With ever tightening emission standards it’s nothing short of a miracle that you can still buy a car with a massive 6-liter W12 engine which is what you will find in a 2022 Continental GT. The W12 powertrain is where most of Bentley’s modern success lies as it can be traced back to the original 2004 Continental GT, and since then, it has always been offered in every Bentley model. That’s 20 years of production. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end which is what will happen in April 2024 for the W12 engine. But on a positive note, the 2022 Continental GT is so advanced that it will remain relevant for at least another decade. Moreover, being one the last generation Continental GT with a W12 engine, the prices likely won’t go down that fast making it a fairly safe purchase in terms of depreciation. And even though the future hybrid powertrains will likely be faster, the 2022 Continental GT is still one of the fastest cars ever made and possibly the fastest one with such high levels of luxury. If you are considering one, check out the examples currently for sale at Exotic Car Trader.
Although the W12 engine is older than 20 years, the twin turbocharged Bentley unit debuted at the same time as the Continental GT. Both the engine and the car marked the beginning of the future for Bentley, a future under VW ownership that turned out to be a bright one. The Continental GT is the best selling Bentley ever and by a lot with around 100,000 examples sold until today. And most of those came with the W12 engine which played a crucial role in the model’s success. The 2022 Continental GT builds upon the original recipe and becomes the most luxurious, most advanced and very nearly the fastest Continental GT ever made. Thanks to Bentley going all in on the model, it sold over 20,000 examples between 2018 and 2023. And given just how far ahead it was, there hasn’t been any updates until 2024 with a major facelift coming up in 2025 with which the W12 engine goes into retirement. The one found in the 2022 Continental GT remains the most advanced Bentley W12 engine ever made and while the platform continues advancing, the 2022 Continental GT will get no complaints for a long time.
The previous generation Continental GT’s interior looks and feels expensive, there is no denying that. But it was built on the original 2004 design and by 2018, it was very much outdated. The 2022 Continental GT on the other hand, is filled to the brim with bespoke expensive details. From the knurled metal vents and vent controls, to the knurled metal control wheels on the steering wheel. Then there is wood trim which wraps around the cabin in an unbroken line with an option of two tone wood split which isn’t found anywhere else in the automotive world. And then there is leather which covers virtually everything else and can be had in numerous different color combinations and stitching patterns. The 2022 Continental GT doesn’t lack technology either and one of the highlights is the optional rotating screen which is another innovation that lets the driver choose between different dashboard appearances on the go. Technology extends to the gauge cluster which is now a screen doubling as second infotainment. Overall, the 2022 Continental GT interior is among the most interesting ones made in the last decade or two and very possibly the most luxurious one even rivaling Rolls Royce.
Although the interior of a Bentley is its most important feature, the exterior can’t be neglected either. The 2022 Continental GT obviously traces its design inspiration to the original Continental, but it looks several generations ahead of even the previous one. The entire body is now lower and wider while the wheelbase is longer for a better weight distribution. It’s also more muscular than ever with the rear quarter panel being sharper and wider, while the front wheels eat well into the streamlined wings making it look like a GT3 race car. The sporty spirit continues with enormous 21-22 inch wheels and a low front bumper above which is a signature Bentley grille now bigger than ever. Exhaust tips are still oval as they were before but even they are larger and now protrude from a lower rear bumper with a more aggressive diffuser. But one of the biggest highlights of the exterior are the Swarovski crystal headlights and tail lights which are again, never before seen on a road car. The headlights are especially interesting as they look like the most complex diamonds ever that just happened to be illuminated.
Despite the 2022 Continental GT being packed with technology and luxury, it’s still one of the fastest cars on sale. That’s largely thanks to that giant W12 engine giving the 2022 Continental GT 635 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to push the 4,947 pound Continental to 60 in just 3.6 seconds. At the same time, some journalists have managed to do it in as little as 3.3 seconds. And while the weight is justifiably high, the 2022 Continental GT is still 150 lbs lighter than the previous model thanks to the new MSB Panamera platform. That platform also gets the 2022 Continental GT a 48 volt active damping system, active roll bars and optional rear wheel steering. And with 440 millimeter rotors up front clamped by ten piston calipers, the Continental GT stops just as well as it goes. And goes it does, onto a top speed of 208 mph putting only a handful of GTs ahead of it some which include the DB11 Superleggera and the Ferrari 812 Superfast. But neither the DB11 or the 812 have massaging seats.
The 2022 Continental GT has a starting price of $235,000. Although, the options add up pretty quickly with the rotating screen being over $6,000, the premium sound system at right around ten grand and carbon ceramic brakes at $15,000 and those are just three options out of dozens of them. A well optioned Continental GT easily reaches $250,000 while a fully loaded one can be as much as $275,000. However, on the used market, the 2022 Continental GT goes for around $220,000 to $240,000. That means the prices haven’t deflated significantly, but then again, these are still essentially brand new cars.
Although the prices are pretty steep, the 2022 Continental GT has more than enough redeeming features and qualities. No other car on the market puts performance and luxury together so well where neither of two feel like they have been compromised one bit. The same can’t be said for Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, or even Ferrari making the Continental GT a true masterpiece. If you are thinking of buying a Continental GT or any other luxury vehicle, doing so through Exotic Car Trader is one of your safest and most convenient options. Exotic Car Trader offers escrow protection, delivery and first inspection just to name a few benefits. The same goes when selling a car through Exotic Car Trader, and in both cases, everything is done online.
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