It’s no secret that Bentley is owned by VW, nor that when the German bought the famous British marque in 1998 it was floundering.

However, it was another five years before the car that would change the luxury car-maker’s fortunes arrived. That car was the Bentley Continental GT and, despite sharing its chassis with the easily-forgotten Phaeton, it racked up 65,000 sales over the next 15 years.

If that figure fails to impress, compare it to the firm’s Mulsanne, which last year notched up just 186 sales in Europe.

It’s fair to say that, outwardly, the styling of the all-new Continental is a cautious evolution. The long bonnet, stubby rear end and short overhangs remain so its heritage is instantly recognisable but, though the changes might appear subtle, delving a little deeper reveals something more profound is going on.

For a start, there’s the potential to implement a degree of autonomous driving and a plug-in hybrid powertrain will certainly be introduced sometime in the future.

It’s worth noting, too, that this new generation Continental shares its platform with the Porsche Panamera. Indeed, Crewe’s engineers were very much a part of the design process from the start, meaning that the platform carries as much of Bentley’s DNA as it does the German firm’s.

That chassis is constructed from a combination of aluminium and high-strength steel and is wrapped in a sleek suit of superformed aluminium, except for the boot lid, which is composite plastic.

The new Continental is bigger, fractionally, in every direction but the most significant number is the additional 100mm between the axles.

Beneath the bonnet is the Crewe firm’s familiar 6.0-litre W12 engine with new cylinder heads that allow both direct and indirect fuel injection and cylinder shutdown variable displacement running. Power output has risen by 44bhp to 626 while torque has increased significantly to 664lbft, a figure that outstrips even the outgoing GT Speed.

More importantly, the new chassis and transmission have allowed engineers to move the engine 135mm further back which translates into a weight distribution ratio of 55:45 compared to the previous model’s 58:42.

There are more changes aft of the engine too. The previous model’s torque converter transmission and Torsen centre differential has made way for an eight-speed dual clutch gearbox with a dual-mass flywheel and a drive system that sends torque to the rear wheels under normal driving but can divert a little less than half to the front when conditions call for it.

It rides on the same three-chamber air suspension as the Panamera which, engineers claims, gives it a ride and handling balance that be a match for either the S-Class or the 911, depending on how you like your pancakes.

Did you know that the rhombuses embroidered on the seats use 712 stitches each? Neither did I but it’s a great example of the attention to detail that goes into making a luxury motor car. That single detail might not mean that much to the majority of people – even to those among us lucky enough to be considering a Bentley as their next car – but the GT is an amalgamation of tiny details, a coalescence of intricate ideas subject to skilled application to create a cabin of sumptuous appointment.

There’s a degree of stately home charm inside the GT with its combination of rich wood veneers, soft leather, gleaming chrome and deep-pile carpets but don’t be fooled, this is a car brimming with all the very latest technology, some of it literally hidden beneath those same veneers.

If you’re familiar with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit then the similarities – in function at least – between it and the all-digital display that’s replaced the analogue dials in the instrument binnacle will be clear. It’s capable of displaying full-size virtual gauges plus sat nav guidance, video from the night vision camera or infotainment information. Alternatively you can replace the rev counter and water temperature gauge with a larger version on that secondary display.

When you start the engine the wood veneer in the centre of the dash revolves to reveal a pixel-dense 12.3in MMI display. It is, according to Bentley, the largest touchscreen ever installed in one of their cars and it is certainly impressive. The graphics are crisp and the colours rich. It’s responsive too, reacting to the lightest of touches with impressive speed and fluidity.

If you prefer a more traditional look a flick of a switch will rotated the infotainment display out of view and replace it with a bank of analogue instruments. Details, details…

Front seat passengers will find themselves ensconced in bullhide leather seats that are electrically adjustable in 20 different ways. Oh, and they’re also heated and ventilated and include a massage function. They are, in fact, so comfortable and cosseting and accommodating that, even after several hours, you'll feel as fresh as a day-old daisy.

Space is a little tight in the rear. So much so that you might want to think twice before offering lifts to grown-ups you like. However, there’s room enough for smaller children and/or child seats. Fortunately the boot is just about big enough to swallow a week’s worth of luggage for a small family.

