Bentley Continental GTC Speed: Do you need this much engineering?

By MARK VAUGHN

A picture of The Bentley Continental GTC Speed tops out at 195 mph with the top down.

The Bentley Continental GTC Speed tops out at 195 mph with the top down.

The arrival of the Bentley Continental GTC Speed is the third and final of the Bentley models to come with the sporty Speed option. Yes, along with the Continental GT and Flying Spur Speed models, you can now go 200 mph in your choice of three mighty Bentleys. Thank goodness something is still right in the world.

All of the new stuff that makes a Speed on the other Bentleys is the same that makes a GTC Speed. The engine's turbo boost has been cranked up and the pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft have been lightened and/or stiffened to handle it.

Subtle aerodynamics in the form of a front spoiler and rear deck lip were added to keep the Pirelli PZero UHP 275/35Z-R20s firmly on the pavement. The aluminum suspension was lowered 0.4 inch up front and 0.6 inch in the rear for increased stability. And the largest carbon-ceramic brakes ever put on a production car should keep you lapping at Le Mans well into the night.

But around town, those brakes are mighty touchy, just as they were on the Continental GT Speed we drove two years ago when it came out. Since they're optional anyway ($16,500), you might want to cross them off your options list. In fact, you really should think about the Speed package before you buy it. We loved the plain-old Continental GT well before there was a GT Speed. And we loved the GTC before it got all the Speed equipment. We recommend the Speed Bentleys only for those who really, truly plan to push their rides to the limit on a regular basis.

We pushed our GTC Speed on the day that we drove a pair of them over some superbly twisting forest roads in Northern California. If you're just tooling around in one of these, you will notice the stiffer ride, touchier brakes and even-tighter steering thanks to a retune and a solid-mounted front subframe. But when the road rises up to meet you, you'll be amazed at how well Bentley engineers have controlled the 5,478 pounds of steel body. It doesn't flop or founder in the curves; it hangs on and stays in place wherever you point it.

With the top down, there is very little cowl shake; it's almost unnoticeable. And with the top up--a 25-second procedure--you won't even remember that you're in a convertible. The 200-mph figure is listed with the top up, by the way. If you push the limit with the top down, you'll top out at 195 mph.

There are other degrees of fabulousness in this ride, including a more squared-off grille with a dark-tinted matrix in front, and rifled exhaust tips out back. Inside, the Speed comes in Mulliner Driving Specification with diamond-quilted hide seats and a knurled shifter (knurled means "having small ridges"). Doorsills, of course, say, "Speed."

For almost all driving, even much-spirited driving, you will be happier in the non-Speed models. However, when you push the Speed, it responds well and the whole tighter setup makes sense. At 200 mph, it makes even more sense.

So the question is, are you really going to really push this near-three-ton car, or are you going to cruise back and forth on Sunset Boulevard hoping you spy Lindsay Lohan after a fight looking for a ride home? Or just buy two.

SPECS

On Sale: June

Base Price: $237,695, including destination and gas-guzzler tax

Drivetrain: 6.0-liter, 600-hp, 553-lb-ft, twin-turbocharged W12; AWD, six-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 5,478 lb

0-60 mph: 4.5 sec

Fuel Economy (EPA): 13 mpg

2010 Toyota Prius: More efficiency--but still boring to drive

By MARK VAUGHN

A picture of Tthe 2010 Toyota Prius is green--but not mean.

Tthe 2010 Toyota Prius is green--but not mean.

Toyota

The 2010 Toyota Prius is almost all-new in almost every department. It does just about everything the previous Prius did better. But you might not realize any of that when you drive it.

We rode around in a 2010 Prius with a guy who owns a current-generation version and asked him whether he’d trade in his Prius and buy this new one.

“Eenh, uh, I dunno,” he said.

That might not make a pull quote in upcoming Prius ads. But the Prius really is better. The new model is rated 50 mpg EPA combined, up from 46 on the old car. The old car was the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States, so this new one should carry on that tradition.

On one 33.8-mile loop of mostly flat farm road, with some highway driving and some real-world stoplights included, and with our Prius friend at the wheel, we got more than 70.3 mpg. That was in a near-hypermiler mode of driving, though. Colleagues filled with ill intent returned 26.8 mpg, while a couple of true hypermilers backed up traffic for blocks and returned 94.6 mpg. That was all according to the on-board readout.

The new car can go “up to” a half mile on electric power alone, provided the battery pack is charged and you don’t go faster than 25 mph. This new body also will accommodate the plug-in Prius coming to fleets later this year, which will go up to 12.5 miles on batteries alone.

The improvements to the 2010 Prius are real, and the new Prius really is better.

2010 Toyota Prius

On Sale: Late spring

Base Price: TBA

Drivetrain: 1.8-liter, 98-hp, 105-lb-ft I4; 80-hp (60 kW), 153-lb-ft (207 Nm) motor generator; 136-hp total system output; FWD, CVT

Curb Weight: 3,042 lb

0-60 mph: 9.8 seconds (mfr)

Fuel Economy (EPA): 50 mpg combined