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The 2027 Bentley Continental GT S is a quintessential aristocratic express. The design is distinctive and impressive without being imposing or aggressive. To the pilot’s pleasure, the driving experience can actually be described in largely the same way. It’s an incredibly capable machine and plenty fast for your ass, but composed and gentlemanly even when provoked.

Bentley has been wise to evolve the CGT slowly. The shape and silhouette are largely unchanged from the first-gen car—and they still look awesome, even if you’re more likely to see them on a buy-here-pay-here lot than a Country Club valet line these days. The Bentley coupe’s cockpit hasn’t changed all that much, either.

The powertrain, however, is considerably more sophisticated than the Bentleys of the past. When we reviewed the even more powerful CGT Speed, my colleague Cy Soliman called it “still exquisite as a hybrid.” I would even dare to take that a step further, at least in the case of this S model—it’s largely exquisite because it is a hybrid.

The Basics

The Continental GT comes in a few main flavors—the “base” car, the luxury-focused Azure, the high-output Speed, and the flagship Mulliner, which also has extra horsepower. This S model sits between Azure and Speed, with the sporty decorative flourishes of the two higher-hp models but not the engine tuning. Make no mistake, it’s still extraordinarily powerful.

With a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and a 140 kW electric motor, Bentley claims this car puts out a combined 671 horsepower and 686 lb-ft of torque. Despite the steel-and-aluminum monocoque coupe weighing a chonky 5,421 pounds, the 0-60 time is a sizzling 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 191 mph.

But straight-line speed isn’t even the Conti GT S’ real party trick. That would be the supremely serene way in which the car glides over asphalt and around corners. For that, we can thank the vehicle’s air suspension, advanced twin-valve dampers, variable-ratio all-wheel steering, aluminum double-wishbone suspension, electronic LSD, and all-wheel torque vectoring.

Driving

Whether you’re lurking through a parking garage, cantering over mountains, or hard-charging down an onramp, this car feels more like it’s floating than rolling. The level of isolation you feel in the cabin, even over New Jersey’s moon-crater potholes and in evasive maneuvers, is truly remarkable.

Put another way: If you’re looking for a visceral, feel-focused driving experience, this ain’t it. While something like a Lotus or Porsche provides extreme directness and communicative steering at the expense of comfort, the Bentley CGT goes wherever you point it, but the operative word is “effortlessness” rather than “engagement.”

Whether that’s a pro or con depends entirely on what you want your car to do. If you’re committed to driving as a sport and are charmed by a little vehicular harshness, you might be better off in something lighter. If you want to be able to make a sketchy pass around local traffic at 110 mph without unsettling the foam on your cappuccino, make your way to a Bentley.

It does feel plenty fast when you really step on the throttle. But where hardcore performance-oriented cars make you feel like a heroic warrior, this one kind of makes you feel like a god—steaming along unbothered, unhindered, and a mile above the fray at whatever pace you see fit.

When it’s time to reel the car in, 10-piston brake calipers clamp down on 16.5-inch front brake discs with an unbelievable abundance of stopping power. From any reasonable speed, even slightly unreasonable ones, the car can be pulled back quite aggressively with minimal nose-diving. You’d better hope all your passengers have their belts on before trying that—and if you haven’t finished that coffee, better hope there’s a lid on it.

When you’re not interested in hard-charging at all, you can actually move in complete silence thanks to the hybrid system, which makes 332 lb-ft of torque on its own. In fact, you can chill in electric mode for just over 50 miles when the battery’s fully charged. You might not be worried about gas prices if you can drop $300,000 on a car, but it’s still nice to be able to creep quietly when the mood strikes you.

How noticeable the vehicle’s hybrid system is depends entirely on your drive mode and style. Leaping into action from the eco mode, yeah, you’ll hear and feel the motor wake up and rush to attention. But the electric motors and gas engine harmonize melodiously in sporty modes—nothing is abrupt besides how quickly the horizon starts coming at you.

Speaking of songs—the exhaust sounds great, and my test unit didn’t even have the titanium Akrapovic exhaust option, which I don’t doubt is incredible. The Continental GT S does not use any computerized or fake exhaust enhancements whatsoever.

The eight-speed dual-clutch automatic is shiftable via the paddles, but I didn’t find the experience particularly satisfying. The car’s a little too isolated from the powertrain for shifting to be fun.

Design

The current Continental GT is pretty much perfect-looking, inside and out. The clean shape and sharp details exude elitism without the caricature vibe you get in some other vehicles at this ultra-expensive tier.

The midsized grille is great, and the haunches over the rear wheels are incredible. The whole rear quarter, really, is perfectly balanced and just awesome looking. The ten-spoke wheels are kind of whatever, and the headlights I’m a little conflicted on. The roundedness is pleasing, but the cat’s-eye turn signal is a little Ford Bronco-ish to me.

