Very interesting.. By the Numbers: 2005 Bentley Continental GT vs. 2012 Bentley Continental GT

 

Bentley tweaked the engine of the redesigned Continental GT for the 2012 model year, but is it really faster than the last-generation model?

By the Numbers: 2005 Bentley Continental GT vs. 2012 Bentley Continental GT imageThat’s what we’re asking in today’s By the Numbers post, a series that will use Motor Trend magazine’s thorough testing records to discover just how improved newly designed vehicles are from a by-the-numbers perspective. To read more about the new 2012 Continental GT, read our First Test and watch the video here.

Before the more efficient and less powerful Bentley Continental powered by a V-8 is introduced, the 2012 model will be powered by the same twin-turbo 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine as before, but now with 15 more horsepower and an additional 37 pound-feet of torque for a total of 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Just like the 2005 Continental GTs Motor Trend tested on two separate occasions years ago, the 2012 Bentley has a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Top speed on the 2005 and revised 2012 Continental GT cars is 198 mph. Without further adieu, here are the numbers:

2012 Bentley Continental GT tested on 4/4/11

0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
45-65 mph: 2.1 seconds
Quarter mile: 12.8 seconds @ 111.2 mph
Figure Eight time: 26.0 seconds @ 0.71 g
60-0 mph: 113 feet
Pounds per horsepower: 9.2

2005 Bentley Continental GT tested on 6/10/04

0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
Quarter mile: 12.9 seconds @ 109.7 mph
Figure Eight time: 26.1 seconds @ 0.70 g
60-0 mph: 118 feet

2005 Bentley Continental GT tested on 6/30/05

0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
Quarter mile: 12.7 seconds @ 111.2 mph
Figure Eight time: 26.4 seconds @ 0.68 g
60-0 mph: 118 feet
Pounds per horsepower: 9.5

By the Numbers: 2005 Bentley Continental GT vs. 2012 Bentley Continental GT imageBased on Motor Trend test numbers, it’s clear that the 2012 Bentley Continental GT is just as fast and handles just as well as the 2005 model. The new car brought down the 60-0 mph braking performance by 5 feet while acceleration from 0-60 mph was consistent with the 2005 models, at 4.4 seconds.

Although the numbers don’t bear it out,” we write in the 2012 Continental GT First Test, “the delivery certainly feels more enthusiastic, which is an impressive thing to say considering that the old car pulled like a freight train already.”

Found on MOTORTREND by Zach Gale on April 29 2011 4:30 PM
By the Numbers: 2005 Bentley Continental GT vs. 2012 Bentley Continental GT