Every car brand is making a move towards an electrified future, but convincing affluent buyers to embrace plug-in technology for reasons like emissions standards can be a challenge. Bentley, the century-old British automaker, has been offering plug-in hybrid models for a few years, but now they’re stepping up the game with the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, alongside its convertible counterpart, the GTC Speed. This isn’t just an addition to the lineup; it replaces the non-hybrid GT Speed as the most sporty, regular production version of Bentley’s iconic model.
The original Continental GT, launched in 2003, brought Bentley back into the spotlight, blending the lavishness of a handcrafted luxury car with the style and performance that had been dormant since Bentley’s golden age earlier in the last century. Now, the new Continental GT aims to redefine Bentley as a brand that not only accepts electrification but embraces it.
Design and Interior: A Refined Evolution
At first glance, the new Continental GT Speed might seem similar to its predecessor, but almost every surface has been reimagined, resulting in a coupe and convertible that are more taut and sleek. The most noticeable change is at the front, where the previous four-headlight setup has been replaced by a larger pair of round lights with daytime running light slashes, giving the Continental GT a distinctive, almost Instagram-worthy appearance when stationary. On the road, these running lights accentuate the upright grille, lending the car a more imposing presence.
Recalling classic Bentleys, the Continental GT still features prominent rear fenders that dominate the side mirrors, with creases that resemble a perfectly ironed pair of pants. At the rear, designers have reshaped the sheet metal to generate aerodynamic downforce without relying on a separate pop-up rear spoiler. The taillights have been compressed into a more elliptical shape, which looks fantastic from the side, where the streamlined tail tapers off elegantly, like it’s caught in the wind. However, from behind, this Bentley looks more like a Ford Mustang than a six-figure luxury car. This rear treatment also results in a fairly small trunk aperture, making it challenging for customers to fit their golf clubs. While the Continental GT technically seats four, rear passengers will only find the back seats comfortable for short distances. Still, the fact that the back seats are usable at all is a significant advantage over rivals like the Aston Martin DB12 and Maserati GranTurismo. The driver and front-seat passenger enjoy a greater sense of spaciousness than in most two-door cars, making the Continental GT feel more like a luxury car than a sports car in this regard. This spaciousness is slightly diminished by the thick roof pillars, high dashboard, and high windowsill line, which somewhat limit outward visibility, though generously sized exterior mirrors provide some relief.
Interior Opulence and Tech Features
Like all Bentleys, the Continental GT’s interior is a testament to opulence. The dashboard is primarily a showcase for high-quality wood, brushed aluminum, or carbon fiber trim, while the plush carpets and leather seats are worthy of a living room. The leather upholstery is available in nearly as many colors as the exterior, ranging from green and gray to purple and magenta.
Tech features in the Continental GT are more evolutionary than revolutionary, but that’s because the previous redesign brought significant advancements in this area. The optional Bentley Rotating Display is a 12.3-inch touchscreen that can be hidden behind a matching piece of dashboard trim or a set of three analog gauges. The screen itself is excellent to use (in part due to the infotainment system being based on Audi’s impressive MMI), but the ability to stow it away when parked is a welcome feature. It’s certainly a more elegant solution than the vast expanses of shiny black plastic used by other automakers to blend screens into dashboards. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included, along with a 10-speaker, 650-watt Bang & Olufsen audio system. Customers can also choose to upgrade to a 16-speaker, 1,500-watt Bang & Olufsen system with illuminated speaker grilles or an 18-speaker, 2,200-watt Naim system featuring bass transducers in the front seats, as well as a head-up display and night vision. In line with current trends, the updated Continental GT features an app store that lets you download Spotify, YouTube, and other apps directly to the car.
The Continental GT is equipped with standard driver-assistance features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. Information about these features is displayed clearly in the instrument cluster, even though it shares space with gauges and drive mode and hybrid system readouts. A new remote parking system enables drivers to park or summon the car using a smartphone. While Hyundai has offered a similar feature for a few years, using it with a car this expensive requires a whole new level of trust in the technology.
