STEP INSIDE THE NEW BENTLEY S Continental GT. No need to slam the door; pull it gently against the catch and it'll softly motor itself closed, while the motorised 'butler' armature proffers the seatbelt over your shoulder. Depending on spec, you might be inhaling lungfuls of leather or sitting on smart suede, while looking at a carbonfibre dash with black chrome, or engine-turned aluminium with trad brightwork, or walnut, koa, oak or perhaps eucalyptus veneer. Or, in this car's case, a bold diamond-brushed aluminium and magenta highlights combo.
Press the starter button and, initially, there's silence. Since the new Conti GT is a hybrid, it defaults to electric mode on start-up. The new 4-litre-V8-plus-e-motor set-up replaces both the unhybridised 4-litre engine option in the previous Continental and the flagship W12. It has the firepower to outpoint both: with a 771bhp total output, this is the most powerful production Bentley yet. The 140kW electric motor is fed by a 25.9kWh battery and can enable a WLTPrated 50-mile range at up to 87mph. The engine won't kick in unless you push the throttle past three-quarters of its travel or twist the drive mode dial to Sport. The V8 starts with a muted whoomph and does so instantly since there's no traditional starter motor. The e-motor, located in the same casing as the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, can multi-task as starter motor and generator, as well as drive the wheels. It has enough performance to smoothly keep pace with most traffic without assistance from the V8.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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