A few years ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking that the tiresome battle over power ratings in luxury cars was over. The arrival of electrification, with its fearsome power outputs and ultra-rapid acceleration times should have put paid to the squabbling over horsepower and cylinders and displacement and torque curves.
Not a bit of it. Bentley launches its revised and updated Flying Spur limousine with the tagline ‘the most powerful Bentley four-door ever’. The fourth generation version of this admirable machine doesn’t do much in the way of visual overhauls (compared to its closely related Continental GT sibling, which received a more radical make-over earlier this year). Instead, it’s primarily about the numbers.
The stats aren’t all pitched at old school bragging rights, although with 782PS and a 3.3 second sprint to 60mph, this sedan is firmly in supercar territory. Bentley is more interested in the 47 miles of pure electric range the hybrid powertrain delivers, going on to highlight its 515-mile touring range, as well as the fact it ‘outperforms previous W12 Speed on every metric: torque, power, acceleration and emissions.’
That’s significant for some, as the old W12 Speed had a bespoke 12-cylinder engine at its heart, a mighty piece of engineering that defined modern era Bentley refinement and skill. That engine is no longer, to the sadness of some, but as Bentley notes, it can’t hold a candle to the mix of electric power and a new V8.
Visually, the new Flying Spur offers a few aesthetic updates to the third-generation model, although they’re pretty subtle (a new grille, bumper and diffuser and wheel options). The more substantial changes are to the car’s electrical system and powertrain, with a new electrical architecture that handles elements like the Performance Active Chassis, Bentley Dynamic Ride, and All-Wheel Steering. All this wizardry helps cloak the Flying Spur Speed’s considerable size and bulk, making it start, ride and stop like a much smaller, defter car.
Another area of improvement is the interior, where options on leather alone run to 700 colour combinations, and that’s before unleashing the infinite possibilities made available by Bentley’s Mulliner coachbuilding division. Top-flight audio comes from either Bang & Olufsen or Naim, and there’s now the ability to specify Bentley’s ‘Wellness Seating Specification’ on the four main seats. This system uses sensors to measure body temperature and posture and subtly adjusts the pressure to minimise fatigue.
The Flying Spur has come a long way since it was just Bentley’s nod to the limousine trade and the old-fashion saloons that defined it in the 1960s through to the 1980s. Now firmly established as the brand’s technological showcase, the fourth generation car can lay a credible claim to being the best executive conveyance on the planet, private jets included.
Bentley Flying Spur Speed, price tbc, for more information visit BentleyMotors.com, @BentleyMotors
