2026 Bentley Continental GT Mulliner review

One of the common theories often presented when it comes to pure electric vehicles is that they are ideally suited for luxury cars. There’s a lot of sound logic there. EVs are dead silent and produce enormous performance — two core tenets of any good luxury car. And few would deny that EVs are currently motoring’s most cutting edge technology. At least until we can figure out how to make these four-wheeled things fly. 

I recently realised that this theory has a huge problem, though. In the Gucci-wearing world of luxury vehicles, there’s one thing more important than refinement and performance, and that’s exclusivity. The often selfish sensation of owning something that other people want, but cannot have. 

The performance of a luxury EV, like a Rolls-Royce Spectre to pull an example out of the sky, is undoubtedly impressive and potent. But, it’s also very directly comparable to the kind of performance, sensation and feel you can get from most dual-motor EVs on the market. And these days, dual-motor EVs may as well be a dime a dozen.

You know what’s, by comparison, pretty exclusive these days? A V8.

There was a time where the introduction of the V8 to the Bentley Continental GT line-up was seen as a bit of a watering down of the nameplate — something to maybe sit in the shadow of the original 6.0-litre W12. Now Bentley’s plug-in hybrid 4.0-litre V8 is the only show in town, and you’d struggle to find much in the way of complaints about it.

The big Conti’ benefitted from the arrival of a comprehensive update last year. The MSB platform got a birthday, dual-valve dampers and dual-chamber air suspension landed to improve the versatility of the Bentley’s ride, its headlights gained a dash of LED-infused winged eyeliner on their flanks, and — of course — it gained a plug. Now, Bentley has rolled this update outwards and upwards to the exceptionally exclusive (and inexplicably expensive) Continental GT Mulliner. 

The Mulliner story is one that is, more literally than you might expect, as old as time. With roots going back as far as the 1500s, Mulliner London Limited was founded in 1870 as one of the world’s oldest coachbuilders, eventually navigating the transition from horse-drawn carriage to motor vehicles. 

Mulliner became Bentley’s official coach builder in 1923, with the two companies remaining intertwined in the 103 years since. As Bentley’s ‘personal commissioning division’, Mulliner is who customers go to when they want a deluxe Bentley with the lot. This isn’t simply a paint and sticker shop, it’s a top-to-bottom bespoke coach-building service that makes every GT that goes through its doors truly unique.

How much does the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner cost?

How long is a leather-bound, diamond-encrusted piece of string? 

Let’s start with the easy bit. The Bentley Continental GT starts at $515,000 for a Speed before options. Of course, you’re more likely to bump into Loch Ness or Big Foot than a Continental GT without any options ticked, making the notion of a ‘base price’ a little bit silly. Most locally sold Continental GTs have prices starting with a six. This particular Mulliner, with the spec chosen by the folks at Giltrap Group (we’ll sink our teeth into the dollars and details shortly), is a $687,000 car. 

What are the GT’s main rivals? Well, Mercedes-AMG’s recently revitalised SL starts at $352,300 in GT Coupe form, and the Aston Martin DB12 is priced in excess of $500,000. All three cars are powered by a 4.0-litre V8, with the Bentley’s producing the most power and torque. 

What’s the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner like inside?

Where the heck do you even begin?

If you find yourself getting fatigued by modern car interiors — big touchscreen, no buttons, the commitment to minimalism — the cabin of the Continental GT will feel like a perfect antidote. And I’m not just talking about the trick concealable display panel. 

Everything you can see inside the GT is exactly what it looks like. There is no printed wood fakery or plastic painted grey to look like metal. Each knurled dial and switch is satisfyingly weighted and cool to the touch, being made from metal. The leather lining every major surface is sumptuous, bound together with perfect stitching. 

And the piano black elements shown in our tester aren’t plastic, but rather hand-shaped, hand lacquered wood veneer. They’re a finish specifically selected for this Mulliner, alongside the ‘Diamond Milled Technical Finish’ silver panel that forms the lower portion of the dashboard, and the ‘Harmony Diamond’ quilted Linen & Beluga upholstery. There’s also the trippy animated Bentley puddle lamps that illuminate on the ground when the doors are opened. 