Driving Experience: Power and Agility
As the most sporty Continental GT (excluding limited-edition models), the Speed has the honor of debuting Bentley’s new plug-in hybrid powertrain. This is not the six-cylinder version found in the Bentayga SUV and Flying Spur sedan. Instead, a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 powers all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission with an integrated electric motor. A 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack (85% of which is usable) sits behind the rear axle to improve weight distribution. This plug-in hybrid setup replaces the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12, which was unique in its configuration but not necessarily in its seat-of-the-pants experience.
Predictably, the Continental GT Speed is more powerful than before, easing any nostalgia for the W12. Its 771 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque make it the most powerful series production Bentley road car ever. Bentley also claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds, a 0.4-second improvement over the previous model, and a top speed of 208 mph, which is downright laughable for something with this level of luxury. The real takeaway is that the new plug-in hybrid powertrain blends the boundless torque of the W12 with the superior driving characteristics and sound of the non-hybrid V8 powertrain that Bentley also offered in the previous Continental GT.
The new GT Speed has the lighter-feeling front end of the previous V8 car, making it feel more eager to turn into corners. And the engine’s raspy sound – a classic eight-cylinder exhaust note remastered and in high definition – is so addictive that we didn’t use electric mode as much as we probably should have. While electric mode isn’t the main attraction of the Continental GT Speed, it is a nice addition. As enjoyable as the V8 exhaust note is, turning down the volume enhances the feeling of luxury and is likely more considerate of passengers and bystanders who might not appreciate the sound of burning hydrocarbons. In its less aggressive drive modes, the GT Speed effectively balances gasoline and electric power while maintaining consistent throttle response.
Speed models come standard with Bentley’s full suite of active chassis features, including adaptive suspension (now with twin-valve dampers for more precise control), rear-wheel steering, an electronic limited-slip rear differential, and torque vectoring. These features make the Continental GT remarkably nimble for such a large car. Even so, it feels absolutely enormous on winding roads, and you’ll never fully utilize all that power.
Electric Range and Charging
While official U.S. fuel economy and electric range ratings weren’t available at the time of publication, Bentley claims up to 50 miles of electric range on the more lenient European WLTP testing cycle. Electric mode is accessible at up to 87 mph and/or three-quarters throttle, making it quite usable in the real world. Unlike some plug-in hybrids, there’s no need to treat the accelerator pedal like an eggshell to prevent the Continental GT Speed from switching on its gasoline engine. An 11-kilowatt onboard charger can fully recharge the battery in 2.7 hours, according to Bentley, but in mixed driving, it’s fairly easy to maintain the battery charge. Powerful regenerative braking helps keep the battery topped up without significantly affecting the feel of the friction brakes (with your choice of massive iron or carbon-ceramic rotors). On twisty roads with elevation changes, the state of charge can be sustained.
Our Configuration
We drove well-equipped First Edition GT Speed coupes and GTC Speed convertibles with base prices of $302,100 and $332,200, respectively. Each car had approximately $75,000 worth of options, including the $39,940 First Edition spec ($41,190 for the convertible). First Edition models include the Bentley Rotating Display and the Touring Specification, which bundles key driver aids. These cars also had the carbon-ceramic brake option, priced at $18,820, leaving us wondering about the feel of the standard brakes. Since there’s no point in getting a stock Bentley, we’d also spend time on the online configurator, playing around with paint colors, interior trim, leather hides, and other design details to make our car unique (for a bit more money, naturally).
Competition and Conclusion
Returning customers will find an improved version of an already exceptional car. However, those focused on the carbon footprint of their extravagant two-door luxury car also have all-electric options in the form of the Rolls-Royce Spectre coupe and Maserati GranTurismo Folgore coupe and GranCabrio Folgore convertible. Rolls-Royce, Bentley’s former owner, places a similar emphasis on craftsmanship and old-school luxury, while Maserati caters to the sporty side. The Continental GT Speed isn’t a groundbreaking leap for plug-in hybrids. Cars like the Lamborghini Revuelto and Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance achieve the same feat of preserving a specific internal combustion driving experience through hybridization. But it’s hard to imagine a better use of this technology than maintaining the unique combination of sportiness and luxury that defines the Bentley Continental GT, ushering in yet another new era for this storied automaker.
