Don't get me wrong, the old 6.1 puts down power to the road with more authoritative kick than a 426 Hemi, and with ten
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| Part of the reason the Continental GT feels so snappy off the line, as will the Flying Spur, is the superb 6-speed automatic transmission. (Photo: Bentley Motors) |
No doubt it will feel much the same in the new Flying Spur, and in so doing making it one of the most engaging 4-doors available. Part of the reason the Continental feels so snappy off the line is its superb 6-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, featuring manual mode actuated either via the gear selector or paddle-shifters that lay behind the steering wheel spokes. The transmission is wonderfully
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| Most surfaces inside are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, and solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel. (Photo: Bentley Motors) |
The shift lever itself is as jewel-like as the rest of the cabin, a hedonistic den of otherworldly creature comforts and, unusually, nominal plastic surfaces. Most surfaces are covered in leather (with more than eleven hides used in each car), suede, wood, metal, and I don't mean metal-like plastic or even a thin metal "veneer", but solid chunks of billet aluminum or chromed steel especially noticeable with the bullseye ventilation outlets and organ stop controls, all finely crafted in a manner normally reserved for expensive handmade furniture, not automobiles.