Styling
Ordinarily, an Azure Conti would have lots of shiny chrome metalwork on the exterior, but T55 BML is fitted with the optional £4,820 Blackline Specification, while the 22-inch Azure-specific alloys are also painted gloss-black for an additional £1,530. So, aside from the headlights bisected by a horizontal DRL line which cuts into the bodywork and some elegant, sleek rear lamp clusters (all hallmarks of what Bentley terms the 'Mk4' Conti, although in reality it's more accurately a
heavily facelifted third-gen car), the only real visual giveaway that this is a HPH GTC are the small 'Azure' motifs that adorn the front wings. Mind, this example's Light Gazelle paintwork by Mulliner is quite eye-catching - choose it wisely, though, because it costs £9,540 - although not quite as appealing as its cabin...
Interior
Any Continental GT or GTC cabin is a magnificent place to have to spend some time (provided you're sitting up front; more anon), especially if fitted with the superb Bentley Rotating Display (£5,320) as here. However, the Azure is supposed to promote the feeling of well-being and ultimate luxury for those opting for the HPH powertrain instead of the theatrical grandiosity of a
Mulliner, and the Piano Linen by Mulliner (confusing, we know, but Mulliner is both a specification for the Contis and the Flying Spur,
and the bespoke arm of Bentley's business) fascias, requiring another £2,550 of outlay, in this one really do the job wonderfully well. It's possibly a cliché to talk of yachts when discussing an opulent, open-top grand tourer like this, but sitting in the super-light and impeccable-of-build cabin of this Azure was as close to being on the deck of an elegant sailing vessel as you're going to experience while being a landlubber. We heartily approve.
Practicality
While the Continental GTC is a big old car and one of the few convertible models that has a hope of being classified as a genuine four-seater, the second-row seating still looks like more of an occasional-use thing to us, rather than being suitable for a couple of six-footers for anything other than short journeys. Perhaps the bigger practicality drawback here is that the PHEV nature of all Contis these days (the battery is under the boot floor), plus the space needed in the cargo area to stash the folding soft-top roof when it's down, both serve to reduce the load bay's volume to a piffling 134 litres officially. You might be able to pack that cleverly and still cross continents in the Conti on a touring holiday, but in reality most people are going to resort to putting their expensively tailored luggage on the back seats - further reinforcing the belief that the Bentley GTC is better suited to being used as a two-seater only.
Performance
Comparative losses of 102hp and 70Nm are not huge deficits on cars that start out with comfortably more than 650hp in the first place, so make no mistake - the 680hp/930Nm Continental GTC Azure remains a stonkingly quick machine, despite a kerb weight that is startlingly well beyond 2.5 tonnes (it's actually 36 kilos in excess of 2,600kg - eep!).
And all aspects of the Bentley's complicated yet supremely well-wrought powertrain play their part in making it feel so rapid: any lag that might be evident from the 519hp iteration of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine is completely negated by the instant low-revs hit of the electric motor; the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is a paragon of slick-shifting immediacy and responsiveness; the all-wheel-drive traction of the Conti overcomes the sheer inertia of its bulk with disdain; and of course 680 horses provide more than ample shove for such a luxe-GT as this. That every HPH Continental is quicker than pretty much all the old 6.0-litre W12 models is remarkable - and so impressive is this 'base' (a wholly inadequate term to use, but still) drivetrain in its standard form that Bentley has seen fit to carry it over unchanged for the
recently announced S variants of the GT and GTC.
So the Azure remains monumentally swift but also sweetly docile and biddable when you just want to drive it sedately, while the V8 sounds terrific in the open air of the GTC's exposed passenger cabin. It even managed to return an indicated (and phenomenal) 81.4mpg during a 25-mile blat on single-carriageway A- and B-roads, when starting the trip with only a small portion of its battery power still in reserve. And when the Conti Azure is creeping around in almost total silence on its e-motor alone, then Bentley's PHEV-ification treatment of the GT and GTC family seems all the more validated in the aftermath.
Ride & Handling
The exceptional drivetrain is not completely let down by the Continental GTC's chassis settings, but in this regard the Azure isn't quite as good as the Mulliner and Speed models with their more advanced Bentley Performance Active Chassis technology (which'll be used on the related 680hp S, but not this derivative). Now we're not about to say that the ride comfort isn't anything other than fantastic in the Azure, nor that its open-top body feels particularly prone to flex, nor that the quadruple-layered hood sacrifices all of its refinement qualities.
But there are just little hints and reminders of the GTC's compromised nature in everything the Azure does, courtesy of the fact it's not only a little bit of weight gain in opting for the C over the regular GT; it's a whopping 186kg. That means there's a touch more of an edge to the way the Azure GTC covers off lumps and bumps in the road, there's a little bit more wind noise rustling about the roof (hood up) at speed, the whole car doesn't feel quite as agile or as solid as the GT coupe.
They're tiny dynamic drawbacks, though, and in truth the handling of the Bentley is quite astounding for what it is. Impressively weighted and feelsome steering permits the driver to quickly build rapport with the Conti GTC's kinematic abilities, while its balance and blend of body/wheel control is exemplary. Sure, the GTC Azure is more of a cruiser than a Conti GT Speed, but the gap between them isn't as big as you might think. And for those moments you're rolling along with the Azure's hood down, big V8 burbling away up front and the sun beating down on you, then the feelgood factor of this car will be off the charts.
Value
Any Bentley Continental, whether GT or GTC, and HPH or UPH, is essentially a £200,000 car, minimum, before even getting at the Crewe company's vast array of customisation and personalisation options. A good case in point is this Azure: on top of the five chunky options we've already dotted throughout this review (the Blackline Specification, the painted 22-inch alloys, the Bentley Rotating Display, the Piano Linen by Mulliner fascias, and the Light Gazelle paint finish), a Naim Premium Audio system added another £7,350 to the list price, for a grand total of £261,800 for this car. And so any ethos of 'value' becomes rather a moot point, we reckon.
Summation: the Continental GTC Azure felt worth every penny of that exorbitant asking price, if that satisfies your curiosity?
Verdict
We've not tried a bad Bentley V8 PHEV yet and the Continental GTC Azure doesn't buck that admirable trend. This is a stupendous car in anyone's consideration and, while it might not quite be the pinnacle of the Conti breed, as a 'mere' Azure it's not meant to be - it can leave that sort of work to the likes of the Mulliner and Speed. A deeply talented all-rounder, this 680hp HPH GTC proves that even the entry-level powertrain in the world of Bentleys is arguably more special than the engines you'd find in a whole host of competitors, and there's undoubtedly a most meritorious place for this blissful take on the Continental in the current line-up.
