California or Bentley Continetal GTC?

I've compared both extensively, and bought the Cali. It is more of a drivers' car to me. The fit, finish and luxury feel of the Cali greatly exceeded the CGT, which surprised me, but I attribute it to the CGT being a much older design that has been only mildly refreshed (pay attention to the thickness of the steering wheel rim and the padding on the door bolsters, for example). The CGT's back seats are a little more commodious because of their angle, but leg room is about the same in both (I have little kids, so that matters). The CGT Speed's reflexes are sharper than the V8 or base V12 variants, and the exhaust is sportier, but it's still very heavy. The AWD is a plus in the CGT. I prefer the look of hardtop convertibles. A new loaded CGT Speed is about $25k more than a comparably loaded Cali, if that matters. My local dealer was discounting Speeds for the holidays, though, so perhaps that price differential is less in reality. Of course, no discount on the Cali. Audio is superior in the CGT, as is trunk space. The Supersports felt much faster than the Cali, unlike the other CGT's, but is not in production right now. That's about all I can think of right now, but I'm sure others will share their views.

Brett

 

I've had both, hands down Bentley for that type of car. I was not a big fan of the Cali

 

Hi Lonnie, can you be more specific on why that is?

 

Another vote for Bentley GTC. I had a 2009 Mulliner spec,... just sold (mistake),... but am looking for another.

I'm married with 2 boys...

If you want a 4 seat convertible, with room for 4 and weekend luggage, while still being able to put top down,... it's the GTC.

Cali rear seats are small. Cali trunk with top down is small.

Maserati GT Cab is best looking of the bunch,... has useable back seats,... but the trunk is suitable for a garment bag, and not much else.

 

It may be a driver's car more then CGT but fit,finish and luxury????
You are very,very wrong on all 3 counts,Cali is a decent car but in that regard falls behind CGT (and SL) far,far behind.
It squeaks,it rattles more and has subpar comfort creatures (A/C controls,Navigation,seat controls and features,etc) then the other 2.
I am NOT criticizing the California but let's not be Brand blind here......

 

Depends on what you want. The family to go along? If so, Bentley. Just you and your bride for fun drives with top down? Toss up. Fun sound, more intimate cabin, grins? California. Very different cars. Definitely not the luxury car. If you just want to round out your stable, GTC will do that nicely, providing that luxury ride for picnics in the countryside!

 

I am waiting for a 2015 California, and can be persuaded for a 2013 at the right numbers. Among my other cars, I obtained a pre owned certified 2007 Bentley GTC which I greatly enjoy.

Would it be a mistake to trade in the GTC for the Cali, or if I can manage, keep both

Am I being redundant in luxury cars having both a GTC and Cali?

If I am redundant, and don't use the back seat, except for my dogs, which is the best choice? I owned my cars before, but this would be my first "f" car.

Bewildered and confused

 

I would say they are very different cars, if you would like a larger car with a back seat then keep the Bentley. When i need a back seat (very Rare) i grab my sons car or wifes
Having said that i am going to trade my 2012 GTC Maserati on the Cali. Personally, i cannot justify 2 cars which are so expensive

 

I'm waiting to go for my bike ride at the moment but I've been intrigued by this thread, comparing 2 very different cars. I haven't driven the Bentley before and I'm personally not in the market for such a car but it does have its interesting qualities, so I took a quick closer look at what I can gauge from specs and car reviews.

For my research I picked the higher spec Bentley GT Speed Convertible (GTSC) madel. The Bentley is more of a GT than the California 30 (C30) which is arguably more of a sports car than the GTSC. The Bentley is quieter in all areas, seems to have slightly more interior room and 1 cu ft more trunk space. The C30 is faster except for the top end where the W12's extra HP comes into play. The C30 is a lot lighter and smaller which translates into more nimbleness on the road and ease of parking whereas the GTSC is more refined and quiet at speed.

The GTSC has a traditional GT cruiser profile and functionality with its softtop while the C30 has a "stealth" coupe profile with its hardtop. The C30 has a more youthful appeal. Both cars have marginal rear seats but the C30 offers the option of ordering a rear bench in lieu of seats for extra stowage space.

