So we got a 2013 Bentley Continental GTC Speed
Hey, looks like we landed ourselves another Bentley. This time, it’s the Continental GTC Speed and apparently we’re the first ones to review it here, probably because all the “big” journalists are out of the country. That doesn’t matter, because the Continental GT is among our most favourite cars.
Nothing new needs to be said about the styling. But people keep asking us what’s with the colour. If you think it looks like a lemon, that’s because the colour is officially dubbed “Citrus” in the brochure! When you have money, you can do anything.
The cabin in this one is a staid black. Personally, if we were paying more than a price of a villa for a car, we’d opt for fancier colours to show off that every inch of the interior is covered in leather.
The Continental GT is practical, but only to a point. While you can carry a fair amount of groceries, you cannot got beyond that. When shopping for small furniture items, we stuffed some small curtain rods in the back seat after we couldn’t get them in the boot. The rear seats don’t fold flat either.
Still, the Continental GT remains the best car Bentley has ever built. It is the perfect blend of uber-sportiness and uber-luxury without compromising on either. The design has remained almost the same for the better of a decade, and with good reason. We never get invited to any of their factory tours, which might’ve gone a long way in explaining why the car is so damn expensive, but we don’t need to see the production methods to appreciate the final product. More in the full review.
Comments
marc
nice drive, uuuuuugly color 🙂
mohammad
Mash, I really enjoy your reviews. I even use your buyers guide when I want to buy a used car (which I do often). That being said, your constant whining about not getting cars from some dealerships, or not being invited to the parties where new models are launched is becoming quite tiring.
I have been following your website for over 3 years, and you have done VERY WELL for yourself my friend. By admitting that you are not a “big” journalist, you are causing yourself more damage than good.
Case in point: this is the 4th(?) Bentley that you got to testdrive, and here you are complaining that you only got it because others are out of town.
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
You do realise you are whining too. And that these four Bentleys came after 3 years of no Bentleys. This site is based on transparency, and that is what the articles reflect. Simple as that. Just because you don’t get to drive Bentleys doesn’t mean that, as the region’s largest automotive media outlet, we should shut up and be content driving cars long after some of the most useless magazines around. The freshness of the story is gone by then. This multimillion-dollar business is more than just about showing off in front of friends in fancy cars.
Sunil
Well said Mash.
mohammad
Mash, 3 years of ago how well established were you? You have grown a lot in the 3 years and I know this because I have been following you! Is Drive Arabia available in printed format and sold at gas stations? How many reviewers and writers do you have? From what I see, it is you and your brother-in-law (the guy who sold the Galant).
It has nothing to do with ME not being able to drive Bentleys but you. It is about being a professional journalist, and such statement (Such as the one you made about me not being able to drive a Bentley) just goes to show that you are not being professional.
My friend, my brother….Rome was not built in a day!!
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Three years ago, this site already had become the largest automotive publication in the region, whether online or offline, in terms of readership. No one knows who actually buys the rags at gas stations. Not sure where my “brother-in-law” came from. We have more writers around the GCC than any car magazine here. And when you throw an insult, don’t be surprised by the response.
mohammad
Some of the dealerships just have a thing against you because of the color of your skin and your nationality.
And btw, I didn’t mean to insult you. I admire your work, which is why I follow your website. I was trying to tell you what I feel as a READER (and basically a customer) when I read such an article of yours (and I guess I am not the only one, since my original post got liked 4 times). Maybe I phrased it wrong and you felt as if I am attacking you.
Anyways, I do wish you all the best in the future and I will still keep supporting your work 🙂
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
If you came to one of my meets, I’d share tons of stories with you on what goes on behind the scenes, some of it rather unbelievable.
fouad
Hey mash agree with what u said. In effect the circulation for most of the regional car magazines has been reducing with some of them off the shelves as well. I am sure that with the readership drivearabia.com generates you deserve to be the first on the invitee list. Till then the important thing is that for sure your website has left a mark on the regional automobile industry and that’s something great. Keep up the great work