2012 Bentley Continental Supersports – Performance With A Price

First Look:

If you try and please everyone, you will end up pleasing (completely) to no one, and this popular belief has hold true in the past and does that again with the 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports. The Continental Supersports is the high-performance version of the conventional Continental GT, and enters the market with an appeal that not only will lure the driving-oriented opulent car buyers, but at the same time to those who have an eye for the striking sports cars. As a result of which, you gets a vehicle which might not attract either of the two group of buyers, and instead will fall into a very narrow gap were the two world meets.

For the driving oriented customers who prefers performance over any other thing, the base Continental GT model having sprint 0 to 60 time of 4.7 secs and maximum speed of 199 mph, surely is something to cheer about. Still, the Supersports wont disappoint them and its nice to know that the car is both faster and quicker. The Supersports touches a top speed of 204 mph and sprints from 0 to 60 mph on 3.8 seconds. If you are influenced by those numbers, then here on another number that might shock you, and it’s the price tag of Supersports: $77,100. So if you aspire to own one of these Supersports models, then that’s the fortune you’ll have to pay.

Going for Continental Supersports will ask for more sacrifices. The parcel shelf here replaces the cramped back seats, while the ride quality of the car gets compromised because of the firmer suspension. And having manually operated seats in a car which has a price tag of more than a quarter of a million dollars could be disappointing for some. The good thing here is that for the model year 2012, the Supersports gets the updated infotainment system of GT. The earlier unit was a target of scorn in past models.

The upgraded infotainment system also is the only significant amendment for the 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports, but there are some exotic packages available with the cars and the customers will definitely be attracted towards them. But if you are looking for a perfect blend of performance and luxury then the Aston Martin DBS is a better option and the good thing is that it also has a similar price tag. Some other alternative from the same class includes the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is priced a tad less but offers a lot more agility, so is the case with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and McLaren MP4-12C. And there always is the Porsche 911 lineup, offering a wide range of performance and a spectrum of tastes.

What’s New for 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports?

The 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports gets a much needed infotainment system revise, but apart from that the car is entirely unchanged.

Body Styling and Features:

The 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports comes in a single body style and single fully-equipped trim level. The Continental Supersports is a high-performance two seater variant of the Continental GT coupe.

The standard set of equipments for 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports includes the likes of 20-inch wheels, a back spoiler, carbon-ceramic brakes, parking sensors, bi-xenon headlamps, automatic wipers, unique external styling, keyless entry/ignition, a back parcel shelf, dual-zone automatic climate control, faux-suede trim and upholstery, 4-way manual frivolous front seats, sport steering wheel, Bluetooth, a ten speaker stereo having 15GB of music storage and carbon-fiber trim, a lifetime satellite radio subscription and an iPod interface. The car also gets a navigation system having real-time traffic update and Google Map compatibility.

In comparison to the conventional GT, the performance-oriented lightweight Supersports get comparatively less options. But whatever options available for the car, those options includes the likes of a power trunk, multiple 2 tone interior color choices and a rearview camera, the alternative for reinstalling the conventional Continental GT’s seats and a 15-speaker Naim premium audio system.

2012 Bentley Continental Supersports interior

Under The Hood:

The power for the 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports comes from a 6.0 ltr W12 engine which generates enormous maximum power of 621 bhp and 590 lbs-ft of maximum torque. The standard drive here is All-wheel drive, and the standard transmission here for the 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports is a 6 speed automatic transmission.

In our performance testing the Supersports sprinted from standstill to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and delivered top speed of 204 mph. The fuel economy for the car was also poor with the car delivering 12 mpg in city drive, while 19 mpg on highways and hence had a combined fuel economy of 14 mpg.

Safety:

The conventional safety equipments for the 2012 Bentley Continental Supersports includes the likes of traction and stability control, antilock carbon-ceramic disc brakes and side curtain airbags (available only on coupe).