Fanatec Bentley GT3

Our rating : 9.3/10

Fanatec often collaborates with prestigious racing brands. BMW, McLaren and Porsche are the first to spring to mind, and these collaborations have given us some magnificent steering wheels developed and sold by Fanatec.

You’re probably familiar with Bentley, the British luxury brand. Well, technically, it’s pure German design, as the brand has been part of the Volkswagen Group since the 2000s. Bentley offers 3 models in its catalog: an SUV, a sedan and a GT coupe, and it goes without saying that all three are ultra-luxurious.

But Bentley also offers “sporty” versions of its models, principally the Continental GT. If you ask me, it doesn’t really make sense to offer a sporty variant of a GT coupe that literally weighs 2 tons. Except that Bentley has a long history in motor racing, and with the Continental GT, it’s a sort of heritage that’s coming back into fashion. The Continental GT3 is the racing version of the same car, with a twin-turbos V8 under the hood that spits out over 600 horsepower. And on a whim, Bentley has decided to enter this GT3, or at least one of its variants, in the Pikes Peak.

Fanatec got wind of this, and contacted the British company to develop and market an official replica sim-racing steering wheel. The result: we’ve got the Podium Bentley GT3 on our setup, and we’re off to see what it’s got.

Main and technical features of the steering wheel

• Magnesium alloy structure and carbon fiber faceplate
• 31 cm diameter with rectangular shape
• 3.4″ circular center screen with 800 x 800 pixel resolution and forged carbon fiber edges. An integrated gyroscope system keeps the screen upright.
• QR2 Pro on back of steering wheel
• 16 backlit controls and 6 rear-mounted paddles
• RevLED on top of front panel
• Weight 1.9 kg
• Availability of a stand to display the steering wheel
• Availability of a Pikes Peak-specific handle for the bottom of the steering wheel

Design

The Bentley GT3’s design is restrained, if you omit its flashy controls. The carbon fiber faceplate has green accents, which give it character. Honestly, I’d have preferred forged carbon fiber, as on the casing surrounding the screen, which is simply stunning.

Nonetheless, the Bentley GT3 remains an eye-catching steering wheel. Its very rectangular shape gives it a rather unique, clearly racing-car design. Alcantara grips enhance the wheel’s premium look, and this is accentuated by the QR2 Pro at the rear, as well as the magnesium alloy structure.

Customized assembly

As this steering wheel is part of the Podium range, it has been given a luxury treatment. As a result, the gold QR2 Pro is found on the rear, which is machined from an aluminum billet derived from the aviation industry.

This QR2 Pro is very solid once in place, and its installation has been slightly revised compared to the model it replaces. You pull on the gold ring, align the handwheel, always paying attention to the connection pins, insert the handwheel into place and then release the ring. This time the operation is a hair safer, I must say, as the QR2 has a rectangular shape now, which limits the chances of installing it crooked. Nonetheless, I’m still in favor of taking care during this operation.

Manufacturing and finishing

The Bentley GT3’s structure is based on a magnesium alloy for lightness and strength, although the steering wheel tips the scales at around 2kg. The faceplate is made of 5mm-thick carbon fiber, and the screen is housed in a kind of forged carbon-fiber case to protect it.

The build quality is very premium, which is to be expected as this is an officially licensed Bentley steering wheel, part of Fanatec’s Podium range. Everything about the GT3 is perfect: the finish, the build quality, the materials, the assembly and so on. You won’t find a flaw, gap or anything else on this wheel. It’s not only beautiful, it’s premium in every way.

Handling the steering wheel

With a diameter of 310 mm and a rectangular shape, the Bentley GT3 is easy to grip. The controls are naturally close to your hands, making them easy to use while racing. Speaking of controls, the 8 buttons on the front panel are concave and require around 600 g of force to operate.

On the central spoke of the steering wheel, you’ll find two rotary switches that can be easily accessed with the thumb. At the rear are 6 paddles, 4 magnetic and 2 analog. They’re adjustable in spacing only, but that’s plenty for sim-racing.

In the center of the faceplate is the pièce de résistance: the 3.4″ round display. It is touch-sensitive and displays telemetric data on the vehicle. What’s more, it’s equipped with an Arm processor and a gyro sensor to maintain orientation at all times. When cornering, the screen remains level, so information is always legible.

Sensations during play

Let’s test this new steering wheel from Fanatec and Bentley. At first glance, you’ll notice a certain lightness to the wheel, even though it weighs almost 1.9 kilos on the scale. The magnesium alloy structure, coupled with the carbon fiber faceplate, provide an excellent distribution of the wheel’s mass, and also the fact that I did my tests on a ClubSport DD+ meant I didn’t really feel the weight of the beast.

As previously mentioned, the Fanatec Bentley GT3 is a steering wheel that feels great in the hand. Whether it’s the controls close to your hands, the paddles on the rear (4 magnetic and 2 analog) or the central display, you’ll feel the car in its every move.

The Alcantara on the grips is well made, very premium, giving you the luxury of doing endurance sessions without resorting to sim-racing gloves. Personally, I’m all for using gloves on any run over 30 mins, especially if you have alcantara grips, as we all know that this material doesn’t take on water super well over the long term.

Speaking of the screen, it displays telemetric data linked to the vehicle you’re driving. It can be customized, of course, but not with SimHub. The data display can only be used via Fanalab for customization purposes. As a result, you won’t be able to do what you want with it, as Fanatec’s software is not as open as SimHub in this area. Nevertheless, the data available was more than sufficient for my sim-racing needs.

Compatibility

The Bentley GT3 is compatible with the entire range of Fanatec Direct Drive bases currently on sale. This gives you a wide choice between CSL DD, ClubSport DD and Podium DD.

As far as platforms are concerned, you have PCs of course, but also Playstations (4 and 5), provided you have the base compatible with Sony consoles. It’s not really a change from Fanatec’s usual routine, so we’re on familiar ground.

Value for money

Let’s move on to the second “disadvantage” of this wheel, which is the price. The Podium Bentley GT3 is a wheel that costs almost €2,000. So, yes, it’s a premium wheel under official Bentley license, part of the Podium range. But €2,000 is still expensive, and Fanatec knows it.

My verdict

The Podium Bentley GT3 is a magnificent steering wheel that complements Fanatec’s range of wheels. It’s clearly aimed at an elitist audience with the means to afford it. Between build quality, finish and feel, I really have nothing more to say about this wheel, apart from its exorbitant price.

But on the other hand, if you’ve got the budget for it and you’re mainly into GT racing, the Podium Bentley GT3 is a more than feasible choice. I personally recommend it if you can afford it, because the driving experience is truly unique.