2025 Bentley Continental Convertible

The Bentley Continental GT Speed's mission is pretty straightforward. It's a two-door grand tourer, available as a coupe or convertible, that aims to get you to your destination as comfortably as possible. And, as its name suggests, quickly, too.

Those fundamentals haven't changed for the 2025 Continental GT Speed. It exists to serve the same purpose as before, but it does so without its renowned W12 engine. Cutting cylinders is a great way to prompt enthusiasts to reach for their pitchforks and start gathering on all corners of the internet, but do yourself a favor and spare us the anguish this time. The GT Speed still rips, and it feels better than it ever did with that big ol' W12 underhood.

Real quick, though, some clarification. The plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain will be offered across the Continental range, but the one I drove is the GT Speed — you know, the one previously offered with an absolute whale of an engine, the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12. Lesser versions of the Continental GT will also use hybrid power, but rather than debuting those first, Bentley decided to lead with its best foot forward.

The heart of the new Continental GT is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with a 25.9-kWh battery pack and single electric motor. Surprise, surprise — this is the same powertrain used in the Conti's corporate cousin, the Porsche Panamera. Here, however, the gas engine is tuned to make 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, complemented by an additional 188 hp and 332 lb-ft from the electric motor. You can't just add the numbers of these two propulsion systems together to get the combined output — the max power outputs occur at different rpm — but nevertheless, Bentley says the GT Speed's total shove is a whopping 771 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. That's 121 hp and 74 lb-ft more than the outgoing W12-powered Speed.

That instant electric shove really helps launch this big boy — and when I say big, I mean big. Bentley estimates a curb weight around 5,500 pounds; the new car is roughly 440 pounds heavier than its predecessor. Even so, the 2025 Continental GT Speed can sprint to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, or 0.4 second quicker than its forebear. That's Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS quick. Yowza.

To experience firsthand how the new GT Speed feels from behind the wheel, Bentley brought me to the magnificent Swiss Alps. And trust me, I didn't travel all that way to drive this thing like a Prius Prime.

But the Continental GT Speed is something else altogether. This is the best-tuned performance hybrid I've ever driven, with an incredible range between supple electric-only cruiser and torque-fueled animal. All you have to do to switch the car's personality is turn the drive mode selector and, poof, everything changes in an instant.

Leaving the quaint ski village of Andermatt, Switzerland, I decided to keep the Speed in EV mode. The e-motor is good for 188 hp on its own, which is plenty to keep this car moving all the way up to highway speeds. If you're timid with your right foot, you can cruise in near silence without ever waking the V8. But where's the fun in that?

As I gain elevation, I summon the eight cylinders underhood to help move things along, and oh my goodness, they don't disappoint. There's a momentary delay as the engine fires up before the power really quicks in, but the handoff from electric to gas-fed propulsion is nevertheless buttery smooth. The wave of torque overcomes you completely and sticks around without wavering until you're forced to lift off the gas. At first, it's jarring to get such a wallop of torque all at once, but after a few runs it starts to feel like harnessing a superpower. Bentley says this large grand tourer will do 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds, and from behind the wheel it feels every bit as potent.

The Speed's all-wheel-drive system can shuffle torque front to back and side to side with the help of an electronic limited-slip differential at the rear, so if you get on the throttle a little too early coming out of a tight left-hand hairpin, the Bentley will sort itself out without getting too squirrely. Reduce the intervention of the traction control and you can get the Conti's rear end to step out slightly, and a quick steering correction is all you need to rein this large lad back in.

The absolute best thing about the new GT Speed is its suspension. In addition to two-chamber air springs, new dual-valve dampers do the heavy lifting on this heavy car. They are unique to Bentley and give the Speed a softer and more sophisticated vibe than before yet still allow this car to really move. Driving the Bentley in its most aggressive Sport mode, sizable bumps in the road feel like nothing at all.

The only letdown? The Pirelli P Zero tires. The Speed's capabilities are really limited by the tires' lack of grip.

It's kind of hard to believe the Continental GT is some two decades old now. And the latest iteration departs from its predecessors in some fun ways, most notably with the single headlight design. It's a neat rethink of what has become quite the iconic face for the Bentley brand.

Inside the cabin, the Continental GT is pretty much the same as before. Features like the rotating center touchscreen and digital gauge cluster are unchanged. A new quilting pattern is available for the leather, and you can now opt for dark chrome instead of the more traditional brightwork, which is a nice upgrade.

As always, customers can really go wild when optioning their cars. Check out the Magenta over Gravity Grey test car that I drove, for example. Bentley says that roughly 75% of buyers do some level of personalization to their car through the company's in-house bespoke shop, Mulliner. And why not? Go big or go home, right?

The GT Speed starts at $305,250 for the coupe and $335,350 for the convertible, including $3,150 for destination. As you'd expect, the price climbs steeply the moment you start playing fast and loose with the online configurator. As tested, the Magenta car seen here costs roughly $380,000. Getting one up over the $400K mark will be a cinch.

Not every plug-in hybrid sports car is an off-the-line success, but the new Bentley Continental GT Speed really is. The powertrain is a step in the right direction, not only embracing modern technology but keeping the thrill of driving very much alive and well. If 12 cylinders are a must-have, Aston Martin will happily welcome you into its showroom to check out a new Vanquish. But don't overlook the Bentley. It's better than ever before.