• Choice of two huge engines
• Both immensely powerful
• V8 the more pragmatic option

Engines

The Bentley Continental is offered with two engines – and spoiler alert, neither of them are 2.0-litre diesel or a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol. Your options are a vast, 6.0-litre W12 engine (W means four banks of three cylinders – like two V6s smushed together) or a *slightly* smaller and more sensible 4.0-litre V8.

Unlike its sister car, the four-door Bentley Flying Spur, there’s not yet a plug-in hybrid Continental offered for sale.

The W12 is the Continental’s halo engine. Its 12 cylinders are arranged thus to make it more compact under the bonnet, but there’s nothing compact about its 660hp power output or 900Nm of torque. Bentley claims it’ll go from 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 208mph. When you’re just bumbling around town, the sensation of power under your right foot is palpable – and as soon as you get out onto the open road, you can put your foot down and enjoy ballistic amounts of performance.

The V8 car feels lighter on its feet, and given its 550hp output and 3.9-second 0-62mph sprint it’s unlikely you’ll notice the power deficit. It’s still a blindingly fast car.

Both engines get an eight-speed gearbox that shifts blindingly fast, with eighth gear serving as an overdrive for peaceful and long-legged cruising. Both engines are capable of a relaxed character, and are buttery smooth at idle – you don’t feel any vibration to speak of. As for the noise, they’re both quiet most of the time, but put your foot down and the W12 sounds incredible. The V8 is more raucous, less classy – but imbues the car with a more sporting character.

What’s it like to drive?

• Sophisticated anti-roll system
• Adaptive dampers and air suspension
• Surprisingly agile for such a large, heavy car

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Unsurprisingly there’s quite a lot at work here to ensure this two-tonne coupe handles like a car with a much lower kerbweight.

Chief among these is the dynamic ride system – chassis witchcraft that’s powered by a 48V sub-system, allowing the car to resist body movement in the corners without sacrificing comfort.

There’s active all-wheel drive, which has the Conti largely rear-driven until more traction is needed. It keeps the car well in check. Helping keep the vast tyres pressed into the road is the latest generation of Bentley’s continuous damping control, while the whole shebang can be controlled by the Drive Dynamics Control switch, giving you a choice of Comfort, Sport, or ‘Bentley’ mode – which sits somewhere between the two.