Three months aft the uncover of the new Continental GT, Bentley has pulled the covers disconnected its four-door sibling, the Flying Spur. But whereas the coupé is an all-new, clean-sheet design, this car is simply a comparatively mild facelift of the outgoing model – albeit 1 that hides a generational leap successful presumption of powertrain, chassis and in-car technologies.
In fact, truthful thorough were the upgrades that Crewe is classifying this arsenic the fourth-generation Flying Spur, adjacent though it looks astir identical to the 2019 model. The top-dog Speed, the lone variant disposable astatine launch, returns to a mesh grille (the previous car had alternatively un-Bentley vertical slats) and features a sleeker beforehand bumper, a body-coloured rear diffuser, caller 22-inch turbine-style alloy wheels and animated Bentley Wings invited lights from the Batur. Neat but not precisely groundbreaking changes.
But everything nether that samey tegument is practically each new, starting with the engine. The Flying Spur Speed gets the fourth-gen Continental GT Speed’s caller plug-in Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain, headlined by an updated 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8.
The mill ditches the accepted vacuum strategy and gains higher-pressure substance injection and single-scroll alternatively of twin-scroll turbos – since there’s present an electrical centrifugal to capable successful the turbo lag. This reduces complexity and allows them to tally hotter, minimising emissions. Cylinder deactivation has besides been jettisoned, fixed that the car tin power disconnected the motor wholly erstwhile being driven connected electrical powerfulness alone. Outputs from the eight-pot are really somewhat little astatine 600 PS and 800 Nm of torque.
Making up for this shortfall is simply a 190 PS/450 Nm electrical centrifugal integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Combined powerfulness has been bumped up by 19% to 782 PS, portion torque is up implicit 11% to a towering 1,000 Nm. With all-wheel thrust again coming arsenic standard, the Speed sprints from zero to 100 km/h successful conscionable 3.5 seconds – 3 tenths of a 2nd faster than its predecessor. All this hardware besides improves the Flying Spur’s value distribution, present rear-biased astatine 48.3 to 51.7.
But the main payment of the PHEV setup is, of course, the quality to thrust successful full-electric mode astatine up to 140 km/h, with the 25.9 kWh artillery delivering an awesome scope of 76 km (up from conscionable 41 km connected the erstwhile Flying Spur Hybrid). This, combined with the V8, provides a full scope of up to 829 km. Equipped with an 11 kW on-board charger, a afloat complaint takes 2.75 hours.
The adoption of the PHEV powertrain has necessitated a implicit revamp of the electrical architecture, enabling the fitment of the caller Conti GT’s Performance Active Chassis with Bentley Dynamic Ride. This adds caller twin-valve dampers that abstracted rebound and compression damping control, importantly improving thrust comfortableness successful Comfort mode. You besides get rear-wheel steering, an physics limited-slip differential, retuned stableness power and torque vectoring by braking.
Other changes introduced arsenic portion of the architecture upgrade see caller seats with 3D quilting and the optional Wellness Seating Specification connected each 4 pews. This enables Seat Auto Climate done the heating and ventilation functions, on with Postural Adjust that perpetually moves the unit points to trim fatigue connected agelong journeys.
This is paired with an aerial ioniser, particulate substance filter and outer and interior aerial prime displays built into the clime control. Meanwhile, the infotainment strategy gains wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, positive a caller My Bentley App Studio for third-party apps. Users besides get caller distant parkland assist, charging and clime pre-conditioning functions done a smartphone app.
Elsewhere, drivers summation an situation show erstwhile utilizing Level 2 semi-autonomous driving features, allowing them to spot surrounding vehicles successful the instrumentality display. A caller Intelligent Park Assist with velocity power has besides been added, portion different assisted driving features volition beryllium enabled each year, specified arsenic greenish postulation airy prediction that volition beryllium progressively rolled retired crossed large US and European cities.
The Flying Spur retains Bentley’s trademark opulence, enhanced present with darkened exterior trim, precision 3D diamond leather connected the doorway cards and B-pillars, optional acheronian chrome interior decor and caller instrumentality show graphics. The distinctive Bentley Rotating Display, which tin stow the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen to amusement either 3 analogue gauges oregon an unbroken broadside of veneer, continues to beryllium an option.
Also connected the options database are a prime of 3 dependable systems. There’s the “base” ten-speaker, 650-watt setup, a 16-speaker, 1,500-watt Bang & Olufsen mentation oregon the full-fat 19-speaker, 2,200-watt Naim strategy with Active Bass Transducers successful the beforehand seats.
Of course, we’d beryllium remiss not to notation the standard of customisation options, including a Styling Specification aero bundle successful c fibre and a dizzying 101-colour palette, expandable adjacent further done the Mulliner division. You tin take from immoderate colour from Bentley’s past oregon adjacent make a overgarment lucifer to immoderate colour. Inside, you get 22 superior and 11 secondary leather colours, arsenic good arsenic 4 colour splits, 8 wood veneers and 3 method finishes specified arsenic carbon.
The station 2025 Bentley Flying Spur facelift – 782 PS PHEV setup from Continental GT, positive upgraded chassis, tech appeared archetypal connected Paul Tan's Automotive News.