TL;DR
Bentley announced an infotainment upgrade for second-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur models, adding a 9.7-inch, 2K touchscreen with wired and wireless phone projection. The retrofit also moves most climate controls to the display and removes the CD player; Bentley has not disclosed its price.
Bentley has announced an infotainment upgrade for its second-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur, replacing the original system with a 9.7-inch touchscreen while moving most climate functions from physical controls onto the display. The upgrade adds newer navigation and wired and wireless phone projection, but Bentley has not announced its price.
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The retrofit targets cars whose original infotainment systems were designed before Apple CarPlay became available in the Continental GT and Flying Spur. Bentley added CarPlay to the third-generation models in 2019, according to The Drive’s report. The earlier screen was smaller and, as the report describes it, comparatively slow and limited.
Bentley says the replacement display has 2K resolution, a faster processor and updated navigation mapping. It supports wired and wireless phone projection. Those improvements come with a change to the dashboard: temperature, fan speed and air-distribution settings move to the touchscreen, and the CD player is removed.
Not every physical control disappears. The report says buttons for air conditioning and defrosting, along with navigation and voice-control shortcuts, remain, as do seat heating and ventilation controls. Two knobs—apparently for volume and radio tuning—also stay. Bentley has not provided a full control-by-control specification in the supplied announcement coverage.
A Screen Upgrade With a Control Tradeoff
The retrofit offers owners of older Bentleys a way to add modern phone connectivity and a larger, higher-resolution display without buying a newer car. For drivers who use navigation or smartphone projection frequently, those changes could address clear limitations of the original system.
But the upgrade also turns common adjustments into screen-based controls. Drivers who prefer physical knobs for temperature and fan speed may see that as a drawback, particularly when making adjustments while driving. The choice is therefore not simply between an old and a newer screen: it is a tradeoff between updated technology and the physical controls the retrofit removes.
The announcement also illustrates a tension in dashboard design. The source report notes that automakers have acknowledged consumer interest in fewer screens and more traditional buttons. Bentley’s retrofit gives owners a direct version of that dilemma: better infotainment capability, but less of the original tactile layout.
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The Older Continental and Flying Spur Systems
The upgrade is for the second-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur, rather than the newer third-generation cars. These older models already had factory touchscreens, but their systems lacked Apple CarPlay, which Bentley introduced in the later generation in 2019, according to The Drive.
The original dashboard layout placed buttons, dials and a dedicated climate-control readout beneath the screen. That arrangement left less room for the display, while preserving separate physical controls for cabin settings. Bentley’s new system changes both parts of the layout: it enlarges the screen to 9.7 inches and shifts most climate functions into its software interface.
The Drive presents the change as a question for owners, rather than reporting a consumer response or sales result. Its report describes the technology and the controls that appear to remain, but does not establish how Bentley customers have reacted to the retrofit.
Price and Retrofit Details Remain Unclear
Bentley has not disclosed the upgrade’s price, so owners cannot yet compare the cost with keeping the original system or choosing another route to add connectivity. The supplied report also does not specify when the retrofit will be available, which markets or model years qualify, or where customers can have it installed.
Some details of the final dashboard configuration remain unclear. The report identifies controls that appear to be retained, but does not include a complete official inventory of every button and function. Nor does the available information establish how owners will respond to having temperature, fan speed and vent selection managed through the screen.
Owners Await Pricing and Availability
The next practical details owners need are Bentley’s pricing, availability and eligibility rules, along with information about installation. Those would show whether the upgrade is a realistic option across the targeted second-generation cars or is limited by model year, market or other conditions.
Until Bentley provides those details, the confirmed offer is a technology-and-control tradeoff, not a fully priced purchase decision. Owners will need to weigh the benefits of a larger display, updated navigation and phone projection against losing most of the original climate buttons and the CD player.
Key Questions
Which Bentley models are covered by the upgrade?
The announcement covers second-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur models. The available report does not give specific eligible model years or market restrictions.
What does the new infotainment system add?
Bentley says it has a 9.7-inch, 2K touchscreen, faster processing, updated navigation mapping, and wired and wireless phone projection.
Which controls move to the touchscreen?
Temperature, fan speed and vent selection become screen-based. The report says some controls remain physical, including air-conditioning and defrosting switches, seat heating and ventilation controls, and two knobs.
How much does the retrofit cost?
The price has not been disclosed. The report also does not provide availability dates or installation details.
Source: thedrive.com
