Bentley officially unveils the new Flying Spur, equipped with the "Ultra Performance Hybrid" hybrid system

The 6.0 W12 engine block that the VAG Group began marketing in 2003 is already part of automotive history. The German giant has removed it from the new models of the group that kept it in their line-up, even at Bentley, a brand that always took pride in it since they first fitted it to the Continental and the Flying Spur. Now both models mount the Ultra Performance Hybrid hybrid system, with the Flying Spur being the last to adopt it.

Precisely last July, Bentley gave us a preview of the first details we would find in the new generation of the Flying Spur. I say new generation because the Flying Spur fully enters this new era of hybridisation, since as far as its styling is concerned, Bentley has not made major changes, as we will see below.

We will have to look closely to find the changes Bentley has made to the exterior of the Flying Spur, which are mainly at the front, where a new frameless grille makes its appearance and, below it, the bumper has been modified to give it a sportier look, thanks to the generously sized side air intakes and a central mouth that emphasises the front grille. At the rear, the bumper has also been modified to now house a more elaborate diffuser and exhaust outlets that go from four to two, but of oval design and larger dimensions. To finish, there are three new wheel designs, all 22 inches in size.

When we open the doors of the new Flying Spur, we are greeted by a new animated projection of the Bentley logo, something the brand first used on the Batur. The general interior design remains the same, with no changes. Where there are changes is in the seats, which will feature new quilting with a 3D diamond pattern, combined with a perforated central section. Meanwhile, the 3D Tactile Precision upholstery is used on the B-pillars and door panels, all combined with chrome inserts or, optionally, the new Dark Chrome Specification finish.

Personalisation is obviously a hallmark of Bentley, and customers who opt for the new Flying Spur have tens of thousands of millions of configuration possibilities to choose from, including Mulliner options. This means, for example, that a paint range of 101 colours is available, which can be extended with any colour from Bentley’s past, plus custom paints. Not to forget that for the interior there are 22 primary colours, 11 secondary tones and four colour combinations, which translates into more than 700 colour combinations for the upholstery. To finish the inserts, there are eight wood veneer options and three other technical finishes.

Still on the interior, it is worth noting that the new Bentley Flying Spur will, for the first time, allow the choice of Wellness Seating as an option in its four-seat configuration. These seats include, among their functions, the Seat Auto Climate and Postural Adjust systems, which measure and maintain body temperature ideally at all times and vary the pressure on the muscles, thus ensuring that occupants’ fatigue is reduced during long journeys. In addition, the occupants’ wellbeing is enhanced by the air conditioning system, which now includes air ionisers, a new particle filter and information on the displays showing the air quality outside and inside the vehicle.

Bentley has also taken the opportunity to make improvements to the infotainment system, specifically to functions such as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and wireless map updates, as well as adding new features such as remote viewing of charge status, remote parking assistance and remote cabin preconditioning. In the future, Bentley plans to gradually introduce new features remotely and, in addition, the new My Bentley App Studio app now joins Bentley’s digital ecosystem, allowing us to download music, games, maps, charging and parking functions to the infotainment system.

As for the new engine powering the Flying Spur, the English brand had not previewed it in July, and now incorporates the new plug-in hybrid system Ultra Performance Hybrid, which consists of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine producing 600 CV together with a 190 CV electric motor, resulting in a combined maximum output in Sport mode of 782 CV and 1,000 Nm of torque. These figures translate into a 19% power increase and an 11% torque increase over the previous W12 engine, which allows the Flying Spur to claim the title of the most powerful saloon ever built by Bentley, reaching 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds.

When driving in EV mode, that is, fully electric, the Bentley uses only the 190 CV and 450 Nm of torque from the electric motor as long as we do not exceed 140 km/h. It works together with a 25.9 kWh lithium-ion battery to offer a range of 76 kilometres, and once discharged, it can fully recharge in 2 hours and 45 minutes with a maximum charging power of 11 kW. If we also take into account the petrol tank capacity, the new Flying Spur is capable of a combined range of 829 kilometres.

Technical specifications of this car

SedanBentley Flying Spur4 versions · from 214,411 €