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Flying Spur Is Ready For Take-off

The Flying Spur has landed! And Auto Express wasted no time getting behind the wheel of the first all-new Bentley four-door since Volkswagen took control of the classic British marque in 1998. What's more, the Crewe-based firm claims this 195mph charger is the world's fastest saloon.

By Oliver Marriage

27th April 2005

The newcomer joins the ranks at an exciting time - the company has recently announced that the Arnage Drophead Coup΃© will go into production in 2006. And the Continental GT coup΃© has been a runaway success, with more than 6,500 sold worldwide last year - over 1,800 of them in the UK alone.

Bentley is obviously hoping the new machine will share that fortune. To this end, the car's full title is the Continental Flying Spur, and there are no prizes for recognising the styling similarities between the two models. However, only aficionados will notice the four-door has a slightly more upright windscreen.

In fact, 60 per cent of components are shared between the pair. We don't think the saloon is quite as handsome and elegant as the coup΃©, and the design looks a touch ungainly from some angles. But the 320mm longer wheelbase and extended rear overhang give a massive 475-litre boot, and make for an impressively roomy interior.

But it's the back seating that's truly superb, as you can opt for either a two or three-abreast layout. The more exclusive former set-up costs an additional ΂£4,500 due to the ornate hand-crafted console and two fully adjustable electric seats. Yet no matter which format you opt for, the passenger environment has to be experienced to be believed. Space is easily a match for that of the long-wheelbase Mercedes S-Class, and none of Bentley's German competitors has anywhere near such a luxurious or cosseting atmosphere.

It's a similar story up front. You can spot the Volkswagen switchgear, but there's no loss of quality. Crucially, the cabin also looks and feels like a Bentley, with lashings of wood, Scandinavian leather (the steering wheel alone takes five hours to stitch) and beautifully burnished metal trim on display.

The driving position is excellent, too, with the seats adjusting 16 different ways - although more lateral support during cornering would be welcome. You may think that's a minor concern in this car, but don't forget Bentley believes it is a four-door Grand Tourer rather than simply a luxury saloon. Either way, it's certainly not short of pace. The mighty twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 powerplant produces 552bhp and 650Nm of torque from a mere 1,600rpm.

That's enough to return figures of 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 195mph. Luckily, the Flying Spur also has the world's biggest production car brakes (405mm diameter) to help keep things under control. And with 2,475kg to rein in (that's 90kg more than the two-door), the anchors certainly have their work cut out.

The engine is extremely refined yet enormously potent, hurling the Flying Spur down the road with ease. With all four wheels driven through a six-speed automatic transmission, traction is excellent and the car remains very stable on its air-suspension. The ride isn't flawless, though; expansion joints on the road thud through the chassis and, although the heavyweight Bentley is well controlled, it simply isn't as agile as an S-Class. Nevertheless, noise is extremely well suppressed, miles are effortlessly consumed and there is a sense of solidity that rivals such as the big Mercedes simply can't match.

But then, they don't have a ΂£115,000 price tag. Don't go thinking that makes the Flying Spur poor value for money in this class, though - features such as the hand-stitched interior show genuine craftsmanship, while equipment levels are unsurpassed, including such items as soft-close doors, a television plus keyless entry and start. The Crewe factory already has 2,000 advance orders - and plenty more are sure to follow.

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