The GTSC uses a auto 8-speed AWD transmission and mounts its engine in front of the front axle while the C30 uses a 7-speed DCT RWD transmission and mounts its engine behind the front axle. IMO, the GTSC really needs the AWD to make its power delivery and handling practical to use and this also adds a slight bonus in low speed Winter traction though it is probably not advisable, given its enormous weight, to drive it fast under Winter conditions. The DCT is what bestows the C30 its higher performance and its RWD makes it possible for drivers to drift the car if desired and it can be used in the Winter but needs SottoZeros, comfort mode and thoughtful handling. Having the C30's engine behind the front axle (just look at its long air intake path) makes it more responsive and more neutral to maneuver than the GTSC.

So all in all, I think these are simply very different but very desirable cars that need to be appreciated and driven in different ways.

 

Michael's thought echo mine almost exactly. The Bentley is powerful, yet stately as a boulevard cruiser. If you carry four people, no contest- Bentley all the way. If you want edgier with better performance in a responsive sports GT, no contest- Ferrari California. If you have the space in your garage, get both for the different times and places you want to drive.

 

I don't have any squeaks, rattles or subpar creature comforts. I guess it depends from car to car, but I'm not brand blind. Just rebuilt my DCT, as other threads have chronicled. $27k worth of repairs that I'm glad were covered under warranty. Would I ever buy a Cali without a warranty? No, but I wouldn't do that with the Bentley either. The Cali has been unreliable and has had excessive downtime for many electrical gremlins, but one experience does not a comparison make.

 

over 2 years with my Bentley GTC.... total nights spent in shop... ZERO. Never required an overnight stay. Total receipts.... Under $3K.

 

And I'm sure NO ONE has EVER had ANY problem with a Bentley GTC. As Brett said "one experience does not a comparison make".

I had a problem with the top on my California but other than that I have absolutely no negatives (and a lot of positives) with my car - no squeaks or rattles and I'm fine with the performance and creature comforts.

 

Ferrari <--------dissimilar cars--------> Bentley

 

IMO, the Bentley GTSC has lot of Audi DNA and for that fact alone, it should be more reliable than the C30.

BTW Brett, it would be very useful for every owner of a DCT-equipped Fcar to learn about the DCT and its failures as much as possible. I'm curious but what was the nature of your DCT failure? What part of the DCT "broke" and what caused it to "break", and importantly, how did the dealer fix the DCT in a way that would avoid the same failure in the replacement DCT?

I'm saying this because another very knowledgeable and experienced California owner, MalibuGuy, has determined that some cars with "broken" DCT units have been repaired with rebuilt DCTs of the same generation which means they would likely fail again for the same reason.

So here's my concern. It isn't enough for the factory to replace a broken part, it needs to explain exactly why the original part failed and why the replacement part should not do the same thing again. While for common wear-and-tear items it may be understandable if the time-between-failure is reasonably long and/or cost of repair fairly low; for a DCT it would be unacceptable - because the very expensive DCT was billed as "good for the life of the car".

As owners, we need to keep very close tabs on why DCTs fail, which generation of the Getrag units to avoid and which generation of DCTs came with which MY car. This goes for the 458,&#8230;etc. as well as for the California.

As for Jdriver, you do need to know this going in but also realize that so long as your car is kept under warranty aside from the hassles you will be covered and that DCTs are what Ferrari uses in all their cars. If you like the new Ferraris, they will have DCTs.

 

I have owned both. The Bentley was nice but did have a few quirky electrical gremlins (tail lights going out,TPMS always on, window motor seizing, but for a British car, not that unexpected).
As others have said, if most of the driving will be with 1-2 people, get the California. If 3 or more people will be in the car for any length of time, go with the Bentley.

 

Seems I touched a nerve.

I'm sorry you find it irritating / offensive that I post my service costs and experience. Surely you noticed the OP asked for a comparison between the two cars?

Read my posts. I said nothing negative about the Cali except the obvious... Hard top convertibles consume more trunk space with the top down,... and the back seats are smaller.

 

Sorry Simon - that was unnecessarily p1ssy on my part. I was already irritated by something else and I type faster than I think (and I'm a really slow typist ).

While one experience does not constitute a comparison, that one experience is still a perfectly valid data point. I have no personal familiarity with Bentleys but I have every reason to believe that they are truely fine autos.

 

No problem! And thanks for the reply. All is good. Best wishes!

Both are fine cars.

 

Black/black with yellow stitching,calipers and shields is gorgeous imho )