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Review Reveals the Bentley Flying Spur Is a Great but Not Awesome Gentleman's Muscle Car

With the Mulsanne biting the dust almost two years ago, along with the twin-turbo 6.75-liter V8, which used to be the longest-serving eight-banger in continuous production, Bentley’s flagship sedan role has been taken by the smaller Flying Spur.
Bentley Flying Spur 7 photos
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | Carfection
Bentley Flying SpurBentley Flying SpurBentley Flying SpurBentley Flying SpurBentley Flying SpurBentley Flying Spur
The latest iteration is based on the VW Group’s MSB platform, shared with the two-door Continental GT and Porsche Panamera, and it is a direct challenger to the likes of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Nonetheless, it is quite different than its rivals, as for one, it feels a bit sportier than the Ghost, Carfection’s Henry Catchpole claims. It won’t encourage drivers to thrash it around, but it won’t cocoon them from the outside environment that good either. It doesn’t seem to have that much soundproofing, and the ride quality is far from being magic carpet-like. Thus, on long journeys, those who’d rather be chauffeured around than actually drive the car might be annoyed by these things.

Powering it is the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, which pumps out 542 hp (550 ps / 405 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-biased all-wheel drive, rocketing the luxury sedan from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 4.1 seconds, and to 60 mph (97 kph) in 4 seconds flat. Top speed is rated at 198 mph (318 kph).

In the United Kingdom, or better said in London where this review took place, the Flying Spur starts at around £150,000 (equal to $190,000+), and it is easy to take it to over £200,000 ($250,000+). The test car has a lot of options installed inside and out, most of which were signed by Mulliner. And since we briefly mentioned the interior, it is worth noting that the reviewer deemed it as being “wonderful,” especially with the rotating display, available for around £5,000 (~$6,500), that makes it future-proof.

But is the Flying Spur actually worth buying over the Ghost or Maybach? The video that you're about to watch doesn't answer this question, but it could help you make up your mind.

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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