New Bentley Flying Spur goes ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid’ with 771bhp
Pairing electric power with the twin-turbo V8, Bentley has created its most powerful saloon car yet
Bentley has revealed the new-generation Flying Spur. With 771bhp courtesy of Bentley’s Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain it should come as no surprise that this is Bentley’s most powerful saloon car to date. Whether it will live up to Bentley’s billing as a ‘four-door supercar’ is quite another matter.
We know this powertrain well by now. That 771bhp headline figure, along with a sturdy 738lb ft of torque, is generated by a twin-turbo V8 engine working in tandem with an e-motor mounted in the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The V8 alone generates some 591bhp of that but working together with the hybrid element, emissions are down by 90 per cent compared with the outgoing W12 Flying Spur Speed.
Acceleration figures are as follows: 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds, 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds. The new Flying Spur will be good for 47 miles of electric-only range thanks to its 25.9kWh battery and in EV mode it will be capable of up to 87mph, too. Recharging the battery by plugging in takes under three hours at the 11kW charging peak. There’s also a Charge Mode in the driving modes menu that means the engine will charge the battery while driving the wheels.
Bentley claims that the new Flying Spur will outperform the outgoing W12 Flying Spur Speed in ‘every metric’. The new car adopts the performance active chassis – including the new twin-valve dampers – Bentley dynamic ride and all-wheel-steering of the latest Continental GT, albeit with Spur-specific tuning.
It also gets the new electronically-controlled limited-slip diff and updated stability control. If our impressions of the latest Continental GT are anything to go by, the similarly-equipped new Flying Spur should be the most dynamically engaging Bentley saloon yet, if it successfully overcomes the inevitable rise in mass that comes with hybridisation.
In terms of the design the new Bentley Flying Spur hasn’t moved as far on from the previous model as the new Continental GT did from its predecessor, with lighting at the front and rear carried over from before. There is a new grille, revised bumper, revised diffuser and a new 22-inch wheel option, but this is very much a visual massaging of the old car, rather than striking changes of key styling elements.
On the inside the Flying Spur’s new electrical architecture will pay dividends in terms of connectivity and the user experience. In terms of its physical appearance, it’s largely unchanged save for a new precision diamond quilt pattern for the seats and 3D diamond quilting on the doors. The rotating 12.3-inch high-definition display remains, as do the three analogue dials.
The software for the infotainment system and the features therein are updated. The My Bentley App Studio integrates certain apps directly with the car while connecting your phone to the car will allow you to monitor charging status, use the remote parking facility and pre-condition the cabin.
