I don’t know about you, but the Flying Spur is arguably my favourite new Bentley. It’s opulent, fast, and good-looking, and there’s room for 3 more to join you as you carve through continents in supreme comfort. Plus, seeing that I like my fast cars and ridiculously powerful luxobarges, it’s no surprise that I’m a fan of Bentley’s newest car – the all-new Flying Spur. Otherwise, it’s now also known as the most powerful Bentley four-door ever made. Moreover, thanks to the ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid’ powertrain in this new 4th-generation Flying Spur, it’s not just super-fast, but you can take this grand tour without putting a hole through the ozone layer.
On paper, the new, 4th-gen Flying Spur boasts an eye-watering number of ponies under that gargantuan bonnet. Specifically, you’re looking at an impressive 782PS and 1,000Nm of torque, allowing you to sprint from 0 to 60mph in a mere 3.3 seconds. This fact alone makes the Flying Spur one of the fastest luxury saloons in the world today. Yet, with its hybrid powertrain, you’d be able to drive up to 47 miles purely on electric power, without even touching the engine. This also means that with a full tank, you could drive up to 515 miles between fuel stops. With that in mind, what’s so special about the 4th-gen Bentley Flying Spur, and what makes it tick?
Otherworldly Torque And Eco-Conscious Power
As is only right for any Bentley, this new Flying Spur is powered by the brand’s dependable 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, which supplies 600PS. This workhorse engine is then complemented by an electric motor integrated with the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, boosting the engine with around 190PS more power. Aside from giving you more oomph, this electric motor is also there to help with eliminating turbo lag and provide continuous, instantaneous torque across the entire rev range. Elsewhere, if you’re curious, the new Flying Spur is already more powerful than the old W12 Flying Spur Speed, with better power, torque, and acceleration.
Another noteworthy upside that you’ll find with this new 4th-gen Flying Spur is that you could drive it as a fully electric car. The electric motor alone is good for 190PS and 450Nm of torque, paired with a 25.9kWh battery pack. That said, if you come across a low-emissions zone, it can also top out at 87mph, and when plugged into an 11kW charger, the Flying Spur’s battery will only take under 3 hours for a full charge. It’s nice to see just how far hybrids have come, as this is a perfectly usable amount of power, range, and efficiency for day-to-day driving. Besides the fact that it’s now more powerful, Bentley’s boffins have fine-tuned its handling, as well.
A Luxury Saloon That Could Rival Supercars
For starters, Bentley’s 4th-gen Flying Spur comes packed with all-wheel steering, an electronic limited slip diff, active air suspension, active torque vectoring, and more. Even the Flying Spur’s weight distribution is (slightly) more rear-biased. While it’s definitely not going to stand toe-to-toe with actual supercars and sports cars, you’d be surprised just how fast this giant luxobarge can be. Granted, if you look at it from the outside, there’s nothing to suggest that this new 4th-gen Flying Spur is actually that fast. However, compared to the outgoing model, it has a brand-new front grille, front bumper, and a redesigned rear diffuser, as well as darker exterior trim.
Step inside, and it’s just as luxurious as you’d expect a Bentley to be. There is a sea of leather, soft and plus, which you could – if you want to – personalise to your heart’s content. The near-limitless range of bespoke options ought to keep you busy when you’re spec’ing a new Flying Spur. Of course, you’ll also find Bentley’s rotating display, switching between the infotainment system and a set of analogue dials. Additionally, you get to pick from not one, but three audio systems for the Flying Spur, to boot. If you feel like your old Bentley isn’t fast enough to hoover you between golf matches and business meetings, maybe this one will do it for you.
