The 2025 Flying Spur Is the Good Bentley: First Drive Overview

At this very second, our photo voltaic system is hurtling by area at 450,000 miles per hour—a reality that’s equal components fascinating and terrifying. But, even because the photo voltaic system flies at a fee our tiny monkey brains can hardly comprehend, right here on Earth, we do not really feel a rattling factor.

You may expertise an identical sensation within the new Bentley Flying Spur, a car practically as huge as the Milky Means itself. It is positive as hell would not feel like I am transferring all that shortly by the Arizona desert, swaddled within the best leather-based whereas the entrance seat massages my rump. However, a quick peek at the speedometer suggests any other case.

You’d hardly know the Flying Spur was quick simply by it. The design barely modifications from this year to the final; Minor updates to the fascias and a few new 22-inch wheel choices hold it recent, whereas two tiny “Velocity” badges on both facets of the entrance bumpers are the one indicator of this automotive’s overwhelming efficiency.

An extended, beautiful hood hides the Flying Spur’s thruster: A brand new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 plug-in hybrid. Bentley wrapped up manufacturing of its iconic W-12 earlier this year, with the Bentayga, Continental GT, and now, Flying Spur, transferring to this plug-in-hybrid setup.

However fear not, fellow area vacationers, Bentley has made battery-assisted perfection right here. Due to some engineering assistance from Porsche, a single electrical motor embedded throughout the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 25.9-kilowatt-hour (internet) battery pack assist the Flying Spur to 771 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque.

Even with 4 fewer cylinders, that is the most powerful Flying Spur the corporation has ever constructed. The engine develops extra torque than the earlier automotive at decreased engine speeds, larger peak torque, and better energy output all through the rev vary. With that further oomph, it is half a second faster than the earlier automotive to sixty. And though it is now not able to 200 mph, the Flying Spur’s 177 mile-per-hour prime velocity continues to be a lot quicker.

Professionals: Extraordinarily Fairly, Bonkers Quick, Exceptionally Lavish

Racing by the desert on this six-figure tremendous sedan, it is simple to achieve unlawful speeds without attempting. This automobile a lot of energy; Gobs of torque on the low-end because of that electrical motor and a wave of power atop the tach from the still-powerful-on-its-own V-8. Even while you’re barely touching the throttle, the powertrain feels prefer it’s continually pulling you alongside.

What’s most spectacular, although, is how unbelievably easy it is. Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas would shed a tear. There is no lag when hammering the throttle and hardly a hiccup when the automotive switches from pure EV mode to hybrid. Even at excessive speeds, there is no in-fighting between battery energy and gasoline—they’re an ideal duo (identical to Carlos and Rob).

The Flying Spur has a pure EV mode with 46 miles of vary on the beneficent WLTP cycle in Europe (in all probability nearer to 40 miles within the US) that works at speeds of as much as 87 miles per hour (or 75-percent throttle software). Utilizing electrical energy to cruise on the freeway is straightforward, as long as you are mild on the throttle. When plugging into an 11.0-kilowatt charger, it takes less than three hours to refill with electrons.

In the event you favor no battery energy in any respect, choose Sport Maintain mode to make use of that V-8 solely. Even with 200 fewer horses on the faucet, the V-8 is potent sufficient to ship the Flying Spur down the street with actual velocity. It even sounds nice; An attractive burble belt out of the again of the twin exhaust ideas. A chilly beginning to a crisp Arizona morning, there are clear shades of Sant’Agata Bolognese in its DNA.

Cons: No Extra W-12, It Will not Match In My Driveway

However this automotive is not only a straight-line bomber. The Flying Spur handles fairly properly for a 5,833-pound land yacht. 4 fewer cylinders within the engine bay mean much less mass over the nostril, whereas the battery shoved beneath the trunk flooring provides some weight to the rear for improved stability. For the primary time, the Flying Spur has a slight rear bias (48.3 entrance, 51.7 rear).

That makes this automotive adept at carving by the purple rock-lined roads of Sedona. A brand new Efficiency Lively Chassis with all-wheel drive, a digital limited-slip differential, and all-wheel steering assist shrink the 17.5-foot-long sedan across the driver. The steering is extremely responsive and there is not a touch of “floatiness;” It is a lot nicer to pedal arduously than any product Rolls-Royce at present places out.

The brand-new twin-valve dampers do wonders for the trip’s high quality. They’re nearly similar to those discovered on the Porsche Panamera, and funnily sufficient, just like these on the off-road-oriented Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. They handle compression and rebound independently of one another, which implies a stiffer setup in Sport mode, but the identical signature luxurious trip high quality in Consolation. Even on the bumpiest street, the trip is elegant—there’s nary a pothole that upsets it.

Driving in any of the 4 seats is a lavish expertise, as you’d anticipate. Each throne comes with up-to-date Nappa leather-based that includes a novel “3D” diamond-quilted sample that provides higher perforation for heating and airflow. Truthfully, they don’t seem to be tremendous tender (perhaps they want extra time to interrupt in), however, they’re excellently formed and have numerous choices to keep you snug, together with a brand new computerized postural adjustment that may detect slouching and alter the seating place on the fly. Bentley says it will stop a “numb bum,” which it did over several hours on desert roads.

Fashionable facilities embody a 12.3-inch touchscreen within the heart stack that appears good and is straightforward to make use of. It has wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and flips into the dashboard with the press of a button, exposing a full-length, open-pore walnut sprint. Nifty. Passengers within the second row even have entry to a tiny pill that controls primary capabilities like seat controls, air con, and the flexibility to cover or reveal the “Flying B” brand on the nostril of the automotive. Why? As a result, it is enjoyable.

As you’d anticipate, shopping for a Bentley of this magnitude isn’t any small funding. The 2025 Flying Spur begins at $276,450 (with the $4,150 vacation spot payment included) and prices $330,540 after choices. You should pay further for a premium audio system ($9,615), this lovely Neptune Blue metallic paint ($8,665), and the flowery folding show ($6,955)—amongst several different issues.

However, the Flying Spur Velocity one way or the other nonetheless looks like a deal, even at that value. You’ll be able to get into the latest Rolls-Royce Ghost for less than $330,000, and even a comparable Mercedes-Maybach S-Class prices $205,000 earlier than you add on the great things. Admittedly, neither one comes near the all-around excellence that the Flying Spur affords.

Even within the period of downsizing and electrification, Bentley (or, actually, the bigger Volkswagen Group) has developed an efficient powertrain that does not feel like a downgrade to the beloved W-12. It is extra {powerful}, extra energetic, and within the ongoing battle to appease the effectivity overloads, barely much less consuming.

W-12 or not, the 2025 Flying Spur continues to be all the things a Bentley ought to be.