Photo: Bentley
A new Bentley Continental Flying Spur doesn't come along every day. After years of testing, the British luxury brand is ready to reveal its imposing 4-door, which is every bit the sister car to the Conti GT and Bentayga SUV.
The Continental Flying Spur went through numerous updates since its debut in 2013, but this is an all-new model, developed from the ground up using the same platform as the Porsche Panamera. The development of new cars and engines has become incrementally more expensive over the years, and the Spur wouldn't have been as good without Stuttgart's know-how.
Should you be put off by the fact that it's underpinned by a lesser car? No, not when Porsche and Bentley have done such good work in the past. Although the Panamera's 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8 will eventually be pressed into service, the first engine available is the impressive 6.0-liter W12, infused with Audi's TFSI technology and delivering 626bhp or 635 HP.
The more advanced AWD system can send 100% of the power to the rear wheels. There's torque vectoring and a new 8-speed gearbox, so the Flying Spur is still the driver's choice for uber-luxury cars. She'll do 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 3.8 seconds, rocketing to a supercar-like top speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), which is done in 6th gear. The last two are just for cruising.
Thanks to that German platform, it's also primed and ready for electrification, though it's unclear exactly when that will happen. It also impacts what safety systems could be added, as well as interior goodies like that digital dashboard. The Flying Spur borrows the whole dashboard from its 2-door brother, which means that the swiveling system can show the 12.3-inch navigation, three classic clocks or nothing at all.
And when we say nothing, we actually mean one of eight wood or four stone finishes. And while normal cars have two or three interior choices, the British limousine features around fifty. In the back, you get one of those removable tablets, like in the Audi A8, which can control climate and lighting.
Exterior styling is brasher than all its predecessors combined. The lower grille has the Speed style, while the upper one is bigger and covered in vertical chrome bars. The Matrix LED headlights look like a crystal chandelier, and this is the first Flying Spur with a pop-up flying B. Your move Rolls-Royce!
Should you be put off by the fact that it's underpinned by a lesser car? No, not when Porsche and Bentley have done such good work in the past. Although the Panamera's 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8 will eventually be pressed into service, the first engine available is the impressive 6.0-liter W12, infused with Audi's TFSI technology and delivering 626bhp or 635 HP.
The more advanced AWD system can send 100% of the power to the rear wheels. There's torque vectoring and a new 8-speed gearbox, so the Flying Spur is still the driver's choice for uber-luxury cars. She'll do 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 3.8 seconds, rocketing to a supercar-like top speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), which is done in 6th gear. The last two are just for cruising.
Thanks to that German platform, it's also primed and ready for electrification, though it's unclear exactly when that will happen. It also impacts what safety systems could be added, as well as interior goodies like that digital dashboard. The Flying Spur borrows the whole dashboard from its 2-door brother, which means that the swiveling system can show the 12.3-inch navigation, three classic clocks or nothing at all.
And when we say nothing, we actually mean one of eight wood or four stone finishes. And while normal cars have two or three interior choices, the British limousine features around fifty. In the back, you get one of those removable tablets, like in the Audi A8, which can control climate and lighting.
Exterior styling is brasher than all its predecessors combined. The lower grille has the Speed style, while the upper one is bigger and covered in vertical chrome bars. The Matrix LED headlights look like a crystal chandelier, and this is the first Flying Spur with a pop-up flying B. Your move Rolls-Royce!
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