Yahoo Autos View Photos of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
Bentley is infusing the next-generation 2025 Continental GT with plug-in-hybrid power. The goal was primarily to reduce tailpipe emissions in order to keep a powerful internal-combustion engine under the long hood of this massive, mega-luxe two-door coupe. Though the basic plug-in (PHEV) system is borrowed from Porsche, Bentley's cousin in the Volkswagen Group, extensive modifications were required to graft the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, electric motor, and battery into the GT's chassis. First impressions are that it is a job well done.
We drove the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed prototypes at the 2.6-mile, 11-turn Parcmotor Castellolí race circuit near Barcelona. For four laps. In the rain. The Bentley's performance made it worth the trip.
The upcoming 2025 Continental GT is powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 plug-in-hybrid powertrain borrowed from Porsche and tuned by Bentley. In the Conti GT, the 591-hp gas engine and 188-hp electric motor combine for a total system 771 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque.
The new Continental GT's electric motor is sandwiched between its engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The power is then sent to an all-wheel-drive system.
The Continental GT's all-wheel-drive system features an electronic limited-slip rear differential, brake-based side-to-side torque vectoring on the front and rear axles, and a center differential capable of sending 100 percent of the power to the rear axle.
The new Continental GT PHEV uses a 21.8-kWh battery that can be recharged in two hours, 45 minutes on a 240-volt Level 2 charger. We estimate that it will enable about 25 miles of all-electric driving range.
The twin-turbo V-8 PHEV powertrain replaces both of the current generation's gasoline, nonhybrid engines: the 650-hp twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 and the 542-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. The PHEV is the only engine available for 2025.
The 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, the lineup's sportiest version, will be introduced first. Other models will follow. Bentley claims a 60-mph time of 3.1 seconds for the Speed, an improvement of 0.4 second from the outgoing, third-generation GT. Top speed remains the same at a lofty 208 mph.
The GT Speed attacked the Castellolí race circuit with vigor, seemingly shaking off its claimed 5500-pound weight and handling like a much smaller, more nimble car. Its steering precision and accuracy proved exemplary, and its stability was reassuring in the rainy conditions in which we drove it.
With 771 horses in harness, the new Conti GT was a rocket on Castellolí's straights. Even on a slick track, once the car was pointed straight, the all-wheel-drive system allowed full power lunges. In corners, the system shifted the torque rearward to enable gentle, easily controllable tail slides.
While no official fuel economy estimates are available, Bentley revealed that, on the fuel-economy driving cycles typically used to estimate EPA numbers, the extensive distance driven on electric power creates only about 5 percent of the tailpipe emissions of cars with nonhybrid gasoline engines of equivalent power.
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
2025 Bentley Continental GT Prototype
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