2014 Bentley Continental GT V8 S First Drive
Freshening the Short Attention Span GT
Rich people apparently have even shorter attention spans than normal car enthusiasts. According to Bentley board member for engineering Rolf Frech, the company feels the need to introduce a new model variant every 12 to 18 months so that when people bring their cars in for trade, they have a shiny new option to consider. Hence the endless parade of GT, Diamond Series, GTC, Supersports, Series 51, Supersports convertible, W12, V8, W12 Speed, and now this latest V8 S. You could think of it as a Speed with 2/3rds the cylinders and 11/13ths the power output that barely needs 1/13th again as much time to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph and costs about 9/10ths as much.
0:00 / 0:00
We'll save you doing the math: Bentley's direct-injected twin-turbo V-8 (the gas-sipper that famously achieved nearly a 40 percent reduction in fuel consumption relative to the W12 on a Euro drive cycle) is simply tuned with 1.5 psi more turbo boost (the total figure is apparently a trade secret) and more aggressive engine and transmission control mapping to produce 21 more horses (521 total) and 15 lb-ft more twist (now 502). Gearing of the ZF eight-speed auto is unchanged, as are the tire sizes offered, and there's been no weight loss, so the claimed 0.3-second reduction in naught-to-60 (now stated at 4.3 seconds) is all down to horses and twist. It should be noted that our last regular V-8 did this sprint in 4.2 seconds and our last Speed beat its factory estimate by 0.2 second, hitting 60 in 3.8 seconds, so you can reasonably expect us to see something around 4 seconds flat with the V8 S. Naturally, none of that extra power is required to amble through the EPA fuel-economy test cycle, so city/highway mpg ratings are unchanged, at 15/24 coupe and 14/24 convertible. With a 24-gallon tank, that pencils out to a realistic driving range of more than 500 miles.
Also like its Speed stablemate, the V8 S gets suspension revisions including a lower ride height, stiffer spring and damping rates, and an increase in front camber angle of 15 degrees. Here are the numbers relative to the base V8: 0.4 inch lower, springs stiffened by 45 percent front and 35 percent rear, the rear anti-roll bar offers 54 percent more roll resistance, and the bushings are between 25 and an impressive 70 percent stiffer (on the lateral compliance links). The Servotronic steering (an all-hydraulic affair), is recalibrated for greater road feel and to allow a bit more feel on-center. The stability control system is also rejiggered to resume torque delivery more quickly after a "safety event." Brakes are shared among all Continental variants -- 15.9-inch front and 13.2-inch rear standard steel brakes or for $13,875 extra, 16.5-inch front and 14.0-inch carbon-ceramic discs (the largest on any production passenger car) -- but the eight-piston front and two-piston rear calipers are painted red on the V8 S.
Other styling differentiators include a Beluga black ring around the bottom of the car, starting with a splitter in front, side sills, and a diffuser out back -- all of which are said to improve aerodynamics (though it's curious that the swifter Speed makes do without them). The wheel designs are unique to the V8 S, and are more overtly sporty than even the Speed's. Red backgrounds on the B badges differentiate all V8 models from the W12s, which get black backgrounds, as does the black grille with chrome center divider (W12 grilles have chrome mesh).
