Even within the city limits of Muscat there is an astounding number of quality roads. Indeed, just a couple of minutes away from bustling harbour fronts looking out over megayachts on one side, and age-old architecture telling stories of a 1,000-year-old civilisation on the other, massive, sweeping blacktops cut through rocky crags as if in another country.
Oman's capital sprawls along a coastal plain that is bounded by hills and mountains. The centre is surrounded by major arterial roads, currently fringed with national flags and images of the Omani ruler, Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed, who celebrated his 40th year as head of state recently. Drivers on these multilane roads are generally courteous and observe lane discipline.
But who cares about courtesy and lane discipline? Who gives a fig about pretty roads and livery? All bets are off when you have 567 horsepower at your disposal and you are wrapped inside your new look. You want the rocky crags and wide, swooping roads that Oman is so good at providing.
Free reign
The second generation of the Bentley Continental GT is your purveyor of horsepower and looks today. Coachbuilt in Crewe, England, the car has travelled through four time zones to Muscat to provide transport on some of the finest, freest roads known to man. It may now be a long way from its wet and industrial hometown, but through the magnificent peaks, compressions, hairpins and bends of Oman, it surely comes into its own in ways it cannot elsewhere.
For those who have seen pictures of the new edition of a car that was launched eight years ago to global acclaim, and have been underwhelmed by the subtlety of the changes made to the exterior design, we suggest that you see the car in the flesh. There have been claims that the new GT is just an iteration, not a generation, so simple have the upgrades been. And it has been suggested that, under the surface, this car does not carry the innovation that is required these days by prestigious, high-performance car makers who are always seeking to lead the way ahead of their rivals.
It is true that the design has been upgraded, albeit certainly not radically. What designer Dirk van Braeckel has done is work with existing fine lines and update them to achieve an altogether tighter and crisper look. Before making your opinion, it is essential to see this car gleaming before you; then you'll witness in detail how a simple redesign of what was hitherto an attractive car has livened it up and given it a new poise. While this comes across as subliminal in a photograph, it becomes clear when faced with the car. There was never any point gilding the lily.
Outside, the bodywork is massaged all round with prominent front fender lines that roll over the headlights and into the more-upright grille. Additionally, the grille has been made more pronounced and asserts itself into the lower intake, while LED daytime running lamps surround the main headlight elements. At the back, a double-horseshoe rear-end treatment appears inspired by the Mulsanne and the taillights curl into the rear fenders. With a 41mm wider track at the front and 48mm wider rump, the car definitely looks broader and a tad flatter than before.
Open the doors to peek inside and you find that the GT has smoothly moved away from the overtly Audi-esque looks of its predecessor. While still based on the same theme, the instrument binnacle now has its own complete character that appears less chiselled out of wood and more modern than before. The chrome surrounds give a touch of class to the gauges.
The centre console houses an 8in touchscreen and the sat-nav gets some much needed improvements with the help of Google Maps — actually, it's a stand-out feature now. There's also a 30GB hard drive and the stereo system uses Balanced Mode Radiator speaker technology, we are told, and Dirac Dimensions digital sound processing to deliver enhanced audio quality. In layman's terms, we found that you can play your music very loud without any distortion.
The interior leatherwork has received a significant upgrade with new seats giving more support and the sweeping leather fascia getting a facelift and softer skin. Still a whole eight cows give their lives to produce the interior of the Continental GT.
Under the bonnet, the 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine has a raised power output of 567bhp and 700Nm of torque — up 15bhp and 50Nm over the previous edition. This is mated to a new ZF Quickshift transmission which enables double downshifts and cuts change times in half, to a region of 200 milliseconds. The 'box, however, still only has the six ratios.
The power is mainlined to all four wheels with a 40:60 front-to-rear standard torque split, a change from the old car's 50:50 distribution that curbs understeer and enables a little more adjustability with the throttle.
This is all good for a 0-100kph time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 318kph — just 2mph short of the fabled 200mph mark, in old money.
While the W12 has been the focus for the Continental range since 2002, the big news is the arrival of a new high-output, high-efficiency V8 unit next year. And that brings us on to the innovation that comes with the new GT, which some say had not gone far enough on face value.
Bentley is somewhat hamstrung by the constraints of its past when planning for the future. Until recently, the carmaker refused point blank to consider either diesel or hybrid engines for its cars as it would detract from the "Bentleyness" that comes from the big, torque-heavy units it has used for generations.
But things have been changing in Crewe; Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, the member of the Bentley board responsible for engineering, told those assembled in Muscat that the company would definitely consider either option if there were a real business case for them. This is a sea change by Bentley standards. It is all about what the market wants, and the international market is clearly going green.
The 2011 Continental GT is lighter than its predecessor, having shed 65kg. It is also capable of running on E85 flex fuels, which isn't so relevant to this part of the world. When the 4.0-litre V8 arrives, we are told it will build on these credentials to become, believe it or not, one of the most efficient engines in the world, boasting the highest per-horsepower efficiency of any decent sized car. Unfortunately, Eichhorn and his team aren't sharing much else, but we're looking forward to finding out more.
