2020 Bentley Continental GT

No variant of the Bentley Continental is what you'd call affordable, with the destination charge alone costing as much as some used cars at $2,725. The base V8 variant costs $202,500, while the W12 is around $218,900. The First Edition W12 is much pricier, with a base price of $266,665. Pricing for the V8 variant of the First Edition hasn't been announced by Bentley, but we expect it to cost around $250,000.

As you may have gathered from the numerous mentions of the Continental's mass, there are a vast number of cars at this price level that are nimbler and more agile. However, the Continental GT is no longer just a GT. It still handles the long-distance low-flying gig with ease, but it's far lighter on its feet than its size and weight may lead you to believe. Bentley is taking itself seriously, and a part of that is its racing heritage. This car has technology that actively suppresses body roll, including active anti-roll bars and a three-chamber air suspension system. The benefit is incredible poise in the corners and equally impressive levels of comfort. It gets brake-based torque vectoring too, allowing for sharper turn-in, while the all-wheel-drive system slingshots you out of the bend like a rocket. Ten-piston calipers reside up front with four-piston calipers at the rear, while 16.5- and 15-inch discs rotate until you jump on the brake pedal. Jump is the operative word here, as the first section of pedal travel is designed to help facilitate smooth stops, and only when you've put a little more pressure down does the car drastically reduce speed. In traffic, this is great, but it takes some getting used to when you're behaving spiritedly.

At this level, the opinion of a motoring journalist is unlikely to sway a potential buyer one way or the other. Cars like this build their marketing on desire. In this case, that would be the desire to be in the quintessential grand tourer, a car with the ultimate in bespoke finishes and materials. The Continental GT delivers exceptionally: it's quiet on the inside, comfortable, smooth, and effortless, but also manages to be raucous when you put your foot down and is far too fast for regular and full exploitation of its capabilities in terms of performance. It's far more capable than it seems, too, and is as agile and tenacious in the corners as you'd expect from a sports car manufacturer, and then some. It's not a perfect car, and is rather poorly specced in standard form for something that costs as much as this, but the well-heeled luxury car shopper won't care. For us, it's out of reach, but if it became possible to have one, we'd be absolutely delighted.

All Bentley's are exquisitely crafted and are truly luxurious fast grand tourers with impressive handling ability, but we like the V8 variants. They're lighter on the front end making them a little more fun to drive, return considerably better fuel economy figures, and are almost as quick from 0-60. They're also less than ten mph slower than the bonkers W12 versions. We'd also suggest going for a First Edition. It comes with far more standard safety equipment than regular models and, despite its price, will likely be a worthwhile choice as a result of its unique finishings and features.

When you think of British luxury and opulence, one name beats Bentley to the bell and is the preeminent purveyor of luxury speed and style, not to mention opulence and extravagance. Rolls-Royce's answer to the Bentley Continental GT is their own two-door coupe called the Wraith. It's far more expensive than the Bentley, and starts at an eye-watering $320,500. Powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 engine, the Rolls is actually less powerful by 20 hp, but bragging rights mean little when you have a constellation of star-like lights above your head and suicide doors. Where the Bentley focuses a little more on being a decent performer as a sports car, the Rolls is all about the quietness and smoothness of the ride. The Rolls is larger too and more spacious. Either is a fantastic choice, but the Bentley is the one you want if you take an active interest in driving.

Can Italian flair beat bespoke British luxury? Well, yes and no. The Maserati GranTurismo is certainly far lighter and more of a sports car than the Continental, despite Bentley's best intentions. The Maserati is fitted with a 4.7-liter V8 that produces up to 454 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque, but it's far lighter and therefore more agile. It also has stiffer suspension and although it's slower from 0-60 and on top end, it's far more engaging. Unfortunately, that and the sound of its Ferrari-derived engine are all it has going for it. It's outdated inside, shares parts with cheap Chrysler models, and with a notable lack of standard features, you can spec one to well over the base price of a Bentley Continental without any of the benefits. Because it's so cheap in some places and vastly more uncomfortable, we'd skip the Italian here.