New Flying Spur is the fastest ever four-door Bentley
Bentley’s fourth generation of Flying Spur is here. Initially launched as the Flying Spur Speed, it is officially the fastest-ever four-door Bentley and built around a hybrid powertrain.
Powertrain
Visually, not much has changed, with the exterior retaining most of the muscular design feature of the third generation model from 2019. However, this generation is all about Bentley’s new ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid’ powertrain. The new Flying Spur has a 592bhp 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 engine and 187bhp electric motor fitted within an eight speed dual clutch transmission. This combines to produce 779bhp and 1,000Nm of torque, an increase of nearly 150bhp and 100Nm from its predecessor. The increase helps to deliver a 0-60 mph time of just 3.3 seconds. Bentley also promises an EV range of around 47 miles and a top speed of 84mph, with the battery taking around two and three quarter hours to charge on 11 kW peak charging power. Unfortunately, rapid charging is not on offer here. Despite this, the V8 and electric motor will allow 515 miles of range in total.
Driving modes and set up
There are four driving modes to choose from - pure EV, electric boost, regenerative braking - and charge mode, where the engine drives the wheels and charges the battery at the same time.
Coming as standard with the new Flying Spur is the Bentley Performance Active Chassis set-up. This includes Bentley Dynamic Ride and all-wheel steering, as well as an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. New ESC software allows a range of driving styles to be accessed with reliable traction in all conditions. It also uses torque vectoring front to rear through a centre differential and precision vectoring across each axle using the brakes.
Bentley’s new twin-valve dampers create a level of control between Comfort, Bentley and Sport modes, with the brand saying ride comfort in Comfort mode has been “significantly improved”.
Subtle exterior changes
As previously mentioned, the Flying Spur is more or less the same visually, although some subtle changes have been made to the exterior. A new Speed specific grille has been added to the front, while customers can make their own stamp on the new model with the option of a carbon fibre finish on the aero package.
Other features include LED lamps which project the Bentley Wings logo onto the ground whenever the front doors are opened and new 22-inch Ten Swept Spoke wheels available in an array of different finishes.
Interior
Inside, occupants are met with a spacious cabin featuring an all-new 3D diamond quilter seat design, while a new, optional Dark Chrome Specification trim is applied to door handles, switches, speaker grilles and other areas to provide contrasting character. The Bentley Rotating Display is still the central feature and has a choice of 12.3 inch display, three analogue dials or handcrafted veneer.
The display has better graphics and Improvements have even been made with Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. Further features are set to be added, such as green traffic light prediction which is beneficial when driving in major cities in Europe and the US.
The ability to customise and create a truly unique Flying Spur with Bentley’s bespoke coachbuilding division, Mulliner, provides almost infinite configuration possibilities.
Prices and order dates have yet to be confirmed by Bentley, although the rumoured figure being touted is north of £200,000.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Bentley