2013 Bentley Continental GT V-8
Bentley Builds a Fuel Sipper We're Excited About
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January 08, 2012
By Paul Horrell
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In December 2011, when we drove a late prototype of the new car, chief engineer Brian Gush told us a story from back in early 2008. Turns out that Gush's team, together with Audi engineers, were already working on a new V-8. Herr Paefgen asked them what they thought it would be capable of. They mentioned a best-case scenario of a 40% improvement in fuel efficiency, but they didn't quite know how they'd do it -- or if they could do it at all. Regardless, Paefgen promptly wrote "40-percent" into his speech and that was that. Missing the good doctor's target was no longer an option.
However, we've already driven a prototype and it seems to meet Paefgen's billing. The 2012 Continental GT V-8 feels as if it matches the performance of the previous-generation twin-turbo, 6.0-liter W-12-engined Continental GT. Bentley claims on the European test cycle the new engine and transmission team up to produce 40 percent better mileage, and that the car emits 40 percent less CO2. We can't wait to verify at least the first part of the claim. The only bitter note is that it's an extremely complicated, expensive engine, and when spec'd to the max, the V-8 can approach the cost of the W-12.
Complicated? You might remember some of this engine's highlights from the recent Audi S8 introduction, though the Bentley, with different inlet and exhaust paths and a different brand position, makes slightly less power, but more torque lower down in the rev range, and a rather more enchantingly bellicose noise.
Other fuel-saving measures include new power steering, low-resistance tires, better aero drag, and so on. But the other headline item is another engine tweak, the variable displacement. Electromagnetic actuators can slide selected cam lobes along the shafts, leaving valves shut. The engine runs as a V-4 with the remaining four cylinders idle, flowing no air and using no gas.
The deactivation can occur at light load from 1500 to about 3000 rpm, which means it will stay as a V-4 up to 80 mph even on a slight uphill; engineers say it saves almost 10 percent in real-world driving. Which is useful, but to ensure the engine is fittingly smooth and quiet for a Bentley, it uses active engine mounts and active exhaust paths to reconfigure itself for four-cylinder operation. Sure enough, in use, we could never detect any kind of transition. Of course no one cares how this 200 mph sled feels at light throttle. You want to know about the blood and guts of the thing when you floor it. Good news!
The handling is more agile and responsive, too. Bentley claims it's thanks to a 55-pound weight loss up front. But that's ridiculous, considering the V-8 is still a 5000 pound+ machine. We think the improvements come from small suspension tweaks that make the big boy more resistant to understeer, more neutral and more tossable. Adaptive dampers and air springs give a remarkably pliant road ride while keeping body heave and roll in check.
This might have been a prototype, but it felt very finished. It's too early to call Bentley's V-8 gamble a success, but we're sharpening our elbows to cut to the front of the line for the finished vehicle later this Spring.
| 2013 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8 | |
| BASE PRICE | Approx $170,000 |
| DRIVETRAIN | Front-engine, AWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe |
| ENGINE | 4.0-liter/500-hp/487-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve twin-turbo V8 |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT | 5100 lb (mfr) |
| WHEELBASE | 108.1 in |
| LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT | 189.2 x 76.5 x 55.3 in |
| 0-62MPH | 4.8 sec (mfr) |
| EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON | N/A |
| ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY | N/A |
| CO2 EMISSIONS | N/A |
| ON SALE IN U.S. | Fall 2012 |
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows/detroit/2012/1112_2012_detroit_auto_show_bentley_continental_v8/#ixzz1ppGdLUEL
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