These compliment a handful of exclusive exterior treatments, including the ‘Double Diamond’ grille and polished 22-inch wheels with self-levelling Bentley centre caps. 

You cannot talk about the Continental GT’s interior without touching on the dashboard’s centrepiece — the Toblerone-like rotating panel in the centre that flips between showing the 12.3-inch touchscreen, to a trio of dials (a temperature gauge, compass, and stopwatch), and a flat vacant surface. This has been a Bentley party trick for years now, but it never ceases to impress anyone who gets the ‘hey, check this out’ interior tour. 

With respect to technology, the GT also comes with a 12.3-inch digital cluster, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated and ventilated massaging front seats, an electric bootlid, built-in satnav, and more. The hulking doors have trick hinges that can be opened and held to any angle — perfect for not dinging other cars or exiting gracefully when parked on a mild hill — paired to soft-close latches. 

No need to slam the doors, that wouldn’t be very British of you. 

Whilst some of that fancy tech is good to see, as you might predict it’s the lingering traditional touches that amuse most. There’s the metal ‘organ stop’ stalks that you pull out or push in to open and close each respective air vent. An analogue clock inevitably makes an appearance. And there are oodles of physical switches for everything, with Bentley clearly treating each switch and button as a chance to impress the user. 

There are plenty of cars these days that pitch themselves as being premium because of a branded sound system and a bit of soft-touch faux leather on the dashboard. The GT’s cabin serves as an immediate reminder of how real luxury looks and feels. It is a joy to sit in here.

Complaints? There are a handful. The most obvious one is the lack of space in the back seat. I took some family for an outing, and adults — even small ones — are a real tight squeeze in the second row. The 260-litre boot is also a little small in grand tourer terms. And the Bentley also had repeated struggles with automatically connecting to wireless Android Auto (software struggles, the true measure of a real luxury car). 

There’s something else, too. Beyond the beautiful standard of finish in this thing and some of the branded elements (embroidery in the seats and logos on the dashboard and clock), there aren’t many immediate visual identifiers that this is a Mulliner. Without sitting in them back to back, it’s hard to state unequivocally that the execution of this coach-built Mulliner is quantifiably better than that of the last Continental GT I drove — which itself was also plenty impressive.

That thinking might miss the point of course. Simply knowing that you’re driving a Mulliner, a car more exclusive than just about any other Continental GT you see out in the wild, will be worth the price of admission for the privileged few in position to buy one of these beasts.

What’s under the bonnet?

Whilst this plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain is familiar to the rest of the Bentley line-up, this is the first time that the Continental GT Mulliner has been given the same mechanicals as the flagship performance Speed variant. 

The 4.0-litre twin-turbo plug-in hybrid V8 produces 575kW of power and 1000Nm of torque — more power than any Bentley produced before it. That’s enough oomph to send this 2500kg, leather-clad grand tourer from woe to 100kph in just 3.3 seconds, and eventually to a top speed of 335kph. 

I know that it’s probably not the most front of mind element of the GT’s powertrain, but its PHEV system really is worth spotlighting. Its healthily sized 26kWh battery pack and 140kW electric motor make pure electric driving in the Bentley possible, with Bentley claiming an EV range of 85km. 

As far as actual fuel economy claims go, Bentley states the Continental has a 10.3L/100km average — double-cab ute numbers, but not bad given that the non-hybrid V8 used to do 14.0L/100km. Keep on top of charging the battery (and refrain from too much right pedal indulgement), and you could hit Bentley’s combined fuel economy figure of 1.3L/100km. 

How does the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner drive?

Forgive me, but I’m going to keep harping on about the hybrid stuff. 

Plug-in hybrids are often very handy, but can sometimes feel a little limited in your typical family car when the battery level is depleted. One of the quirks I’ve often found in PHEV supercars and sports cars is that they tend to replenish their batteries with surprising ease. And that’s the case here with the Continental GT.

It’s relatively easy to always ensure there’s a decent chunk of battery present by simply slotting the car into a V8-priority drive mode like Sport. Drive it in Sport mode for 20–30 minutes, and you’ll see a tangible bump of 10-15% in battery percentage. 

