Bentley Continental vs Ferrari 812

What's the difference?

It may not come cheap, isn’t ideal for family buyers and will have you visiting the petrol bowser regularly, but it’s still hard not to love the Continental GT.

It’s an over-the-top car in so many ways, from the dramatic styling to the plush and pampering interior to the effortlessly powerful engine, this is a car that is a pleasure to drive 10km or 10,000km.

It’s certainly not cheap, especially if you start diving into the options list, or the even more costly Mulliner program, but price is relative, of course, and for Bentley buyers purchasing one of these cars isn’t about getting a ‘bargain’ but instead it’s about experiencing the finer things in life.

Clearly, this is not a car for everyone, and you’d have to question whether it’s a car for anyone, really, but people who like spending $610,000 on Ferraris, and waiting in a queue to do so, will be delighted, because it delivers the kind of exclusivity, and bragging rights, that you’d have to hope a car called Superfast would.

Personally, it’s a little too much, a little too over the top and definitely too mad, but if rockets are your thing, you won’t be disappointed.

The most interesting aspect of the third-generation Continental GT design is how similar it looks to the first-generation model launched 20 years ago.

Put the pair side-by-side and you’ll notice the latest model is more refined and features crisper lines and more intricate details, but the overall shape and design themes, such as the grille, headlights, etc, bare a similar family resemblance.

This is a deliberate act from Bentley, choosing an evolutionary styling approach for the Continental GT in the same way Porsche has approached the 911.

As for the specific details of this particular Continental GT S model, there are some key differences between it and the standard GT and GT Azure models that sit beneath it in the range. 

The most notable - even if it is slightly harder to spot on our black test car - is a ‘black pack’ that swaps all the chrome finishes on the exterior to black.

This includes the grille, headlight surrounds, lower bumper grille, window surrounds, door mirror caps and the exhaust tips. The S also adds black sports sills and black-painted alloy wheels.

It’s very… big, isn’t it? And it looks even bigger in the flesh with a bonnet you could use to put a roof over your tennis court. In all, the Superfast is 4.6m long, almost 2.0m wide and weighs 1.5 tonnes, so it certainly has presence.

Making something this big look good is a challenge even for those as talented as Ferrari’s design team, but they have nailed it. The front has what appears to be a mouth, poised to swallow lesser cars whole like some whale shark Terminator. 

The bonnet appears to be flaring its nostrils, and looks fabulous from the driver’s seat, and the swooping side and taut rear complete things nicely.

Personally, it still just looks too big to be a Ferrari, but then this is not a mid-engined super car, it’s a grand touring rocket ship, and the ultimate expression of unnecessary excess, and it pulls off that aura perfectly.

As mentioned earlier, the Continental GT is a two-door, four-seat grand tourer, but while it’s certainly grand, calling it a four seater may be a stretch.

There are two small seats in the rear that can be used if absolutely necessary but anyone in the back won’t feel like they’re in a luxury car because they’ll be cramped for space - even with the roof down.

You could pop small kids in the back in a pinch (and there is a pair of ISOFIX anchor points) but the Continental GT is hardly a family car.

In fact, the Flying Spur is a four-door sedan built on the same underpinnings as the Continental GT, so Bentley does have family buyers covered.

So, let’s keep our attention on the front seats, which is where you want to be in this grand tourer. The seats are comfortable and offer fantastic support, thanks in large part to 12-way electronic adjustment.

To help you enjoy your convertible with the top down regardless of weather, the seats are heated and available with a vent to blow warm or cool air onto your neck.

The seats are just the start, the whole cabin is a blend of modern technology and classic luxury elements.

There’s the media touchscreen, but there’s also a physical button for most functions, so it’s a busy layout but one that will likely appeal to Bentley’s older clientele.

Our test car was fitted with not only the optional sound system but a rotating display, so you can hide the screen away when you’re not using it.

Overall the build quality and attention-to-detail is exceptional, as you’d expect for a car at this price. And it’s really one of the main reasons you buy a Bentley, because it has a level of luxury and quality above brands like Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

Practicality isn’t really your concern when you buy a two-seat mega car like this, so let’s just say it’s about as practical as you would expect it to be. Not very, then.

