Bentley Flying Spur - A Remarkable Luxury Sedan

14.5.13, Beijing Bentley bids to ramp up the luxury and comfort of its rapid new four-door

Something to note: this, Bentley’s Flying Spur, is no longer called the Continental Flying Spur. Bentley wants to put distance between it and the Continental coupé/convertible in order to set it apart as a model in its own right. Less ‘four-door version of sporting coupé’ and more ‘luxury saloon’.

Something to note: this, Bentley’s Flying Spur, is no longer called the Continental Flying Spur

Hence the new visual differences at the nose. It’s the outer rather than inner pair of front lights that is bigger on the Spur, and a chrome horizontal strip appears on the lower grille. Both form part of a thorough redesign that also includes more muscular rear haunches and a tail those otherwise drops heavily at the rear. You won’t mistake the new Flying Spur for the old one from the back.

The rest of the redesign is just as thorough. As with the Continental that was launched last year, this is not an all-new platform, but it has been comprehensively re-engineered.

Some of the stand-out technical changes to this 5.3m-long saloon are an increase in body rigidity of four per cent, alongside a drop in weight of 50kg (it’s a steel Monocoque but there are aluminum panels at the front and plastic ones at the rear) and the fitment of ZF’s eight-speed automatic gearbox instead of a six-speed. It still drives all four wheels.

The W12 engine, meanwhile, arrives here in 616bhp form, making this Bentley’s most powerful four-door yet. The top speed is quoted (probably conservatively) at 200mph, and 0-60mph at 4.3sec. It’s pretty decadent at the pumps, too. For now, the Spur is only available with the W12, which means 19.2mpg and 343g/km. Later, it’ll get the V8 that we’ll doubtless prefer. Later still, it probably won’t get the diesel V8 that professional drivers would probably like even more.

Inside, there are a few carried-over parts around the dashboard, but the rest of the cabin is new, albeit familiar in feel. You know the sort of thing. Leather. Lots of leather. And wood.

Inside, there are a few carried-over parts around the dashboard, but the rest of the cabin is new, albeit familiar in feel

The most significant changes are to the suspension. The old Spur never rode calmly, as noted in particular by customers in its primary markets of China (where more than half of Flying Spurs are sold) and the US.

This time, then, spring rates have been dropped by 10 per cent at the front and 13 per cent at the rear, with anti-roll bars softened 13 and 15 per cent and bushes are 25 per cent softer. The base tires, running on 19-inch rims, have a higher aspect ratio then previously. Even our test car’s 20-inch rims wore 45-profile rubber.

All of the makes it better, no question. Straight from the off, you can tell that the Flying Spur rides with more maturity than its predecessor. It’s calmer and softer around town.

Quiet, too. The Spur is the kind of car in which you have to look at the tachometer to see if it’s running. Step-off from rest is suitably easy, the throttle pedal long and the brake modulation sound. It’s a simple car to run (or be run) around town in.

Up the speed and it’s a similar story. The W12 remains über-quiet, other noise seems well suppressed and the gearbox shifts cleanly. It’s flipping fast, too, and the steering is very stable around the straight-ahead. I only took it up to normal motorway speeds, but it feels like it’ll stay that way deep into three figures.

Styling revisions ensure that you won’t confuse old with new when viewing the Spur from the rear; suspension has been softened, too.

That’s one of the advantages of engineering a car for 200mph, says Bentley. Customers don’t reach those speeds, but Bentley would make a very different car if it didn’t have to engineer it that way. Volkswagen Group standards insist on lengthy runs at top speed with no fuss. The Spur’s suspension drops twice as speed rises, the second one at some 150mph, even adjusting its body’s angle of attack to retain stability.

I wonder if a disadvantage of that is whether the Flying Spur isn’t all the luxury car it could be because of that duality of purpose. True, the Spur rides vastly better than the old one, but its air suspension still brings with it a (non-technical term approaching) ‘sproing’, a slightly hollow thud. It’s less isolated from the road surface than a Rolls-Royce Ghost, you feel.

On anything other than straightish, smooth roads, this 2475kg, 1976mm-wide car brings with it some sizeable body movements. The previous solution to contain them was to tie the suspension down hard. But customers say that’s no longer acceptable and it isn’t – so the alternative has been to set those movements free. Possibly too free; there’s too much float in some circumstances, insufficient compliance in others. Occasionally both at the same time.

The dampers can be switched through four settings. We’ll need to drive it in the UK to be sure, but one down from Sport struck me as the best compromise. But still, an Aston Martin Rapide has a better blend of ride, handling and steering.

On anything other than straightish, smooth roads, this 2475kg, 1976mm-wide car brings with it some sizeable body movements.

Inside, the Spur feels, as its $225,000 base price suggests it ought, a cut above top-enders from mainstream manufacturers. Functionality is, in some places, excellent (rear passengers get a superb controller – see separate panel, left) but a little clunkier elsewhere (the front touchscreen and sat-nav are not the VW Group’s best).

Overall, though, the cabin feels special and helps create clear air around this car’s position. Big Audis and BMWs feel pushed above their ‘right’ price bracket when you give them 12 cylinders, a Ghost wants more than $300,000 and the Rapide – while lovely to drive – is short on room. A Range Rover probably feels special enough, but doesn’t give quite the same impression: the Chinese in particular are still keen on big saloons to imply status. Seemingly, the longer and blacker the better, so the Spur fits in. it’s a genuine luxury saloon in size and has a cabin of rare opulence. Ultimately, that makes it easier to overlook some of its foibles.