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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.

The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

Porsche says next Cayenne will be faster than Bentley Bentayga

Bentley and Porsche are both high-end marques under the same umbrella, and may even be collaborating on development of new models – but while they tend to take different approaches and go after different customers, that doesn't mean they can't share a bit of sibling rivalry. And that spirit of competition – even within the Volkswagen Group – looks to be coming to a head in the form of their upcoming luxury performance crossovers. For his part, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer promises that the brand's upcoming Bentayga sport-ute will (in its top spec with the W12 engine) be the fastest SUV on the market. But in speaking with Car and Driver, Wolfgang Hatz – who holds the Porsche R&D head office that Durheimer used to occupy – says the Bentley won't be king for long. Porsche just released the new Cayenne Turbo S in Detroit, touting it as the first SUV to crack the eight-minute barrier at the Nurburgring. And Hatz says that the next version will be even faster. "Our Cayenne is always very very quick. It is doing 300 km/h [186 mph]. I think if [Durheimer] is doing 2 to 3 km/h more, then why not? He's doing that with a 12-cylinder. Our car will be much quicker on the road." The next Cayenne is slated to use a new generation of engines, and according to Hatz, will benefit from the same (if not more) weight loss as the new Audi Q7 with which it will share its platform. That sounds like a winning combination to us. That is, at least, for fans of performance crossovers. For those who aren't, Porsche promises it won't be bolstering its lineup with any new ones. Apparently the Cayenne and the smaller Macan are enough. Nor will Zuffenhausen slot anything bigger than a V6 into the Macan, according to the report. While Porsche's baby crossover will surely continue to get faster with new iterations, the Cayenne will always remain the performance flagship of its SUV range. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S News Source: Car and Driver Bentley Porsche Crossover SUV Performance bentley bentayga porsche cayenne turbo s