Is it possible that any car - save one made from gold, dusted with diamonds and stuffed with truffles - would represent good value at a price of $610,000? It seems unlikely, but then people who can spend that much assay value differently, and would probably say that something as profound as the 812 Superfast is worth buying at any price.

Another way to look at it is price-per-litre, which is less than $100,000, considering you do get 6.5 litres of V12 Ferrari donk. Or you could go by kilowatt, which works out at nearly $1000 each for your 588kW.

Other than that you do get a lot of leather, a high-quality interior, superior exterior styling, badge-snob value that’s hard to put a price on and vast swathes of F1-derived technology. And a free car cover.

Bentley is renowned for its big, powerful engines, specifically its unique W12. That’s available in the top-of-the-range Continental GT, but the S model we’re driving is motivated by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

It may not be what Bentley is famous for, but it’s a fantastic engine in its own right and it’s paired to a well-matched eight-speed automatic transmission and an active all-wheel drive system.

Making a very healthy 404kW and 770Nm it has no trouble getting such a big car moving.

Bentley claims the Continental GT S will run 0-100km/h in just 4.1 seconds, which is very rapid and particularly impressive when you realise this car weighs 2335kg.

I did want to give the epic, enormous 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine a perfect 10 here, but when I paused to think about it I had to admit that it is, quite possibly, a little too powerful.

Yes, it is amazing to think Ferrari can build a car that has 588kW (800 horsepower - hence the 812 nomenclature; 800 horses and 12 cylinders) and doesn’t just dig itself a hole in the road as soon as you put your foot down.

And yes, it does provide the kind of performance that makes all other cars seems a bit piss poor and pathetic, even the really good ones. 

But honestly, who could ever use it all, or need it all? They might seem like irrelevant questions, I guess, because it’s all about conspicuous over-excess, a car like this, so really the question is, would anyone want to live with 588kW and 718Nm of torque, or is it just too scary in reality?

Well, a little bit, yes, but Ferrari’s engineers have been wise enough not to actually give you all of that power, all the time. Torque is limited in the first three gears, and maximum mental power is actually only available, in theory, at 8500rpm in seventh gear, at which point you’d be approaching its top speed of 340km/h.

The fact that you can rev an engine this big, and this lusciously loud, all the way to 8500rpm is, however, a joy that would never tire.

In more practical terms, you can run 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds (although cheaper, less crazy cars can do that, too) or 200km/h in 7.9 (which is a tiny bit slower than the far lighter McLaren 720S).

What you can’t do, of course, is achieve any of those numbers on winter tyres, or roads with snow on them.

If you’re looking for a fuel efficient car or are worried about the price of premium unleaded at your local service station, the Continental GT is not for you.

In an entirely unsurprising way, this two-tonne, twin-turbo V8 luxury car is not a fuel-sipping proposition.

Even the official combined urban/highway cycle is 12.5 litres per 100km, which is thirsty.

But if you’re spending most of your time around town, rather than driving to your country weekender, you’ll probably be looking at returns in the mid to high teens, based on our experience.

We saw an average of 16.7L/100km on the car’s long-term trip computer that included more than 1400km of driving.

Fortunately it has a 90-litre tank, which translates to a theoretical driving range of 720km - as long as you can hit the official claim.

Much as you can’t have a good volcano without some serious lava, you can’t have 800 horsepower without burning a lot of dead dinosaur goo. The Superfast has a claimed fuel-economy figure of 14.9L/100km, but on our drive the screen just said "Ha!" and we burned through a whole tank of fuel in less than 300km. 
Theoretical emissions are 340g/km of CO2.

There’s a duality to the driving experience of the Continental GT, as it manages to blend its obvious luxury focus with a genuinely dynamic edge that makes it a true grand tourer.

The combination of the powerful engine and air suspension means it possesses a laid back personality and effortless nature around town.

The engine delivers its performance with ease, moving this big car rapidly whenever you put your foot down, so you can jump into gaps in traffic or make a brisk getaway from the lights.

It soaks up all the bumps and imperfections on the road with minimal fuss, too, despite our test car riding on 22-inch wheels, so you feel cosseted inside the plush cabin.

However, if you find yourself on the open road, the Continental GT S is equally at home.

Dial up the ‘Sport’ drive mode and the engine feels more responsive, the steering is more direct and the suspension is more taut but still compliant.

It makes this a really fun car to drive on a fast, sweeping rural road, where you can let the engine stretch its legs.

