Just sitting in a Bentley Flying Spur changes you. When you drive, or rather, pilot one of the all-new Spurs, it’s even worse. You want to grow a mustache like the banker in Mary Poppins, you want to wear a monocle like the guy in Monopoly, and you can’t help but adopt an accent.
Knurled knobs and diamond-stitched leather will do that to you.
Though it feels like it’s about a block long, the new Bentley Flying Spur is really less than 18 feet — just under 17 and a half feet to be exact. It caresses the road with a zaftig 5373 pounds of Euro-spec “kerb weight,” or probably about 5500 pounds of SAE heft. While the previous Flying Spur flew on a VW Phaeton platform (which was a darn good platform, btw) the new one rides on the same MSB architecture as the Porsche Panamera. Power comes from no less a complex and efficient plant than the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12, good for 626 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. All of those pound feet are available at 1350 rpm, too, so there is no delay in launching this much throw weight off the line and up to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, should you realize just in the nick of time that the servants are revolting. Top speed is a Bonnevillian 207 mph.
Yet for something this large and heavy, the Flying Spur is splendidly well-controlled. Go around a corner with verve and the powerful 48-volt adaptive antiroll bars crank the steel-and aluminum craft into place and hold it there throughout the duration of the curve, reducing roll to a minimum, if not fully eliminating it. Four-wheel steer does its part to distribute cornering loads, and the molto grande 275/35 front 315/30 rear Pirellis mounted on 22-inch rims also did their part without protest. It is a package that begs to be exercised.
My original plan for my week of Flying Spur ownership (okay, borrowership) was to drive it to Palm Springs to attend the launch of some lesser automotive product. That plan was quashed when the lesser automotive maker foisted one of its own products on me for that particular drive. That and a few other obligations sorely limited my time in this munificent craft. Thus, my week yielded only a bit more wheel time than Autoweek’s first drive of a Spur last year in the streets of Monte Carlo and through the hills above it.
On Southern California freeways it immediately fit right in, sucked into the constant thrum of commuter traffic like a piece of bluefin tuna sushi. For all anyone knew I was Brad Pitt’s divorce attorney, or Herb Alpert’s neighbor, or maybe Cher’s massage therapist. I don’t know, I generally try not to make eye contact.
In addition to being powerful, the W12 is quiet. It rides up front on active motor mounts to minimize intrusion into the serene cabin. Power goes through a dual-clutch ZF eight-speed that, while colleague Stoy said occasionally hiccupped during off/on-throttle transitions, showed no such imperfection during my week with the car. The drivetrain also offers active all-wheel drive, though I had no need for that during my abbreviated week. I can only assume that buyers in New York and maybe snowy parts of China want that. Regardless, this is the only configuration you can get in a Spur, until a V8 arrives at some future date.
On long, unfettered freeway interchanges, like constant-radius turns on a proving ground, I found the Flying Spur’s active anti-roll bars were less intrusive than those on most AMG products. They simply did their jobs and kept the car off its door handles for however long the corner was. Hard to say if I was more impressed with them or with the ultra-smooth W12. Or maybe it was the interior. Or the languorously long exterior.
With a starting price of $214,600, you have to wonder whether you should you buy the Bentley or maybe a Maybach. Or a small country? I say, buy this and the small country, as long as the country has good roads and an adoring population to whom you can wave from the partially rolled-down window of your Flying Spur.
2020 Bentley Flying Spur Specs
Base Price: $214,600
Drivetrain: 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12, eight-speed DCT, AWD
Output: 626 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 664 lb-ft @ 1350-4,500 rpm
Curb Weight: 5500 lb est.
Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): n/a
Pros: Power, grace, and room for concubines
Cons: Hard to blend in, even in L.A.
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