By Dan Scanlan
MyCarData

(October 25, 2020) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stare deep into its headlights and you will see cut crystal tumblers lacking only amber liquid over ice cubes nestled inside. The LED lighting units on the 2021 Bentley Flying Spur evoke those, even before we get to the rest of this 626-hp all-wheel-drive ultra-luxury sports sedan, the third generation of Bentley’s four-door Grand Tourer. This is no ordinary Bentley, if any cars from this venerable 101-year-old maker can be called such.

Marked with Union Jack medallions on its sweeping C-pillars, the No. 1 inside, this First Edition model designates the new flagship when the Mulsanne fades later this year.

Done in Hallmark Silver, the Bentley Flying Spur is an imposing vehicle that takes up 17.4-feet of prime real estate, almost a foot longer than a Dodge Charger. Almost an inch longer than the second-gen Flying Spur, with a more elegant look thanks to an almost-6 inch wheelbase stretch, it’s 78 pounds lighter due to a new steel and aluminum structure. Along with a slightly lower roofline, it makes the Flying Spur look longer and leaner. Its sculpted shape retains some historic hint, yet has a “contemporary sculptural design language” of the Crewe-based company’s unique DNA, Bentley says.



It lives on a variant of the platform also used in the Porsche Panamera. No surprise since Bentley is owned by VW, which has Porsche, Audi, Seat, Lamborghini and others under its purview. Those streamlined LED headlights live on a smoother nose than the last generation, a more prominent grill with 24 gloss black vanes. The winged “B” hood emblem is gloss black with illuminated crystalline wings – try to steal it and it drops into the nose. Traditional black mesh covers the wide lower intake with winged gloss black trim that extends into side intakes with flared bodywork.



The bonnet carries on the rounded grill, as sculpted front fenders begin design lines that sharpen as they head aft. The windshield is elegantly raked. A higher beltline rises before joining wider C-pillars with No. 1 Union Jack emblems, a near-fastback rear window flowing into a high decklid with sculpted spoiler. There’s a subtle tightening of the sides before the rear fenders get a wider and edgy shoulder line. The large wraparound LED taillights have a “B” glowing in them, and the black front fender vents are that letter as well. Blackline spec adds gloss black accents that may not be to all tastes.

The Flying Spur welcomes you with a projected winged emblem under all four doors. Then you settle into red diamond-quilted leather that’s on seats and doors, soft hides covering the new wing-themed dashboard’s padded surfaces and dang near everything else. A thin alloy strip circles the piano black wood in the cabin, while color-changeable accent lighting runs along stitched leather borders.



A gently-rounded cowl is over a pure digital dashboard with simple 220-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach framing a central info display. You can pop a detailed navigation map inside, or expand into the tach. A night vision display can go center-stage. It’s framed by a power tilt/telescope/heated steering wheel with audio, phone, gauge display and cruise controls, steel weave-surfaced thumbwheels for volume and screen scroll/tuning. Nice alloy flappy paddle shifters are behind the wheel.

The piano black center dashboard can stay smooth, the passenger side with a No. 1 Union Jack insignia before it curves ‘round doors with more Mulliner-spec diamond quilted leather. In a nod to classic Bentleys, eyeball air vents port and starboard get classic organ pull on/off controls. But wait - the middle section of the dashboard rotates to become a 12.3-inch digital touchscreen for navigation, drive mode and more, or control a superb 2,200-watt NAIM audio system.

Widescreen navigation, graphics and functionality are much improved over the last-gen. Or, tap a button and the panel rotates to show three classic gauges - outside temperature, compass, and analog/digital stopwatch. Below, volume and tuning knob plus main menu selection buttons, then a beautiful analog clock with carbon fiber face. A secluded inductive charger shelf for your smartphone is there with a 12-volt outlet.

The Flying Spur now has more tech appropriate for a flagship, like a clear head-up display, Apple CarPlay but no Android Auto, plus traffic assist, blind sport warning and an integrated Wi-Fi hotspot.

A 6-liter W12 engine with twin turbochargers nestled lives among aluminum cross-bracing that aids the chassis’ super rigidity. With 626-hp at 6,000-rpm, and a prodigious 664 lb.ft. of torque from a low 1,350-rpm through 4,500 rpm, it can do 207 mph. Power runs through an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission with manual shifting via stick or paddle shifters to a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system that cleanly sends about half the power to front Pirellis as needed in Comfort or Bentley modes, or closer to 35 percent in Sport mode.

Comfort backs off throttle, shifts and engine power and deactivates six cylinders under light load for a genteel, more fuel-saving feel. It seems to start in second gear unless you give it some wellie, the only time the dual-clutch transmission downshifted a bit abruptly. Custom lets you vary engine, transmission and ride. The Bentley B-badged selection reads your driving style and adjusts.

I selected Sport for instant power that pins you to your seat as our 4,000-mile-old sporty locomotive rushed to 60 mph in an amazing 3.4 seconds, and 100 mph in 7.9, a refined bellow from the exhaust. The transmission shifted precisely, a hint of rear wheelspin on launch before power shifted forward. Torque on tap as low as 1,350-rpm, plus a quick dual-clutch gearbox, meant passing power strong and smooth with a tap of the gas pedal. Play too long and we saw 10 mpg. Put it in Comfort on the highway, and we saw 16 mpg.

This 5,373-lb. grand tourer had Bentley’s first electronic all-wheel steering. At low speeds, rear wheels move slightly counter to the fronts for a very tight turning circle. At highway speeds, they slightly turn the same as the fronts for very precise lane changes and handling. That 48-volt battery system powers an anti-roll system that’s part of three-chamber air springs for a cushy controlled ride, or tauter yet still buffered in Sport mode on top of aluminum double wishbone front, and multi-link rear suspension.

If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. But ask – the base price for a 2020 Bentley Flying Spur is $214,600. Our test car’s major options included the $44,735 First Edition spec, plus $4,735 Blackline spec, the black gloss Flying B mascot with illuminated crystal wings for $4,860, the $8,800 Naim audio system, $380 inductive phone charger and $340 air ionizer. Grand — and I mean grand — total was $281,175 with destination. That got lots of reaction from friends and onlookers.