Fanatec Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 – Review

Fanatec Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 – Review

With the long-awaited Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3, Fanatec has finally introduced the latest addition to its steering wheel line-up. In this review, you can find out whether the €2,000 steering wheel with its eye-catching display is worth the money and for whom it might be of interest.

Ordering and shipping

As usual with Fanatec, the steering wheel can only be purchased via the company’s own shop. It is currently offered there at a price of €1999.95 plus shipping, with an availability of four to seven days. Shipping is carried out by UPS, and a free account with UPS is recommended for shipment tracking.

The product tested here was provided by the manufacturer. No influence was exerted on this review at any time.

Specs

Fanatec itself specifies the following data for the steering wheel:

• Officially licensed Bentley product
• Designed for the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak hill climb car
• Comfortable 310mm diameter wheel with Alcantara® grips
• 5 mm-thick carbon fibre plate with custom green weave
• Pikes Peak Grip: optional lower grip (included) to suit different driving styles
• Magnesium alloy core for maximum stiffness and weight saving
• QR2 Pro Wheel-Side preinstalled
  • Meets FIA standards
  • CNC-machined from aviation-grade billet aluminium
  • Tapered shape naturally ensures a tight fit
• Self-levelling circular display in centre of wheel to show telemetry and other features
  • 3.4” 800 x 800 px RGB vertical stripe LCD
  • Touch screen
  • Forged carbon bezel
• Four CNC-machined aluminium rotary encoders with signature Bentley knurling
• Eight snap-dome buttons with 600 g activation force
• Backlit button surrounds
• Two 7-way FunkySwitch™ directional sticks with encoder functionality
• Two aluminium thumb wheels with optical encoders
• Nine RGB RevLEDs and six RGB FlagLEDs programmable via FanaLab
• Paddle design based on the Bentley Continental GT shift paddles
  • Four magnetic paddles, two for gear shifting, two for additional functions
  • Two analogue clutch paddles using contactless Hall sensors
• Powerful, dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 microprocessor allows for the self-levelling display, unique Tuning Menu graphics, and smooth video playback
• Aluminium, USB-powered desk/wall mount (USB adapter not included) activates the display to show:
  • Timepiece Mode (analogue clock)
  • Track Mode (preloaded telemetry and videos of famous circuits)
• Integrated USB-C port for firmware updates (cable included)
• Sticker set with 50 labels included
• Interchangeable button caps (compatible with the Button Cap and Sticker Set)
• 1900 g (approx.)
• Robust travel case included

Lieferumfang

The scope of delivery of the Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 is exceptional. It is supplied in a very high-quality, solid case in which the steering wheel can be transported. In addition, a very high-quality aluminium holder is supplied, which transforms the steering wheel into a decorative object when it is not mounted on the wheel base. The following components are included in the scope of delivery:

• Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3
• QR2 Pro Wheel-Side (preinstalled)
• Pikes Peak Grip
• Wall Mount / Desk Mount
• USB cable (Type-C to Type-A)
• Sticker set
• Button caps
• Quick Guide

Compatibility / QR

The Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 is supplied with a pre-assembled Fanatec QR2 Pro Quick Release, which is milled from a single piece of aluminium and complies with current FIA regulations. The Bentley steering wheel is supplied with power and data via one of Fanatec’s compatible wheel bases without additional cables:

• CSL DD
• Gran Turismo DD Pro Wheel Base
• ClubSport DD
• ClubSport DD+
• PODIUM Wheel Base DD1
• PODIUM Wheel Base DD1 PS4™
• PODIUM Wheel Base DD2

Accordingly, the steering wheel can be operated both on a PC and, with limited functionality, on a PlayStation console:

• PC: this Steering Wheel is compatible with Windows PC when connected to a compatible Fanatec Wheel Base.
• PlayStation: this Steering Wheel becomes compatible with PlayStation when used with a PlayStation-licensed Wheel Base. Functionality may be limited by the capabilities of the console (subject to firmware/OS changes and developer support). Check our platform compatibility page for more details.

Features

The Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 was used in real motorsport for the first time in 2021. It was installed in the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak Challenge Car, which was used in the competition of the same name (Pikes Peak 2021) and finished fourth overall with a time of 6:36.281 minutes. With a diameter of 310 millimetres, the steering wheel with the striking central display is relatively large for a modern GT steering wheel and, contrary to the current trend, uses Alcantara grips instead of rubber.