If you’re lucky enough to be in the market, choose your interior material and colors particularly wisely. There are some large interior surfaces that make or break the cabin’s look; my main test car had this huge sweeping skyline of shiny piano-black trim, which I did not care for at all. But some of the other cars had gorgeous wood, carbon, or interesting textured soft material. The bolder the better.

Finally, I love that the screen-off button removes the central screen entirely and replaces it with a trio of functional (but mainly decorative) analog gauges. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bentley goes back to analog for its main gauge cluster, too. Now that screens are no longer the realm of highline vehicles, the depth and elegance of old-school needles are coming back in vogue, after all.

Value

It’s silly to talk about “value” in a $300,000 car. Ultimately, the value proposition with a car like this isn’t “is it a good deal,” but rather, is it distinctive among other elite vehicles that cost this much, and I think the answer is yes. The Bentley Continental GT S has a personality that will be particularly appealing to some. If you think it looks cool and have the coin, the drive will certainly be enjoyable.

This Continental GT definitely has more presence than a big Mercedes or BMW. That said—and I hate to make Bentley’s talented engineers wince—but it’s not really that much better of a driving experience. In real-world driving, a $100,000 BMW 8 Series is also surprisingly spry for its level of luxury. Even the humble Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 ($90,000 neighborhood) delivers much of the same “sporty luxury” vibe for a fraction of the money.

But of course, Bentley doesn’t really speak to those looking for frugality in this frivolous category of personal coupes. And while a CLE more or less blends into traffic, arriving anywhere in a Continental GT is pretty much like bringing your own red carpet.

Verdict

The Continental GT S is very fast and very comfortable. But more so than a lot of other high-end machines I’ve driven, this car prioritizes a vibe over visceral engagement. It’s not just that it excites with speed or pampers with plushness—it creates a regal aura around the occupants that’s just a lot of fun to enjoy.

The Continental GT S feels fit for royalty. By extension, driving it makes you feel like a prince, regardless of whether you’ve earned that title. There are far cheaper ways to go fast, but the whole intangible experience of riding in a Bentley is hard to replicate.

Bentley provided The Drive with travel and accommodations, along with the use of a vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2027 Bentley Continental GT S Specs

Base Price	$292,000 plus $4,150 destination
Powertrain	4.0 TT V8 Hybrid | 8-Speed DCT Auto | AWD
Horsepower	671 bhp total | 512 bhp engine | 188 bhp electric motor
Torque	686 lb-ft total | 568 lb-ft engine | 332 lb-ft electric motor
Seating Capacity	2+2
0-60 mph	3.3 seconds
0-100 mph	7.6 seconds
Top Speed	191 mph
Curb Weight	5,421 lbs
Score	8/10

Quick Take

Supreme luxury with a smooth ride at supercar speed.

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If you are driving anywhere between Dallas and Wichita this weekend or early next week, you need a plan that accounts for severe weather every single day. The Storm Prediction Center has issued severe thunderstorm outlooks for four straight days, Saturday, April 11, through Tuesday, April 14, across the Southern Plains.

A deep upper-level trough digging into the West is combining with a surge of Gulf moisture so extreme that the Weather Prediction Center says precipitable water anomalies are running three standard deviations above normal across the Plains. Each day brings a new round. The corridor shifts. But the cities in the crosshairs stay largely the same, and the highways connecting them will be under threat for the better part of four days.

The Storm

The ingredients are textbook severe spring weather, and all of them are dialed to high. A longwave trough enters the West Coast this weekend and ejects east across the Plains through early next week. Ahead of it, a southerly low-level jet is pumping Gulf moisture deep into Texas and Oklahoma, with surface dewpoints climbing into the upper 50s and 60s. A dryline across west Texas will trigger Saturday’s initial storms. As the trough sharpens and moves east, the environment becomes increasingly favorable for supercells capable of producing tornadoes, very large hail, and destructive straight-line winds.

Instability builds each day. Deep-layer wind shear strengthens each day. The threat escalates from scattered Saturday to potentially widespread by Monday and Tuesday.

Day by Day

Saturday, April 11. Storms fire along the dryline across west Texas and eastern New Mexico during the late afternoon. Moderate instability and 30 to 40 knots of deep-layer shear support supercells with large hail and severe wind gusts. Coverage is scattered and the footprint is the narrowest of the four days, concentrated from the Permian Basin into the Texas Panhandle and approaching the Oklahoma border.

Sunday, April 12. The threat sharpens. Southwesterly mid-level flow strengthens, and a moist, moderately unstable airmass stretches from the Southern Plains into the Upper Midwest. The greatest potential for severe storms is across the southern and central Plains, where steep lapse rates and moderate deep-layer shear will support supercells with large hail and severe wind gusts. Some model solutions drive a 50 to 60 knot mid-level jet through central and northeast Texas during the afternoon and evening. If that verifies, it opens the door to a substantial severe threat from central Texas through Oklahoma, including supercells with a tornado threat.

