Detroit 2012: Bentley Continental "Eco" V8

Introducing the most economical Continental Bentley have ever made. It's not a hybrid nor is it electric but it has a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol.

Okay so that doesn't sound very efficient does it? The new V8 Continental GT and GTC will go on sale in 2012 after launch at the Detroit Motor Show in January along side the mighty 6.0L twin-turbo W12 variants we know and love but the V8s have several tricks up their sleeve to help save you some money on fueling them.

For instance the amount of cylinders the engine uses varies depending on how and where you are driving it. If you are popping out to town or you're crawling through traffic it will use only 4 of the cylinders but if you're overtaking a slow coach on the autobahn all 8 cylinders power up to deliver 500bhp and 487 lb ft of torque. Bentley claim that the V8 Continental achieves the best power-to-emissions standards in the luxury sports car sector as well because while it can top 180mph, go from 0-60mph in around 5 seconds and uses a new 40:60 rear biased all wheel drive system they reckon a full tank will take you 500 miles and CO2 emissions will be 40% better than the W12.

They've not only added a new engine for the 'basic' Bentley but there are also subtle changes inside and out. While the W12 is marketed as a luxury cruiser the muscular V8 has a more sporty theme to it like red enamel 'B' badges, a black gloss matrix grille and 'figure eight' chrome exhausts on the outside with new 'Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus' veneer inserts (like a modern dark wood design by the looks of it) and a shorter centre console that helps make the back seats feel a bit more spacious. You can still fully personalise the entry level continental just like its big brother with optional two-tone leather in almost whatever colour you like with 4 hide colour choices and you can add 21" 'Dramatic Diamond Black' alloys, which I really like the sound of.

Speaking of sound, Bentley have also left us with a taster of the new V8 sound. It's a classic V8 noise which we like but we would rather have the noise of the bigger W12 purely because we feel it suits the car better although we would have to fully experience the baby Conti' before we can give it a final judgement. See what you think of it by clicking the sample below.

This Continental is perfect for anyone that just want the Bentley comfort and style and nothing else. Prices are predicted to be around £120,000, £15k less than the W12 but slightly more expensive than a Mercedes CL63 AMG and a lot more expensive than a Maserati Gran Turismo.