2025 Bentley Continental: Still The Most Beautiful Car In The World?

Not long ago I told you about the most beautiful car I’ve ever driven, the 2024 Bentley Continental GTC convertible coupe. I easily fell in love with its simple proportions, effortless drive and surprising power under foot.

Inside, the yacht-like blonde wood and cream leather upholstery were set apart by nautical switchgear and gloss black trim, all adding up to a most eye-pleasing experience. While the 2025 model sports an updated powertrain and some new design details, it’s completely possible to outfit it similarly to the 2024 model, with the same interior colors, accents and paint; Bentley offers buyers more than 4 million ways to spec out its cars.

What Became More Beautiful In The 2025 Model: Twinkling Crystal

The headlights on the last model were truly an outlier, and also a rock star: crystals surround the lights to create glowy, glittery effect. In the 2025 model, Bentley took the idea further and also, modernized it: A linear stack of LED cubes are offset by glowing lower crystal accents and a winky “eyebrow” daytime light. The effect adds animation and charm to the Continental’s face.

The new headlights frame the face of the 2025 Bentley Continental, priced from $302,000 for the coupe and $332,000 for the convertible—before options. For 2025, Bentley’s designers modernized the front grille just a bit, adding mesh but keeping its pronounced shape as well as its side and lower air intake grilles.

The crystal accents continue on the rear with new horizontally-elongated teardrop-shaped tail lights. The new lights have a more pronounced crystal-cut look to them and fit framelessly into the Continental’s body, tucking into the car’s boot on either side.

A New Engine Defines The Future of Bentley—And Stirs Controversy

After my first test drive of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed I had to sing its praises: the drive experience is superior to the prior model. That’s largely due to the plug-in hybrid electric powertrain that pairs a V8 gas-powered 584 horsepower engine with an electric motor that generates 187 hp, for a full flex of 771 hp and 50 miles of all electric driving.

What it lacks is an immediate roar upon startup, something that Bentley purists who favor the outgoing V8 and W12, which produce 542 and 650 hp, respectively, lament.

However, turn the drive mode dial to “B” or Sport and the engine comes to life with all the delight that the V8 delivers. Fans of the W12, which sports a 12 cylinder engine, might bristle more at the change. However, taking a spin behind the wheel may change their minds. The drive, and the engine sound, is simply glorious.

The 2025 Bentley Continental’s Interior Blends Current And New Design

Bentley has focused significant time and resources its interior the last few years, culminating in a center console filled with switchgear controls for driver and passenger, and new multimedia and driver displays. The overall effect is modern and commanding and for 2025, remains mostly untouched. The switch panel on the center console offers climate and drive settings and is anchored by a lever gear shifter; Bentley has not gone the way of push-button gears.

On the center of the dash, buyers can opt for the rotating display that hides the multimedia screen either behind the same veneer that spans the dash or a trio of gauges. The display automatically spins to hide the media screen when the car is powered down, but you can press and hold the screen button to rotate it while the car is running.

New Details Frame The Bentley Continental Interior

The 2025 model makeover adds more leather in places that were previously finished in other materials and new materials where previously a buyer may have found leather. Buyers can opt to trim the seats, the center console and the dashboard with a contrasting leather color, while door panels, which were quilted leather in past models, can be outfitted with textured soft-touch panels that add a 3-D visual feel to the cabin.

Adding to the architectural feel is ambient lighting, which layers with the new leather surround to add to the glow inside the car.

Mulliner Further Elevates the Bentley Experience

Of course, each Bentley Continental is bespoke to its buyer, and buyers can choose a monochromatic approach to leather rather than a contrast color, as well as other colors and textures throughout.

What is most popular, though, is the Mulliner option, which further customizes interior and exterior choices with special paints, finishes, materials and combinations. Where the Bentley Configurator might be “shopping,” Mulliner is “tailoring.” And this bespoke experience is hands-down the choice of buyers; nearly 70 percent of Bentleys are ordered with Mulliner specifications.

Bentley worked hard to preserve what past buyers have loved: The silhouette of the Continental as well as the GTC convertible, its comfort, its incredible drive experience. And then, to deliver more of what its fans love: endlessly bespoke options that allow them to truly customize their Continental, and to allow the most beautiful car in the world glow just a bit more.