With the world steadily turning its back on luxury saloons, we get less such models. Luckily, Bentley is one company that’s not willing to drop them, despite the success of the Bentayga SUV.
Based on the latest Continental GT, which shares its platform with the Porsche Panamera, the Flying Spur is aimed at those who still see the greatness of such cars. It’s still big, heavy and fitted with a lot of luxury amenities, but the British high-end saloon also packs new technologies and a powerful W12 that will make you forget about its gargantuan size.
Also Read: Bentley’s Special Flying Spur First Edition Sold For €700,000 In Charity Auction
Pushing the throttle all the way down unleashes 626 HP (635 PS / 467 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque. The twin-turbo engine is paired to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, lifted from Porsche and further refined by Bentley, and rockets it to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.8 seconds and all the way up to 207 mph (333 km/h), despite weighing almost 2.5 tons (~5,500 lbs).
In normal driving conditions, the new Flying Spur is very calm, refined and quiet. It also features cylinder deactivation technology and, in cornering, you will often forget that you’re cruising in something that’s actually longer than the Audi A8 L thanks to the rear-wheel steering. Moreover, stopping power is provided by the biggest steel brakes ever fitted to a passenger car.
So, is Bentley’s saloon the kind of car you’d actually want to drive, or be driven around in? That’s a very good first-world problem to have if you ask us, and you can solve it by watching Carfections’ review below.