There’s a plethora of reasons why this is significant. Of course, it’s handy to have a bit of silent pure electric propulsion available if you’re wanting to make a quiet getaway from home in the wee hours of the morning or wanting to tone things down in the middle of town. A bigger positive, though, is the way that it extends the capabilities of the big Bentley’s tank of fuel. Our tester had an estimated range of almost 700km when we picked it up on its full tank of gas and full battery, and that was more or less proven accurate over the four days we drove it. 

But, it’s not just about saving fuel. The PHEV system also complements the power delivery of the 4.0-litre V8. It plays a big part in why the GT is seven tenths quicker when accelerating to 100kph than its non-hybrid predecessor, helping give the Conti’ a stronger immediate burst of performance from a standstill. Most importantly, the hybrid system doesn’t take anything away from the theatre of the V8. And there’s plenty of theatre.

Stomp the throttle, and all the preconceptions of silent, subtle luxury take a back seat to a mountainous V8 roar and a surprising amount of immediate punch. The Volkswagen Group 4.0-litre is arguably the most characterful and sharp 4-something-litre V8 on the market, with its distinctly deep exhaust note and quick-thinking 8-speed dual-clutch sidekick. 

This is objectively a luxury grand tourer. But, the way this V8 combines with Bentley’s twin-chamber dampers, 4-wheel steering and torque vectoring system (all products of the model’s most recent update) will have you tackling twisty backroads as if it’s some kind of supercar. 

There’s a heap of mechanical grip from the staggered Pirelli P-Zero rubber, helping make it rather easy to place the Bentley on a traditional, narrow New Zealand country road — a neat surprise given the long bonnet you have the peek over. It stops well too, thanks to the standard and enormous carbon ceramic stoppers behind each of those glimmering 22-inch wheels.

This doesn’t have to be a good performance car, particularly in this Mulliner trim. But, it is. Explosive drive off the mark, a platform that can stay composed on big direction changes despite its weight, and an absolutely lovely sound from those quad exhaust tips. 

And best of all, absolutely none of this compromises what it’s like to drive this around town and over long distances. Its twin-chamber suspension allows for a supple, polished ride in urban environments. Combined with the PHEV’s silence and the work Bentley has done to hush the GT’s cabin, it's hard to imagine a more comprehensive grand tourer experience. 

What do you get?

The Bentley Continental GT’s exact specifications will of course vary depending on the tastes of the customer, with a near endless amount of customisation across the colour of your leather and stitching, and whether you favour wood or carbon fibre. 

Bentley Continental GT Mulliner equipment highlights:

• 22-inch Mulliner wheels with self-levelling badge
• Staggered Pirelli P-Zero tyres
• Diamond knurled metal fixtures
• Diamond Milled Technical dashboard trim
• Double Diamond Mulliner grille
• Harmony Diamond quilted leather upholstery
• Grand black wooden veneer
• Smart air purification
• 12.3-inch touchscreen on rotating panel
• 12.3-inch digital cluster
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• Wireless phone charging
• Heated and ventilated seats
• Massage front seats
• Bang & Olufsen or Naim sound system 
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane keep assist
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Ambient lighting
• Animated puddle light
• Head-up display
• Wi-Fi hotspot
• My Bentley App Studio
• Analogue clock
• LED Matrix headlamps
• Carbon-ceramic brakes
• Electric bootlid 
• Dual-zone climate control

CarExpert’s take on the Bentley Continental GT Mulliner

The latest generation Continental GT is one of those cars that has the potential to ruin a journo’s outlook on plenty of other cars. It delivers on core performance car values better than a lot of very fancied V8-powered supercars and sports sedans. And it does so whilst lugging around one of the most well furnished interiors in modern motoring, and a trick hybrid system to boot.

Whilst it might not exactly be a car for the current political moment, you don’t need to be exposed to the GT for long to understand and appreciate what it’s all about — uncompromising luxury and comfort, with a generous serving of booming V8 thrills. And, all of that is especially true if it happens to be stamped with the Mulliner name.