Bentley Continental vs Kia EV3

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.

It's hard to say how this will ride on Australia's roads just yet, but the packaging and drivetrain - as well as the range from what we can tell - are all good signs for the EV3. 

A relatively small city car with what seems to genuinely be about 600km of range and a spacious modern interior? 

It’s not perfect, and there are some local specifics that could prove important, but as long as the price is right, I'm feeling pretty good about this thing.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

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.

Kia's new design language comes in strong here, the EV3 is bringing in EV9 vibes to a smaller shape and it pulls it off convincingly.

The sharp lines on the LEDs both at the head and tail-lights are so distinctive and so clearly related to the bigger SUV.

The geometric squared-off wheel centres are also different from anything else getting around and the side silhouette is quite cute.

It’s boxy without being aggressive, but it manages to look properly modern without sacrificing practicality by sloping the roof and eating into the interior space.

The tidy but interesting design language carries through into the interior, where some elements will look familiar to owners or drivers of current Kia models and maybe even some Hyundai EVs.

Without overdoing the attempt at sleek, futuristic vibes, the EV3’s interior blends a combination of materials to create a visually dynamic look - something that along with the large display unit and well-considered touchpoints helps distract from some of the hard, scratchy plastic around the cabin.

While the global trim options for the EV3 include some fairly bright colours, expect Kia Australia to take a more minimalist approach to make things easier on the supply side.

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.

Kia says in pre-production opinion testing participants thought the car looked bigger than it is.

It's larger than a Volvo EX30 and smaller than a BYD Atto 3 - dimensions are 4300mm long, 1850mm wide and 1560mm tall - but it's inside where the space is really important. 

For a start, the 460L boot is much bigger than the EX30's (318L), and it also has a 25L frunk.

Also, because it's a dedicated EV platform, it's got a low, flat floor and its wheels sit at the corners of the car, not eating into the interior space.

It's a pretty clean, crisp space, and a combination of good light and some clever packaging make it feel closer to a mid-size SUV on the inside. 

The seats are electrically adjustable with leather and the cloth options feeling pretty nice to touch. The headrests are comfy, too.

Adjusting the seats to find comfortable positions is easy, and two adults can sit comfortably one behind the other in the EV3 without lacking knee-room.

In terms of the tech functionality, Kia leans a little further into using the touchscreens than feels necessary. Having a climate panel always accessible is good and the shortcut buttons below the main multimedia screen are useful, but menus are more distracting than they need to be at times.

Storage in the cabin is above the standard for a small SUV: you get the aforementioned quasi-desk that pulls out from under the central armrest, cupholders and bottle storage isn't in the way and even the phone charging pad is roomy.

Behind my own seating position, I've got a nice amount of knee and headroom at 178cm tall, the backrest has a wide adjustable range and there's a standard fold-down armrest with cupholders, too. The rear seat is also where access to the interior V2L socket is.

The EV3 is going for a premium feel in a small SUV package, and the features list proves it.

While the base model we drove on launch gets cloth seats and no sunroof, the seats are still electrically adjustable and there’s a massive 30-inch panel with 12.3-inch driver display, 5.0-inch climate control touchscreen and a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen as standard across the range.

That means even if you only opt for the lowest spec the EV3 is primed to impress, especially if you’re coming from a car several years older.

Depending on how Kia Australia decides to go when it comes to features, expect the more expensive variants to have a sunroof, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and maybe even some options for contrast trim colours.

A few other locked-in features are the cabin’s ambient lighting, an adjustable central table that slides out from the armrest and V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) capacity for powering appliances from the car’s battery.

The price of the EV3’s going to be pretty important, but we don’t know exactly what figure Kia has in mind this far out from its Australian launch.

Expect pricing for the EV3 to have it battling the higher-end variants of rivals like the BYD Atto 3 or MG ZS EV - which land around $50,000

It’s pretty much guaranteed it’ll be priced lower than the mid-size EV5 SUV, though eventually a GT-Line version of the EV3 is likely to show up and cause overlap between pricing for the two line-ups.

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.

At launch, the EV3 will come in a single-motor, front-wheel drive layout with a power output of 150kW and 283Nm of torque.

A standard-range 58.3kWh and a long-range 81.4kWh version will make up two battery choices, but later an all-wheel drive GT-Line variant is set to show up with more power.

Power outputs for future variants remain unconfirmed by Kia, so we’ll wait until a local confirmation comes along in regards to Australian line-up and outputs.

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.

While Kia says the maximum driving range under WLTP testing should be about 600km, its standard range 58.3kWh battery doesn’t yet have a confirmed claim.

A proper power consumption figure also hasn’t been confirmed, but during the launch the EV3’s anticipated range even after quite some driving suggested a 600km run on one charge is reasonable.

Kia Australia hasn’t confirmed charging speeds, but specs from the UK suggest the smaller battery can charge up to 102kW on DC charging, while the long-range battery maxes out at 128kW. 

The EV3 uses a 400V architecture instead of the 800-volt used by larger Kia EV models, thus its slower charge rate. Both should charge in around 31 minutes from 10-80 per cent, Kia says.

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.

This is where the Kia’s home advantage really comes in. The little EV3 feels like it was designed especially for Seoul, and while that means it should fit in just fine in city and metro areas in Australia, a day driving the car in its domestic habitat doesn’t give us the full picture.

But going on what was learned behind the wheel in South Korea, the small SUV is a pretty impressive thing.

Its 150kW, front-drive motor feels like the sweet spot for city driving - it’s never lacking power but can be easily applied smoothly.

Kia’s new 'i-Pedal 3.0' should feel relatively familiar to experienced EV drivers, too, with the paddles on the wheel able to adjust regenerative braking or enable one-pedal driving.

This seemingly helped plenty with maintaining a decent available driving range. Kia’s claim of 600km on a single charge in the long-range variant seems realistic.

In terms of steering and manoeuvrability, the EV3 managed some tight underground parking, narrow laneways and busy car parks on test. While steering feels light and manageable, it's also well weighted for smooth inputs at highway speeds.

Its ride and suspension in both urban and highway environments is comfortable and compliant, though Seoul’s smooth roads and the lack of fast cornering on the test route mean a proper dynamic assessment will have to come later when the car lands in Australia.

By that point, Kia Australia’s Ride and Handling Chief Engineer Graeme Gambold will have been able to adjust the car to suit local conditions, so some small issues with tyre noise at highway speeds may no longer be the case by then.

The EV3’s active safety and automatic cruise control tuning kept the little SUV well on-track and managed other cars, braking and lane-keeping smoothly - especially for a city with the hectic traffic we saw on test.

Never did the EV3’s systems do anything unexpected when in use, which gets a big tick at a time when some brands are still struggling to properly calibrate even the right braking distance and intensity for semi-autonomous driving.

No independent safety testing has been carried out for the EV3 yet, but a five-star rating from the likes of ANCAP is crucial for an SUV from a high-volume brand like Kia.

The EV3 does come with plenty of safety kit, including an advanced driving assistance suite with an electric dynamic torque vectoring system, forward and reverse collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist and a pretty well-sorted smart cruise control that, in Korea at least, can automatically let you know your average speed over a stretch of road to avoid getting pinged by point-to-point cameras.

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.

Australian servicing costs won’t be confirmed for some time, but Kia has a very competitive seven-year warranty on all its cars.

It’s usually unlimited-kilometre, but Kia only covers its EVs for up to 150,000km over that period.