The new Bentley Continental GT V8 is the vehicle with the greatest personalisation capacity in the world

The arrival of SUVs in many segments has resulted in a market that could be described as saturated with this type of vehicle, so brands, in order to differentiate their model from their neighbours, have resorted to offering greater personalisation capacity to attract potential buyers. You can often see this in the vast majority of models, but perhaps not so much in luxury models, where Bentley may have gone a little overboard.

The English brand, part of the VAG Group, has updated the third generation of its best-selling model, in which it has most successfully combined the sportiness and luxury that have always accompanied the brand: the Continental GT, which is offered with either a V8 or W12 engine. This update to the Bentley brings new technology and, perhaps most surprisingly, up to seven trillion different configurations for personalisation!

Sitting in front of the computer and configuring your dream Bentley Continental GT can take you all afternoon, but perhaps you will need to think carefully about what you are going to install when we are talking about a car that exceeds a price of 200,000 euros. Before looking at what we will find in general terms in the Continental GT, it should be said that all W12 and V8 variants will offer, as an option, a high-gloss carbon-fibre finish for the interior trim and door panels, which will be combined with the centre console in Piano Black Veneer.

Also, at a cost of around 3,500 euros, the Continental GT W12 Coupé will feature a new panoramic roof with polarised glass that reduces glare. In addition, if we want to block out all light from the interior, we can operate the electric interior blind, which will be upholstered in Alcantara and paired with one of the 15 colours that Bentley offers for the roof lining.

Turning now to the Continental GT V8, which is the model in the range that will receive the update shortly, we can distinguish it from its bigger brother by its quad exhaust outlets and the V8 badge we will find beside the front wheel arch. This badge refers to its twin-turbo V8 engine of 4,000 cc, which delivers 542 CV and a torque figure of 770 Nm, capable of accelerating to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds for the Coupé version and 4.1 seconds for the Convertible version, and also featuring cylinder deactivation for four of its cylinders.

Depending on how we drive, the Bentley Continental GT V8 will behave gracefully and unleash all its power, and to keep it under control at all times while remaining comfortable, it will feature air suspension, which can be adjusted for stiffness, either for sporty driving or for greater comfort when we want maximum ease. We will also have intelligent all-wheel drive, electric power steering and several driver assistance systems that come as standard, such as Active Lane Assist, Traffic Jam Assist and Park Assist.

The road contact is taken care of by enormous tyres mounted on 20-inch wheels with a 10-spoke design, which we can optionally replace with nine other designs going up to 22 inches. Inside, we will find all the luxury one would expect from a brand like Bentley, combining quality materials and finishes with a wealth of technology, such as the audio system from Bentley comprising 10 speakers and 650 W of power, or the 12.3-inch touchscreen.