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2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur Review

OUR TEST CAR: 2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur 6.0 W12 twin-turbo 8-speed automatic

 
2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur - Page - 4
In its quest for comfort, Bentley has made the entire powertrain response a bit too soft and this affects the driving experience. The result is that, even when you floor it, you don’t feel the engine’s force until you hit 2,500 rpm. And if you’re using a higher gear like we’re doing now for our highway run, the W12 engine feels like it’s struggling below 3,000 rpm.

Thus, the Flying Spur W12 forces you to either drive it a very relaxed manner, or work it heavily, with or without by using the manual gearshift mode to keep it in the proper rev range. Despite the fact that its paddles offer perfect ergonomics, albeit in a plasticky wrap, you can’t really drive such a car in the manual mode. This all means you’ll have to exaggerate, be it in terms of elegance or the opposite.

As for the automatic transmission, this acts much like a well-trained butler. You can hardly feel it at work. Even when you’re mashing the throttle, it won’t deliver a balance-upsetting shift.

Once you go past the aforementioned issue, the W12 engine feels exactly like the kind of unit that can push this Bentley to its 200 mph (322 km/h) top speed without breaking a sweat. So calibration is the issue here.

We have not grabbed the wheel of the Flying Spur V8 yet, but we expect the comparison between this and our W12 tester to follow the pattern set by our Continental GT drives - except for the image, we found no other real advantage of the W12. The V8 would be an easy choice for us.

As for the W12 unit’s thirst, the EPA figures place the Flying Spur at 12/20/15 mpg (city/highway/combined). During our drive, which featured what we like to believe was a balanced use, we averaged 10.5 mpg (22.4 liters per 100 km).

Nonetheless, the rest of the Bentley Flying Spur comes to wrap you in a deeply comforting state of mind. The thing isolates you from the outside world, but it somehow does this in an active manner. Unlike the Bentley Mulsanne, the Flying Spur doesn’t unplug the driver in the process of offering coziness.

And since we’re comparing the two, the Flying Spur is pretty close to the Mulsanne in terms of comfort. Spend a bit of time in the back seat and you will understand. The larger Bentley model obviously keeps its status premium, but we would go for the Flying Spur.
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autoevolution Apr 2014
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History
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Exterior
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Interior
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In the city
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Open road
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82user rating 23 votes
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Key Specs
USEU
Engine
W12 5998 cm3
Fuel
Petrol
Power kw
460
Power hp
617
Power rpm
6000
Torque val
590
Torque rpm
1750
Transmission
8 speed ZF Automatic
Traction
All Wheel Drive
Acceleration
4.3
Top speed
200 mph
Length
208.6 in
Width
86.9 in
Height
56.8 in
Wheelbase
120.7 in
Ground clearance
in
Cargo volume
16.6 CuFT
Weight
5456 lbs
Seating
4
Power
460 KW/617 BHP @ 6000 RPM
Torque
590 Lb-Ft @ 1750 RPM
Engine
W12 5998 cm3
Fuel
Petrol
Power kw
460
Power hp
625
Power rpm
6000
Torque val
800
Torque rpm
1750
Transmission
8 speed ZF Automatic
Traction
All Wheel Drive
Acceleration
4.6
Top speed
322 km/h
Length
5298 mm
Width
2207 mm
Height
1443 mm
Wheelbase
3066 mm
Ground clearance
mm
Cargo volume
470.1 L
Weight
2475 Kg
Seating
4
Power
460 KW/625 HP @ 6000 RPM
Torque
800 Nm @ 1750 RPM
fuel efficiency
mpgOfficialOurs
City10.5-
Highway23.1-
Combined1610.5
fuel efficiency
l/100kmOfficialOurs
City22.4-
Highway10.2-
Combined14.722.4
base price
$
200500
Photo gallery (60)
2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur luggage compartment2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur boot opening2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur spare wheelW12 emblem 2014 BENTLEY Flying SpurBENTLEY emblem on Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur wheel2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur brake caliperBENTLEY Flying Spur wheel center capBENTLEY Flying Spur rear seats2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur rear legroom2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur individual rear seat control2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur individual rear seats2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur rear infotainment console2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur infotainment control for rear passengers2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur Touch Screen RemoteBENTLEY Flying Spur Touch Screen RemoteBENTLEY veneer and leather on Flying Spur door2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur door entry sill2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur front seatsBENTLEY Flying Spur dashboardBentley emblem on Flying Spur headrest2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur interior: front2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur gear shifter2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur pedalsBENTLEY Flying Spur rear seat space2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur rear seats2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur interior2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur infotainment touchscreen display2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur dashbaord air vents2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur steering wheel2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur dashboard2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur dashboard instruments2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur W12 engineW12 engine on 2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying SpurBENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur side view2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur wing vent2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur grille2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur W122014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur profile2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur wheel2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur 21-inch wheel2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur rear2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur W12 driving2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur canyon driving2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur acceleration2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur racing a cyclist2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur roadtrip2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur front fascia2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur handling2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur at speed2014 BENTLEY Flying Spur driving