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Driving the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 'home' to Brooklands

BROOKLANDS, England – ‘Continental GTÂ’ embodies an idealized dream of carefree, trans-continental drives to the French Riviera or glamorous Swiss ski resorts. In reality and spirit, a long, long way from a gray January day in what is now a grocery store parking lot in a nondescript London suburb. But this place, or specifically the moss-covered concrete banking surrounding it, is as important to BentleyÂ’s identity as 1930s playboys racing express trains across France, amateur heroes triumphing at Le Mans or the image of luxurious sedans crunching the gravel driveways of stately English homes. In the modern age of Bentley, the racing history at Brooklands, and its expression through hardware supplied by its Volkswagen owners, is what underpins the brand. IÂ’ve got 1,000 miles at the wheel of the latest V8 Continental GT to find out if that Brooklands tradition has been carried forth; to see if this Bentley is still a Bentley. ItÂ’s an interesting moment to be driving a Continental GT, too. For all the British heritage this car embodies, it's dependent on the centralized resources and manufacturing muscle of parent Volkswagen. The same goes for the Group's other brands defined by tradition and local price: Lamborghini, Porsche and even Audi. Yet, IÂ’m enjoying this car just days before Britain formally quits the European Union. The implications are still to be fully understood but it puts Bentley in an especially perilous position, given it depends on overseas production and the free movement of parts from the continent to keep its factory running. Sure, Bentleys are meant to be expensive. But if that margin is suddenly consumed by tariffs on bodies from Volkswagen, engines from Porsche and gearboxes from ZF, the business case looks even shakier than it has been  in the recent past. Nobody knows how itÂ’ll shake out but one answer for VW would be to relocate the whole business to Germany rather than keep building them here. YouÂ’d still have cars branded as Bentleys if that happened. But would they still be Bentleys? We talk about intellectual property. Arguably here weÂ’re talking about emotional property. And the Englishness that makes the cars what they are.   Because more than anything, a Bentley is a feelgood car, even when your reality is grimy winter roads and a coating of salt on your fancy paint.

Autoblog's Editors' Picks: Our complete list of the best new vehicles

It's not easy to earn an “EditorsÂ’ Picks” at Autoblog as part of the rating and review process that every new vehicle goes through. Our editors have been at it a long time, which means weÂ’ve driven and reviewed virtually every new car you can go buy on the dealer lot. There are disagreements, of course, and all vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses, but this list features what we think are the best new vehicles chosen by Autoblog editors. We started this formal review process back in 2018, so there's quite of few of them now. So what does it mean to be an EditorsÂ’ Pick? In short, it means itÂ’s a car that we can highly recommend purchasing. There may be one, multiple, or even zero vehicles in any given segment that we give the green light to. What really matters is that itÂ’s a vehicle that weÂ’d tell a friend or family member to go buy if theyÂ’re considering it, because itÂ’s a very good car. The best way to use this list is is with the navigation links below. Click on a segment, and you'll quickly arrive at the top rated pickup truck or SUV, for example. Use the back button to return to these links and search in another segment, like sedans. If youÂ’ve been keeping up with our monthly series of the latest vehicles to earn EditorsÂ’ Pick status, youÂ’re likely going to be familiar with this list already. If not, welcome to the complete list that weÂ’ll be keeping updated as vehicles enter (and others perhaps exit) the good graces of our editorial team. We rate a new car — giving it a numerical score out of 10 — every time thereÂ’s a significant refresh or if it happens to be an all-new model. Any given vehicle may be impressive on a first drive, but we wait until itÂ’s in the hands of our editors to put it through the same type of testing as every other vehicle that rolls through our test fleet before giving it the EditorsÂ’ Pick badge. This ensures consistency and allows more voices to be heard on each individual model. And just so you donÂ’t think weÂ’ve skipped trims or variants of a model, we hand out the EditorsÂ’ Pick based on the overarching model to keep things consistent. So, when you read that the 3 Series is an EditorsÂ’ Pick, yes, that includes the 330i to the M3 and all the variants in between. If thereÂ’s a particular version of that car we vehemently disagree with, we make sure to call that out.

2016 Bentley Continental GT First Drive [w/video]

I'm standing at the edge of a cliff, speechless. I'm looking at the Trollstigen – a serpentine pass with 11 hairpin turns, running down the side of a mountain in western Norway. I've seen this road before in photos, but in person, I'm both giddy and in awe. The pavement looks like haphazardly draped garland on this perfect bit of sculpted land. The Trollstigen ("Trolls' Path" in English) is a huge tourist attraction, and I can see why. But I'm about to have way more fun than the pedestrians who made their way to the summit in buses and shuttles. I'm going to drive this road. In a Bentley. The crew in Crewe claim their Continental GT is the finest grand tourer in the world. And along the Trollstigen, not to mention the other winding roads in western Norway, that's easy to believe. The Continental is big and beautiful. It's supremely comfortable. It has everything a driver or passenger could ask for. And good golly, is it powerful. Bentley introduced the Continental GT in 2003, with a second generation arriving in 2011. For better or worse, the changes for 2016 are minor. This isn't an all-new Conti, rather a light refresh in order to bolster what the big Bentley already does well. I'm not sure if these updates – particularly the front fascia – improve upon the original formula. The most obvious change for 2016 is the front bumper. It's been restyled to incorporate more aggressive fenders and a lower air intake that spans the full width of the car. Around back, there's a subtle lip spoiler built into the deck lid. V8 S and Speed models get a new rear diffuser. Fancy new side vents are present on all models, with a big metallic "B" shape. Finally, new 20- and 21-inch wheel options are available, including attractive directional alloys available on GT Speed models. But I'm not sure if these updates – particularly the front fascia – improve upon the original formula. Less obvious are the interior updates. There are new colors, as well as a straight-fluting pattern on the seats (GT Speed models get a super luxurious quilted pattern). LED lights accent the cabin. The lighting in the instrument panel and on the center stack is brighter and more crisp. You can get WiFi in the car, and can connect up to eight devices at once. But these improvements don't fix longstanding grievances with the Continental interior. For starters, the infotainment system is horrendously outdated and slow to respond.