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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Classy and conscientious
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Classy and conscientious

Classy and conscientious

Bentley hopes that its new shade, the Dragon Red, will do wellPremium

Bentley hopes that its new shade, the Dragon Red, will do well

The Sultanate of Oman was a very different choice indeed for a global press drive. Perhaps slightly odd too, I remember thinking. But even though I knew at the back of my mind that they wouldn’t have a drive there unless there were good roads, nothing prepared me for the stunning and stark coastline of Muscat. Bereft of vegetation for the most part, the craggy, broken and sand-coloured rocky hills are a great contrast to black-top tar roads. Great surface too, I might add, making this perhaps the perfect setting to test the new second generation of the Bentley Continental GT. Well, perhaps not that perfect, as I quickly found out there’s a strict 120 kmph speed limit.

Bentley hopes that its new shade, the Dragon Red, will do well

The new GT uses a 4-litre engine that has been developed as part of an engine joint venture with sister brand Audi. The car uses cylinder deactivation technology, which essentially allows it to shut off four of the eight cylinders when the car doesn’t really need all that power. This means the engine runs like a smaller displacement unit, and saves fuel. Of course, a whole lot of other measures, like a brand-new 8-speed automatic gearbox, moving from 12 to eight cylinders in the first place, and weight reduction, have contributed to the desired 40% drop in fuel consumption.

The twin headlamps use LED lighting

Since it’s a Bentley, buyers can literally get any colour and interior trim, but among the choices on offer is a brand new rich, yet raw shade of red. It’s called Dragon Red, to be specific—hardly surprising given that Bentley sold nearly 2,000 cars in China last year, and it could well end up as its biggest market in 2012 (overtaking the US, which held that title in 2011). Inside, you get the choice of more sporty black leather, which is complemented with metallic inserts on the dash and console, or you could opt for more subtle beiges and wood inserts. Again, there’s plenty to choose from. Equipment includes a huge touch-screen infotainment system, audio, Bluetooth compatibility, and a host of electronics to enhance stability, safety and allow you to change the damper settings too. This means that the car can be set up to have a sporty feel or a more comfort-oriented ride.

Metallic inserts on the dash and console add a touch of class

That growl gave me goosebumps, and I could not wait to floor it. I got a chance to drive fast, through city traffic, and through winding hilly sections. The response was electric. The car downshifts quickly too on demand, and you can really push it. The engine and steering response was a dream, making the hill sections of the road particularly fun. The Continental GT was always a sporty, aggressive car; the good news is that the V8—albeit different—hasn’t lost out on that extreme character. The engine belts out 500 bhp and offers you an ample 660 Nm of torque.

As always—at this end of the market—the catch is the sticker price! Given India’s duty structure, the car will end up costing you nearly 2.2 crore. And that’s minus some of the optional equipment.

But it’s also not as if Bentley is looking to sell thousands of these in India. The company wants to take it slow, and will persist with dealerships in just Delhi and Mumbai for now. Expansion, of course, is inevitable as markets like India and China continue to fuel growth in the future. Of course the oil-rich Arab states are also a happy hunting ground for the luxury car makers. And I can tell you this—I felt very much at home pulling up at the porch of my hotel in Muscat in the gorgeous new V8. The only trouble: getting out and walking away.

Siddharth Vinayak Patankar is Editor (Auto), NDTV.

Write to Siddharth at roadrunner@livemint.com

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Published: 24 Apr 2012, 08:16 PM IST
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