Aston Martin DB9 vs. Bentley Continental GT vs. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti vs. Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG - Build Quality & Materials - Luxury Sport Coupes Comparison

Polarizing best describes the 612's cabin design. Some liked the combination of digital and analog instruments; some didn't. Some favored the look of the retro-inspired Daytona-style seat stitching; others felt it looked dated. Everyone dug the supple, aromatic Italian leather that covers nearly everything, and the aluminum trim is just that. The Scaglietti won the rear-seat room contest by a bunch. This is a real 2+2 that'll hold real adults in back. The Bentley and Mercedes were about equal in second, with our 95th-percentile male measurement model experiencing only minor knee or head contact when sitting "behind himself." If you intend to sit in the back of the DB9, plan on storing your legs somewhere else.

There's no loser here. If you can buy any of this foursome, you're riding in fine, fast style. But the Ferrari and the Bentley were most consistently referenced in endearing, want-one-in-my-driveway terms.

The Scaglietti is the driver's driver among this litter. This V-12 is the one you'll flog the hardest, and the F1-A autoclutch trans becomes your partner in that crime. The 612's steering is the most communicative, the chassis the most responsive, and the brakes the strongest (although all were superb). This cavallino rampante lets you know everything it and the road are doing, yet never punishes. Its performance, ride, and handling envelopes are large, and, strangely enough, so is its back-seat area, as noted. It'll be interesting to see how this Ferrari's exterior styling plays over time, as it was nobody's fave. As the most expensive, it should deliver more. It does, and for many buyers in this category, even a hundred-grand premium is no biggie to get what they want, although one editor quipped that the Scaglietti is "a $200,000 car and an $80,000 donation to the Ferrari F1 team."

The Continental GT oozes gravitas from every seam. It feels special and makes everyone in or around it feel special, too. Nothing looks quite like it, and its fit, finish, build quality, and materials set a high standard. It's a performer--but it'd be more balanced and athletic if it weighed less and carried less hardware. Still, this Bentley's presence and substance, combined with its (relatively) low price, make it a unique and desirable piece. It impresses, whether it's eating up black pavement or pulling up to a red carpet, and is the "gotta have" favorite of several staffers.