Buttons

The most important aspect for use as a simracing steering wheel are of course the built-in buttons and encoders. Here Fanatec relies on the following components

• 8 Buttons: Fanatec has installed a total of eight buttons, each with a release force of 600g. The buttons themselves are not illuminated, but each has an illuminated label that can be personalised with the stickers supplied.
• 2 Thumb encoders: Next to each of the two grips are two large, unusually shaped optical thumb encoders made of aluminium, which are very easy to operate and are therefore probably best used for settings such as brake balance.
• 4 Encoders: Four encoders with very distinctive, milled aluminium caps in the typical ‘Bentley design’ are located symmetrically in the centre frame. Compared to the thumb encoders, they require a significantly higher triggering force. Three of the encoders are intended for setting in-game parameters (TC, ABS and MAP), while the top left encoder is for switching display pages.
• 2 Funky Switches: The wheel’s proximity to simracing is emphasised by the two Funky Switches (up, down, left, right, turn left/right, press), which as usual are very versatile.

Paddles

There are six paddles on the back of the Bentley Wheel, which are very similar in their arrangement and design to the well-known and popular Podium Advanced Paddle Module from Fanatec. The biggest difference here is the positioning of the upper additional paddles and the design of the gripping surfaces, which are of a significantly higher quality than the carbon plates of the standard APM. The paddles can be operated very crisply throughout and are currently among the best that the sim racing market has to offer.

LEDs

The Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 from Fanatec features LEDs on the upper edge of the steering wheel in addition to the aforementioned button illumination:

• 9 RGB RevLEDs
• 6 RGB FlagLEDs

These can be customised using the manufacturer’s own Fanalab software, but the manufacturer does not provide any ready-made profiles for the most common simulations and there is also no compatibility with third-party software.

Display

Another highlight of the wheel is the central display, which has a resolution of 800 x 800 pixels at a size of 3.4 inches and is also equipped with a touchscreen function. This can be used to switch between the individual pages of the display and the FFB settings.

Thanks to the ARM Cortex-A53 microprocessor built into the steering wheel, the display remains horizontal when cornering, making it easier to read the content. An additional gimmick are the four info fields for ABS, TC, MAP and display page, which are aligned with the encoders.

There are various display layouts to choose from, which can show different information such as position or lap time depending on the sim used.

Grips

Fanatec has decided to resist the current trend and use Alcantara instead of rubber for the grips. The design is very similar to the popular grips on the Formula Wheels, but the larger diameter of the wheel itself means that it is now also very suitable for larger hands. Another special feature is the Pikes Peak grip included in the scope of delivery, which can be attached to the underside of the wheel. This is also covered with Alcantara and has been specially developed for the many hairpin bends on the demanding mountain track.

Materials

Fanatec has opted for an interesting mix of materials for the Bentley wheel. The basic structure of the steering wheel consists of a five-millimetre-thick carbon plate with its striking green fabric and a magnesium core, which, according to Fanatec, is intended to ensure maximum rigidity and weight savings. This is combined with a display surround made of forged carbon and various aluminium components. In contrast, the housing parts and the plastic buttons are also of a high-quality finish, but fall somewhat short in terms of material appearance.

Table / wall mount

A beautiful and probably unique idea on the simracing market at the moment is to use the steering wheel as a decorative object. Using the supplied aluminium table or wall mount, it can be operated in various idle modes in conjunction with a USB-A power supply unit (cable included). For example, a clock in the elegant Bentley design or onboard recordings from Assetto Corsa Competizione with the corresponding telemetry data can be displayed. The steering wheel can also be rotated in the holder.

Case

It’s not just the bracket supplied that makes the Bentley Wheel something special, but also the case in which it is stored. The case is extremely robust and gives the wheel a much higher quality touch, even if it will probably only be used very rarely in practice.

Driving impression

Conclusion

With the Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3, Fanatec has launched a steering wheel that is exceptional in many respects and makes a high-quality impression from the very first second. The packaging in a high-quality case contributes to this, as does the Pikes Peak handle supplied, which emphasises the motorsport origins of the steering wheel.

The wheel stands out from the wide range of steering wheels on the sim racing market thanks to its central round display, while the excellent paddles and selection of functions also deserve special mention.

With a price of around €2000, the Bentley Wheel is certainly no bargain, but thanks to the enormous scope of delivery (QR2 Pro, the case, an aluminium stand and a Pikes Peak handle) it still offers very good value for money and is therefore not only worth a purchase recommendation for hardcore Bentley fans.