paint.

Take a closer look at the table, and what you see is gap between the two hybrid tunes is quite big, and it shows up most clearly in how each car feels off the line. The Azure delivers power smoothly and without drama, while the Speed and Mulliner’s Ultra Performance Hybrid setup pushes hard enough from a standstill to properly surprise a passenger who has not been told what is coming.

Both powertrains use a 25.9 kWh battery pack, with the High Performance Hybrid offering up to around 80 km of electric-only driving. The Ultra Performance Hybrid also uses the same battery capacity but is focused more heavily on outright performance.

City Performance

Take the Continental GT around the city, and the electric motor takes over completely at low speed, meaning the V8 stays silent through valet drop-offs and slow-moving traffic outside busy hotels. The car’s width demands a little care in older multi-storey car parks, though the standard-fit cameras make judging gaps easy.

• Electric-only mode keeps the cabin near silent in stop-start traffic
• A compact turning circle helps despite the car’s wide track
• Standard cameras assist parking in tighter structures
• Regenerative braking smooths out low-speed stop-start driving.

Highway Performance

When you are on the highways, whether on Sheikh Zayed Road or the long run-out toward Al Ain, the Continental GT settles into a properly relaxed cruise, with the hybrid system perfectly blending electric and petrol power depending on load. Push into Sport mode, and the Speed or Mulliner models deliver acceleration that feels closer to a dedicated performance car than a grand tourer, without losing the composure that makes the cabin feel calm at speed.

• A hybrid system blends power sources without any noticeable handover
• Sport mode sharpens throttle and steering for confident overtaking
• The cabin stays quiet even well past typical highway speeds
• All-wheel drive keeps traction secure during fast lane changes 

Ride and Handling

There is plenty to say in terms of how the handling feels and how the ride quality performs. Bentley has taken care of a great deal here to make every single drive you take and whatever time you spend in the car feel special.

This is visible from the extra weight of the hybrid battery pack, which is noticeable on paper, yet the Continental GT hides it well thanks to an air suspension system tuned specifically around the added mass. The body control through faster corners stays composed, and the steering communicates enough road feel to make committed driving properly enjoyable rather than simply comfortable. It will not out-corner, a dedicated sports coupe, but few grand tourers this size manage to disguise their weight as effectively.

Continental GT

This is the entry point to the current range, identifiable by a black matrix front grille with bright chrome detailing, and offers the essence of the grand tourer experience with smooth, confident performance rather than outright drama.

Continental GT Azure

This variant is focused on comfort, a wellbeing, design, and craftsmanship, with the 680 PS High Performance Hybrid powertrain. Wellbeing-focused seat technology and distinctive gleaming, vertical-vaned front grille are offered as standard.

Continental GT S

This newer sporting variant sits between the comfort-focused Azure and the more extreme Speed, using the 680 PS High Performance Hybrid powertrain with Bentley’s Performance Active Chassis. It also gets darker exterior detailing, 22-inch wheels, and a more sporting cabin.

Continental GT Speed

The sportier of the two Ultra Performance Hybrid models, with the Bentley Performance Active Chassis and dark-tinted exterior detailing to match its sharper character.

Continental GT Mulliner

This is the range-topping specification, combining the same 782 PS Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain with a floating-diamond Mulliner grille, self-levelling Bentley badges at the centre of each wheel, and Bentley’s highest level of craftsmanship and personalisation.

Zigwheels Recommendation

If you’re looking for the Continental GT primarily as a comfortable way to cover distance between the Emirates, you should look closely at the Azure, since its 680 PS hybrid tune already delivers more performance than most owners will ever fully use.

Those chasing real excitement and willing to pay for the Ultra Performance Hybrid’s extra output will find the Speed the more focused choice, while the Mulliner is ideal for anyone who wants that same performance covered in Bentley’s highest level of finish. The new GT S is also worth considering for buyers who want stronger driving involvement without stepping all the way up to the 782 PS Speed.

Let’s face it, the two-door, premium grand tourer segment is not the usual one in the UAE. The reason is they are bought less as a practical choice and more as a second or third car for a buyer who already owns something for the school run and something else for the desert.

That changes how the Continental GT should be looked at compared to other markets, where it often serves as someone’s only car. In the Emirates, it competes less against family sedans and more against the Aston Martin DB12 and the Porsche 911 Turbo for a slice of a buyer’s weekend garage.

Against some really legendary choices in the segment, the Continental GT’s case is strong. The hybrid system adds real performance rather than simply chasing efficiency figures nobody here asks about, and the cabin still feels like the product of real handiwork rather than a parts-bin exercise.

You can’t ignore the fact that the compact rear seats limit its use to occasional passengers rather than a family, and the brand carries less outright fascination than a Ferrari or Lamborghini. But for a buyer who wants pace, comfort, and a brand that still means something without a lot of noise about it, few cars in this segment balance all three as well, which makes the GT a compelling choice for anyone considering a grand tourer.

Other Grand Tourers to Consider Instead of the Continental GT