Monday, April 13. The biggest day. The geographic footprint expands dramatically. Moderate instability is forecast from north Texas northward into the upper Mississippi Valley. Mid-level flow strengthens further and deep-layer shear increases. Severe storms capable of large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes are expected across a broad corridor from the Southern Plains into the lower Missouri Valley and upper Mississippi Valley. This is the day when Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City, and potentially Des Moines are all inside the threat zone simultaneously.

Tuesday, April 14. An upper-level trough ejects into the southern Rockies and a mid-level jet streak pushes northeastward across the Southern Plains. Strong deep-layer shear and moderate instability from the Southern Plains into the southern Great Lakes create the environment for supercells with large hail, wind damage, and tornadoes. The SPC says an upgrade to their outlooks is possible once confidence increases on the timing of the ejecting trough. The corridor shifts south and east, covering Oklahoma, north Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi.

The Highways

I-35 (Dallas to Oklahoma City to Wichita). The spine of the threat zone. Every day from Sunday through Tuesday puts some portion of I-35 under active severe weather risk. This is the most heavily traveled north-south corridor in the Southern Plains and the single route drivers are most likely to encounter storms on. Sunday afternoon through Monday evening is the peak risk window along this corridor.

I-44 (Oklahoma City to Tulsa to Joplin, Missouri). Runs northeast through the heart of the threat zone on Sunday and Monday. Tulsa and Joplin both sit in the bullseye for consecutive days. Supercell storms moving northeast along this corridor can cross the highway repeatedly as they track with the mid-level flow.

I-40 (Amarillo through Oklahoma City). Saturday and Sunday’s storms will cross I-40 in west Texas and central Oklahoma. This is one of the earliest corridors to see activity each day, as storms fire along the dryline during the late afternoon and track east.

I-20 (west Texas). Saturday’s dryline-initiated storms will affect I-20 from Midland to Abilene during the late afternoon and evening. Large hail is the primary threat along this corridor on Day 1.

I-70 (Kansas). Monday’s expanded threat zone pushes into Kansas, putting I-70 from Salina through Topeka in the risk area. Storms arriving from the southwest during the evening hours could track across this corridor.

When To Drive

Saturday. Morning travel is fine across all corridors. Storms develop late afternoon in west Texas. If you are on I-20 or I-40 west of Abilene, finish your drive before 4 PM CDT.

Sunday. Morning is again your safest window. Storms develop by mid-afternoon across central and north Texas into Oklahoma. If you are on I-35 between Dallas and OKC, plan to be where you are going by early afternoon or wait until well after midnight.

Monday. The most dangerous day for travel. The threat zone is enormous and storms may be ongoing from early afternoon through late evening across virtually every major corridor from Dallas to Kansas City. If your schedule allows, do not drive. This is the day to stay put.

Tuesday. The corridor shifts east and south. Morning travel across the western portions of the threat zone should improve, but afternoon storms from Oklahoma through Arkansas and Missouri will create hazards through the evening. Check conditions before committing.

Why This Outbreak Is Different

The Southern Plains gets severe thunderstorms in April. That is what spring does. What makes this setup demand attention is the duration. Four consecutive days of organized severe weather across the same general corridor means drivers face compounding risk. A hailstorm that cracks your windshield on Sunday becomes a safety hazard when you are driving through heavy rain on Monday. Debris from Sunday’s storms sits on roadways Monday morning.

Power outages from downed lines affect traffic signals and fueling stations. And the same cities, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, sit in the primary risk zone on two or three of those days. That kind of repeated exposure to major metro areas is uncommon and creates cascading impacts that go beyond what any single severe weather day would produce.

This is also unfolding during what is shaping up to be the most active tornado season since 2011. The SPC has already tracked 43 severe thunderstorm watches nationally in 2026, with northern Indiana alone leading the country in watch frequency. The pattern is aggressive, and this weekend’s setup is the most significant episode of it so far.

What To Do If You Are On the Road

Severe thunderstorms move fast. A supercell can cross a highway in minutes, and the difference between baseball-size hail and missing the storm entirely can be a matter of a few miles. If you see a dark, rotating wall of cloud ahead of you, do not drive into it. Exit the highway and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If you cannot get to a building, pull over, put your seatbelt on, and get below the windows.

An overpass is not a safe shelter; wind speeds are actually higher underneath the span. If hail begins, pull over under any available cover. A gas station canopy or parking garage can prevent thousands of dollars in body and glass damage.

Keep your emergency kit stocked with a flashlight, phone charger, water, and a first aid kit. For a full breakdown on driving in severe conditions, Autoblog’s guide to best practices for driving in dangerous weather covers the fundamentals. Monitor local NWS alerts on your phone, and if a Tornado Warning is issued for your location, act immediately. The safest decision for anyone whose travel across the Southern Plains can wait until Wednesday is to wait until Wednesday.

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