The new engine is expected to be paired with an eight-speed automatic — a dual-clutch was ruled out because it couldn't provide the sort of refinement that is expected of a Bentley. The extra pair of ratios should not only help with the powertrain's overall efficiency, but should also make amends somewhat for the power disparity between the V8 and the W12. It is pretty clear already that the V8 is going to be the stand-out in the range, as it figures to cost a good bit less while giving up relatively little in terms of real-world performance.
Put the new Conti on the road and aside from the remodelled body and interior, away from the gains in power and performance, and the first word that springs to mind is dynamics. The GT was always exceptional to drive, but now it has more ways to personalise it for each driver's own individual preference. It has the same old waft of every Bentley before it, but now every subtle change in vehicle dynamics is magnified by its greater performance and the sublime Omani conditions.
The stunning roads here, so fresh, wide and clean, give every opportunity to gauge every aspect of the GT's ride quality. And what was previously tremendously good has now been made a little bit better.
Before, a combination of an extremely rigid chassis and supreme damping would allow for cornering at silly speeds; now you can be even sillier, especially with the new-found throttle adjustability. The air suspension is peerless, and is now minutely adjustable from Sport to Comfort on the centre screen — you can even regulate optimum tyre pressures and the yaw sweet spot.
The steering was always precise and has the ability to flatter less than confident drivers; now it is more responsive given the new torque split that is biased to the rear. It does an excellent job of handling over two tonnes of weight, just as the optional carbon-ceramic brakes perform admirably to stop things.
While the cabin was never even remotely noisy, it is now quieter. Actually, it could even do with a little more sound from the exhaust breaking through into the cabin, a criticism often levied on this car. Dr Eichhorn counters this by saying that a regular driver of the car would soon get bored of this "wuffle", but we can't really imagine that would ever be the case. Part of the joy of driving a car like this is the feasting on its sound.
Verdict
Over 450km of Omani mountains and flatlands, and the GT just eats up the road. It challenges you to ask more of it as you head into the wide sweep of a bend or a tight, rocky corner. It insists you drink in the dynamics that — as you would expect from a car that will be priced in the $200,000 region — do all the work for you but then is adamant that you take the credit.
And despite the slick new lines, opulent and redesigned interior, more powerful engine with masses of torque with just a gentle tap and myriad tuning settings, there is one thing that confirms this two-plus-two coupé is pure Bentley: after 450km of challenging driving, you slide out of its comfort feeling fresh and relaxed, and ready and willing to do it all again.
The W12 engine, first used in Volkswagen's Nardo W12 Coupé almost a decade ago, has been around the block, it's fair to say. What were once two VR6 motors, became a pair of overlapping Vs to form the W12. VR itself is a curious mix of a V-angle and inline engine — V stands for, well, V, and R is ‘Reihe', or ‘straight' in German. Basically it's just a very narrow angle V, designed that way so it could originally fit in a Golf engine bay. Yup, your million-dirham Bentley began life as a Golf… Anyway, the 2011 Conti GT has enough changes for us to accept is a new generation.
The motor makes more power, sure, but there's also a substantial chassis and powertrain change, new suspension and considerably lighter construction. The electronics, too, have received plenty of attention to handle the new torque split and added grunt, while cosseting passengers at the same time.
Specs & ratings
Model Continental GT
Engine 6.0-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission Six-speed auto, AWD
Max power 567bhp @ 6,000rpm
Max torque 700Nm @ 1,700rpm
Top speed 318kph
0-100kph 4.6sec
Price TBC
Plus Better dynamics, wonderful interior
Minus Could be more eventful
Rivals
Aston Martin DB9
Arguably, the Aston wears just as prestigious a badge as the Bentley, but can't hold a handle to Crewe's build quality and execution. Aston materials are top of the shelf, but Bentley needs a crane to reach its shelf. Aston interior ergonomics are questionable at best, too. But power on that 470bhp V12 and you'll forgive it anything. Drive it, and you wouldn't care if the seats were made of egg crates. Also, just look at it, would you? Dh800K
Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG
This technological marvel has air suspension, an eight-speed transmission, night-vision, massaging seats and a twin-turbocharged V8 with more power than the Bentley. It's quite inconspicuous in comparison too (just look at Merc's colour palette, 12 shades of gray), but that's preferable for some people. What's remarkable is its combination of brutal speed and composure, with impeccable cruising ability. Even at Dh735,000, it's a great car.
What's new?
1 With the added power, the Continental GT sprints to 100kph from zero in 4.6 seconds; a match for Aston's DB9, but Merc's CL 63 AMG makes it a tenth quicker.
2 The traditional four-lamp headlights now have LED daytime runners, flanking a more upright radiator grille.
3 Interior changes include a completely new dashboard and seat design, 8in touchscreen, 30GB infotainment system, sat-nav with Google Map compatibility and an astounding sound system.
4 With production techniques like aluminium Super Forming, Crewe has come up with a more sculpted body design and sharper lines, reducing the coefficient of drag to 0.33Cd.
5 Wheels are 20in five-spokes as standard, but you can also choose from two optional 21in rim designs - Elegant and Sports - for the first time on the Continental family.