Because of its size it’s not as enjoyable on a twisty road with lots of changes of direction, though.

But for enjoying an opulent daily commute or a weekend drive in the countryside the Continental GT S is a great companion.

Insane. It’s a word that people often lift from their lexicon when describing a supercar experience, because clearly, as forms of transport, things like Ferraris and Lamborghinis are not sane options.

But the Superfast really deserves the word, because it feels not only the opposite of sane, but truly bonkers. As if someone built it for a dare, realised it was a bad and possibly dangerous idea, and then put it on sale anyway.

Picture some tiny-handed child with his greasy, post-cheeseburger fingers poised over a big red button on his desk that could wipe out humanity, and that’s basically the situation your right leg finds itself in when driving the Superfast.

There is so much power on tap here - even the limited amount of it that the engineers allow you to access in lower gears - that it truly seems possible you’ll have a Road Runner moment, and simply dig a hole in the ground, if you push the throttle too hard.

Yes, on the one hand, the noises this extreme V12 makes above 5000rpm are memorable and moving, like Satan himself singing Nessun Dorma in a shower of sparks. At one stage we found a long tunnel, perhaps the only dry road within 500km that day, and my colleague forgot all about his licence and let rip.

The numbers on my 'Passenger Screen' spun like poker-machine wheels, then turned red and then implausible. I was shoved back into my seat as if by Thor himself, and I squealed like a small pig, but my co-driver heard nothing over the Monaco tunnel during F1 sound.

Even on dry road, of course, the winter tyres we were forced (by law) to run in the foul snowy conditions could not maintain grip, and we constantly felt the rear skipping sideways. Fortunately we were in Italy, so people simply cheered us on.

The likelihood that you will lose traction in this car is so high that the boffins have included a special feature in its new 'Electronic Power Steering' system called 'Ferrari Power Oversteer'. When you inevitably start going sideways, the steering wheel will apply subtle torque to your hands, 'suggesting' the best way to get the car back in a straight line.

A proud engineer told me that this is basically like having a Ferrari test driver in the car with you, telling you what to do, and that they used their skills to calibrate the system. You can override it, of course, but it sounds scarily like an autonomous-driving precursor to me.

What’s disappointing about this car having EPS at all, rather than a traditional hydraulic system, is that it just doesn’t feel muscular enough for a hairy-handed monster of a car like this.

It is accurate and precise and pointy, of course, and makes driving the Superfast, even in stupidly slippery conditions, almost easy. Almost.

It’s actually surprising how hard you can push a car like this along a windy and wet mountain road without careering off into a muddy field.

More time, and more traction, would have been appreciated, but you can tell it’s the sort of car you’d grow into, and perhaps even feel in control of, after a decade or so together.

So it’s good, yes, and very fast, obviously, but I can’t get past the idea that it’s all a bit unnecessary, and that a 488 GTB is simply, in every single way, a better car.

But as a statement, or a collector’s item, the Ferrari 812 Superfast certainly is one for the history books.

It might not surprise you to hear that, unlike every other company’s press kits, the Ferrari ones don’t generally include a section on 'safety'. Perhaps because driving something this powerful is inherently unsafe, or possibly because they believe their 'E-Diff 3', 'SCM -E' (magnetorheological suspension control with dual-coil system), 'F1-Traction Control', ESC and so forth will keep you on the road no matter what. 

If you do fly off, you’ll have four airbags, and a nose as big as a house forming a crumple zone, to protect you.

Another surprising feature of the Bentley range is the company’s three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which feels surprisingly short in this day and age - especially for a brand that takes pride in its carefully built cars.

There is a 10-year warranty available as an optional extra, but it feels like that should be standard if the company is willing to stand by its products anyway and owners are paying such a premium for their cars upfront. 

The good news is all Bentley models are covered by a five-year servicing plan (intervals are 12 months/16,000km) which is included in the cost of the car.

As you should expect from such a premium brand, the local dealer will arrange to collect and return the car when servicing is required, and a loan car can be arranged if required.

Once you’ve paid the vast cost of entry, it’s nice to know you will get some stuff for free, like your first seven years of servicing, including all parts and labour, carried out by trained Ferrari technicians, who even dress like pit crew. It’s called 'Genuine Maintenance', and is genuinely Kia-challenging in its scope.