The previous generation Continental effortlessly lived up to its billing of a grand tourer in the very grandest of senses. It would gorge on mile after mile of motorway as if it was nothing more than a light snack, trailing an air of ambivalence behind it.

The new Continental does that too but now there’s a harder edge to its personality that only starts to reveal itself when the questions start to become a little more demanding.

There has always been a sense of joyous bewilderment at how the almost two-and-a-half tonne Continental launches itself off from a standing start but, it seems, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The new car does something that seemed at least improbable, if not impossible, and delivers an experience that is likely to blow a few minds with its visceral relentlessness.

Accelerating hard from a standstill has the capacity to throw your senses into disarray. There’s a restrained savagery about the way it goes about gathering momentum that’s surreal, as if what your eyes are seeing and your ears are hearing is very different to what your body is feeling. The W12 engine under that long bonnet really does make light work of shifting the Continental’s considerable mass.

As quick as it is, however, this is a car that responds most favourably to smooth throttle inputs. A little tenderness goes a long way in the GT – without sacrificing any of its monumental performance – because there remains an inherent softness to the pedal response. As the revs rise – the transmission upshifts automatically at 6,200rpm even in manual mode – there remains a degree of laziness about the big motor’s power delivery but certainly it spins more freely than in the previous model.

GTs have a broad remit. They must be capable long-distance cruisers yet still deliver driving thrills when called upon. That’s a difficult balancing act and one that the previous Continental didn’t get quite right, certainly when it came to delivering B-road excitement.

Sitting on a platform developed with Porsche’s help should help with the latter but has it come at the expense of the Continental’s mile-munching credentials? The quick answer is absolutely not. Slip the drive mode into Comfort and it will waft you along in impeccable, uninterrupted near-silent serenity for mile after mile after mile.

Its abilities are undiminished on B roads, demonstrating a level of composure and body control that admirably disguises the car’s mass, even in the suspension’s softest setting. If you want to better explore the limits of the car’s abilities then you’ll need to select either the Bentley driving mode, which has been optimised by the firm’s engineers, or opt for the Custom setting that allows you to configure the steering and suspension settings to your own taste.

It’s then that you’ll become aware of the significant strides Bentley have made in terms of handling and body control. The adaptive suspension and active body control systems do a sterling job of managing the car’s mass to the extent that it starts to feel considerably more compact than it actually is, at least until you start to reach the limits of adhesion. And if you’re doing that, you’re really missing the point.

It’s noticeable that in anything but Comfort mode – which essentially means firmer suspension settings – there’s a small degree of bluntness to the secondary ride over more pronounced imperfections.

Bentley Continental GT ownership will cost you a minimum of £159, 100 but potential owners can expect to add significantly to that figure. My test car arrived with a smidgeon over £43,000 of extras, including the rotating display (£4,700), Naim for Bentley premium audio system (£6,500) and Mulliner Driving Specification (£8,095) that adds 21in alloy wheels, quilted seats and metal fuel filler and oil caps.

The Continental’s status as a magnificently luxurious, sporting limousine has never been in doubt but, with the new model, Crewe have crafted an automobile that is also a proper sports car. Performance has always been monumental but now, thanks to much better body control and cornering poise it’s possible to access that performance more of the time and on more intricately carved roads.

It isn’t without its flaws – it occasionally struggles to conceal its mass and I can’t helped but be a little disappointed with the muted soundtrack from the 12-cylinder engine – but they are unlikely to detract significantly from what is a wonderfully crafted driving experience.

Bentley Continental GT

Price: £!59,100

As tested: £202,185

Engine: 6.0-litre W12 twin-turbo

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch

Max power: 626bhp @ 6,00rpm

Max torque: 664lbft @ 1,350 – 4,500rpm

Max speed: 207mph

Acceleration (0-60mph): 3.6sec

Urban: 16.9mpg

Extra urban: 29.7mpg

Combined: 23.2mpg

Emissions (CO2): 278g/km

For more information visit www.bentleymotors.com