Since it launched 13 years ago, Bentley’s Continental GT has seen a host of incremental improvements. Originally available solely powered by Volkswagen’s complex, compact W-12, the baby Bentley saw perhaps its biggest change when a V-8 engine option became available for 2013. Wearing the flying B accented with red, rather than the traditional black of the 12-cylinder cars, the V-8 models barely suffered in straight-line performance, while the reduced weight on the nose made the 21st century’s Beverly Hills taxi a whole lot more fun to hurl down a winding road. While Bentley’s W-12 models receive a revised engine for 2016, the Continental GT V8 S continues with the same 521-hp variant of the Volkswagen Group’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. All Contis get revised, sharper creases in the sheetmetal, a smaller grille, and a restyled decklid. Inside, the steering wheel shrinks a bit, the center console has been redone, and new materials choices are available, including stone veneers for those who prefer to knock on something a shade harder than wood and less common than carbon fiber. In a sop to modern life, in-car Wi-Fi now is an available option.
Last year's changes to the Ghost, earning the Series II designation, brought some moderate revisions to a successful Rolls-Royce model, keeping the interest up without diminishing the striking looks and audacious levels of luxury. For 2016, the Ghost Series II is unchanged.The Ghost continues to be propelled by a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 engine with 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque for effortless power and refinement, despite the car's weighty 5,445-pound mass—5,556 pounds if you go for the extended-wheelbase form. Acceleration from 0-60 mph happens in a brisk 4.8 seconds. The Series II brought a new 8-speed automatic that features what Rolls-Royce calls "Satellite Aided Transmission technology," that allowed the Ghost to predict and select gears based on the road’s bends and rises. This smooths out the driving for minimal shifting intrusion that could disturb the atmosphere in the leather and wood-lined cabin. While it shouldn't be a surprise the Ghost cossets and pampers its passengers, it may come as a shock that it's also responsive to drive. Press the accelerator, and it glides forward—rapidly—seemingly without any effort exerted on its part. Press on the brakes and its slows promptly, with a minimum of fuss. Turn the wheel, and you’ll find slightly more feedback than in the previous Ghost thanks to a new steering configuration, and that steering wheel rim will be thicker for greater comfort. This is, after all, the Rolls-Royce to drive, rather than be driven in. The ride quality is where a Rolls-Royce has to succeed and the Ghost truly shines. Size, weight, and very large wheels coupled with fairly low-profile tires, are known enemies of good ride quality; it can be very difficult to tune a car to control such a combination of physics while also coddling the occupants. Rolls-Royce’s engineers have figured out how.
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