Compare the2023 Bentley Continental GTVS 2023 BMW 8 Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Bentley Continental GT have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 8 Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Continental GT. But it costs extra on the 8 Series.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the Continental GT helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Continental GT has a standard Top View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 8 Series only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Continental GT has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the 8 Series’ blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Continental GT has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the 8 Series.

Both the Continental GT and the 8 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available lane departure warning systems.

The Continental GT comes with a full 3-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The 8 Series’ 50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

The Continental GT’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 207 more horsepower (542 vs. 335) and 200 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 368) than the 840i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder. The Continental GT’s 4.0 turbo V8 produces 19 more horsepower (542 vs. 523) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 553) than the M850i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8. The Continental GT SPEED’s standard 6.0 turbo 12-cylinder produces 127 more horsepower (650 vs. 523) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 553) than the M850i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Continental GT’s fuel efficiency. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Continental GT has 6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 8 Series (24 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Continental GT offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The 8 Series doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Continental GT’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 8 Series:

The Continental GT SPEED has standard heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The 8 Series doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The Continental GT stops shorter than the 8 Series:

For better traction, the Continental GT has larger standard tires than the 8 Series (F:265/40R21 & R:305/35R21 vs. F:245/35R20 & R:275/30R20). The Continental GT’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 8 Series (F:275/35R22 & R:315/30R22 vs. F:245/35R20 & R:275/30R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Continental GT has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the 8 Series. The Continental GT’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the 8 Series.

The Continental GT offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 8 Series; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the 8 Series don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The front and rear suspension of the Continental GT uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the 8 Series, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Continental GT has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Continental GT’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Continental GT’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the 8 Series (112.2 inches vs. 111.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Continental GT is 1.7 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the 8 Series.

The Continental GT V8 handles at 1.01 G’s, while the M850i xDrive Coupe pulls only .98 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Continental GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the M850i xDrive Coupe (23.8 seconds @ .85 average G’s vs. 24.2 seconds @ .85 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Continental GT SPEED’s turning circle is 4.4 feet tighter than the 8 Series’ (33.8 feet vs. 38.2 feet). The Continental GT’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the 8 Series xDrive’s (35.2 feet vs. 39 feet).

The design of the Bentley Continental GT amounts to more than styling. The Continental GT offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .29 to .32 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is lower than the 8 Series (.31 to .33). A more efficient exterior helps the Continental GT go faster and keeps the interior quieter. It also helps the Continental GT get better fuel mileage.

The Continental GT has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 8 Series (87 vs. 81).

The Continental GT has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom and 3.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the 8 Series Coupe.

The Continental GT Convertible has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more rear headroom and 2.5 inches more rear legroom than the 8 Series Convertible.

The Continental GT’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. BMW does not offer a locking feature on the 8 Series’ standard power windows.

To shield the driver and passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield, the Continental GT offers an available center sun visor to cover the area between the driver and front passenger visors. The 8 Series can’t effectively block glare in the center of its windshield.

The Continental GT has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The 8 Series doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Continental GT offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 8 Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Bentley Continental GT has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 8 Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2019 issue and they ranked the Bentley Continental GT two places higher than the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe.