Bentley has long been one of the best car makers in the world - Claire Bowen tested its latest, the Continental GT, and visited its clinically clean factory in Crewe
My back was aching as I snuggled into the wrap-around leather seats. Reaching down to the seat adjustment switches on my right, I discovered a button which I pressed. Suddenly I was having a back massage. Bliss!
And 100 miles later I emerged without a twinge. Not many cars can promise this, but the Bentley Continental GT does. This is just one of the hundreds of design features which make this two-door, four-seater coupé utterly relaxing and enjoyable to drive, but without the loss of an essential ingredient - exhilaration.
It's the 552 bhp turbo-charged, 48 valve, compact 6-litre W12 engine which produces the latter. It can spur the GT on to a knee trembling 0-100 kph in 4.8 seconds, and upwards and onwards to a potential 318 kph. Not that you're ever likely to get the chance - or even want - to hit those sort of speeds unless you're on a race track.
But the quick spurts are perfect for safe overtaking and I found that everytime I depressed the pedal the surge of power took me by surprise. "That's enough to give you whiplash," said my co-driver, grinning and impatiently awaiting his turn behind the wheel.
The sound of the engine is unique - a mix between hushed, executive burble and sporty roar. But that is the essence of Bentley. "Racing is the cornerstone of Bentley - the heart of the brand is power. It's all about driving and enjoying the spirit of the car," explains Andy Watt, regional marketing communications manager.
The Continental GT, which is the first all-new Bentley design in 70 years, is the world's fastest four-seater coupé.
But you don't have to drive like a hooligan to enjoy the experience behind the wheel. This supercar is equally happy pootling around narrow lanes and busy towns.
Despite it being only 370 mm shorter than the Arnage, it doesn't feel a big car and is easily manoeuvrable in tight spaces. Parking sensors everywhere help. It's so quiet too. My very soft-spoken co-driver and I conversed easily as we cruised along in our cocoon of comfort.
And boy was it comfortable. I could have driven from Land's End to John O'Groats and back and not felt stressed.
Settled in our soft leather armchairs we were surrounded by the trappings of luxury. The exquisite walnut veneer dash housed a myriad of buttons and switches, but at the same time didn't appear daunting and were a sensible size.
There were controls to adjust the suspension while on the move from soft comfort to harsher sport but it would adjust automatically anyway, firming up rounding a corner rather than letting you wallow through the bend at speed.
And shiny silver knobs, with a knurled underside giving a tactile feel, adjusted the aluminium trimmed heating vents. The design of the dash is symmetrical, giving equal weighting to driver and passenger. The rear spoiler can be raised by the touch of a button if desired - it's raised automatically when you achieve speeds of over 70 kph. Indicator lights double as "puddle lights" which illuminate any areas you want to avoid when stepping out of the car in the dark.
A GPS navigation system ensures you're never lost, and dinky mobile phones for private conversations, concealed in the arm rest, are activated by a button on the dash. Front seats slide forward electronically to give access to the rear space where seats are as comfy as the front. There is adequate legroom and headroom for all but the very long-legged.
Drivers have every possible choice of driving methods in one car. Feel like driving an automatic? Just stick the six speed shift in auto and cruise effortlessly.
Want a little more involvement? Use the iptronic box to swap over to manual, or if you'd like to imagine you're a Le Mans racer, use the steering wheel-mounted F1-style paddles.
This is the first all-wheel drive Bentley, and combined with anti-lock brakes, hydraulic brake assist, electronic brakeforce distribution and an electronic stability programme its makers have set out to ensure it's as safe as humanly possibly.
It even has a control which cuts in before all these other systems which modulates engine braking to ensure deceleration is consistent and swift.
Brakes, which are the largest ever fitted to a standard production car, are instantly responsive but don't make you feel as if you're being propelled through the windscreen. Bentley believes its car should stop as well as it goes, and these disc brakes certainly do that.
And just in case of a bump the occupants are well protected with two front airbags, four side airbags and two side curtain bags that, unusually for a coupé, run along the full length of the cabin.Boot space is a roomy 370 litres - more than adequate to carry the luggage for a fortnight's Continental tour.
"This is the definitive British Sporting Grand Tourer. It has practical space and is a car to be a shared with passengers and you can do so at high speed without them feeling uncomfortable," adds Andy Watt. The 40-strong in-house design team were responsible for the look of the GT which is vaguely reminiscent of the old Bentley R. "But this is not a retro car - it had to look like a 21st century car," continues Mr Watt.
The pillarless design, with its wide expanse of glass, creates a light and airy interior. This benefits rear seat passengers in particular as they don't get that hemmed in feeling which often comes with sloping roof coupés.
Bentley's aim was for the Continental GT to be enjoyed equally by passengers and driver. It wanted to build a car with supercar performance which at the same time was a very pleasant place to be.
As far as I'm concerned it's succeeded, but at €270,000 I don't think I'll add my name to the year-long waiting list just yet.
BUYING A BENTLEY
CONTINENTAL GT
Despite a number of interested buyers throughout Ireland, the only Bentley dealership is Charles Hurst of Belfast. Potential customers should contact the dealership direct. Bentley will be doing a promotion there in May.