The new hood – it doesn’t have to be tweed by the way, seven colours are offered besides – also delivers in terms of refinement. Bentley says its new model is 3dB quieter for cruising than the outgoing convertible, which makes it no noisier than previous-generation coupe.
This is down to a new Z-fold roof. Its mechanism, insulation, seals and acoustic properties are all new and, apart from the extra hush in what is anyway a very quiet car, delivers packaging benefits. The roof goes up or down in 19 seconds at speeds up to 30mph.
The styling makeover that distinguishes the latest coupe, with which it shares the majority of its body, is just as effective here. The longer and lower nose, new feature lines and, sign of a true Conti, muscular rear haunches are just as prominent. It is all very grand in its finely-crafted extravagance but also more sporting and less bulky looking than before. Top up or down you will struggle to find an awkward angle.
There’s a good chance you will stay snug without resorting to the tweed outerwear. There’s a new, quieter, neck-warming blower built into the seats, plus the seats themselves, the steering wheel and the armrests are all heated.
The convertible, with its 2+2 seating, inherits all the advances from the coupe in terms of digital displays and connectivity, luxury materials and latest chassis technologies. The dash features the same three-sided rotating centre display as the coupe. It’s a 12.3-inch touchscreen that when you get tired of its icons and menus can rotate to show instead a trio of actual analogue dials, a temperature gauge, compass and chronometer.