2021 Bentley Flying Spur Review

　　

2021 Bentley Flying Spur Review

byReese CountsVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　With the discontinuation of the Mulsanne, Bentley's Flying Spur rises to flagship status for the brand. Bentley redesigned it last year, giving it new styling inside and out, new tech, new driver aids and a cabin that somehow is even more premium. For 2021, the Flying Spur joins the Bentley Continental GT — essentially the coupe version of the Flying Spur — in offering a turbocharged V8 engine as well as a turbocharged W12. Both V8 and W12 models offer a deep level of customization through a myriad of choices for leather, wood trim, paint and more.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8 4dr Sedan AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo 8AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$274/mo  for Flying Spur V8

　　Flying Spur V8

　　V8 4dr Sedan AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo 8AM) - $196,000 MSRPW12 4dr Sedan AWD (6.0L 12cyl Turbo 8AM) (Most Popular) - $221,000 MSRP

　　vs

　　$197/mo

　　Avg. Large Car

　　There aren't many cars on sale that offer the same premium feel as the Flying Spur. One of the closest in size and price is the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. It's a little more comfortable than the Flying Spur, but it's not as enjoyable to drive or quite as special. For a similar luxury and prestige, there's the Rolls-Royce Ghost, though it's considerably more expensive. So what should you get? Read our Expert Rating evaluation of the 2021 Flying Spur below to help you decide.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.4

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

9.0/10

　　How does the Flying Spur drive? The Flying Spur balances comfort and refinement with respectable performance. It's no sport sedan, but going around turns doesn't feel like you're navigating a container ship through the Suez Canal either. The steering is quick enough that it actually helps the Flying Spur feel smaller than it is. It handles relatively well too. The adjustable air suspension keeps the car from wallowing about in corners and also keeps the ride relaxed on the highway.

　　Acceleration is brisk. At our test track, our Flying Spur V8 test car covered 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds. The V8 has lots of power throughout its rev range. It sounds great too, further encouraging you to turn hydrocarbons into aural wonder. Our only complaint here is the somewhat lazy-shifting transmission. It can be sluggish to downshift in anything other than Sport mode.

　　

Comfort

9.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Flying Spur? Comfort and ride quality are excellent. Both rows of seats are well shaped and offer a lot of adjustment. The padding is a bit firm, but it helps the seats feel supportive. The Flying Spur has heated and ventilated seats, and there's a slider that allows you to adjust the heat and ventilation more toward your back or the seat bottom. The four-zone climate control works well and has quiet air flow through the vents.

　　Ride quality is on the firm side and not quite as plush as the ride in some rivals. It's not harsh by any means, and the tuning likely helps the Flying Spur's handling. During our test, there was nary a vibration. Wind and road noise is low too. Even on the highway, the Flying Spur is whisper-quiet inside.

　　

Interior

8.5/10

　　How’s the interior? The Flying Spur's interior is pretty phenomenal, with a design and premium feel that few cars on the road can match. It's spacious and comfortable in both rows, and the wide doors make it easy to get in and out. Once you're settled in, it's easy to dial in your preferred driving position. Both rows have acres of space, and you can easily stretch out in the rear, even with taller occupants up front. 

　　Bentley has placed all major controls within easy reach. We like that Bentley uses physical buttons for many controls instead of routing them through the touchscreen like a lot of other automakers do.

　　On the downside, the Flying Spur's shiny piano black and chrome trim reflect lots of sunlight back into your eyes. It can really get distracting on sunny days. Outward visibility isn't so great either. The high beltline means the windows are relatively short. A surround-view camera, parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring help a lot.

　　

Technology

7.0/10

　　How’s the tech? Bentley offers the Flying Spur with a wide range of tech and driver aids. That said, many of them are optional rather than included in the list of standard features. That includes everything from adaptive cruise control to the high-end Naim audio system. The driver aids work well enough, though the adaptive cruise control is a bit lazy to speed up and the night-vision camera seems like more of a novelty than a useful feature.

　　The in-car tech is a mixed bag too. The infotainment is based on the system available in the latest crop of Audis (Bentley's sister company). It's relatively straightforward to use and has wireless Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. But the lack of Android Auto is disappointing. All four seats have USB ports. The optional Naim audio system is fine, though it doesn't sound any more impressive than the high-end audio in other luxury sedans.

　　

Storage

7.5/10

　　How’s the storage? When a car is as large as the Flying Spur, we expect cargo space in the trunk to be as impressive as passenger space is in the cabin. With 14.3 cubic feet of space, the trunk is larger than the Mercedes-Maybach S 650's and not far off from what the Bentayga SUV has behind its rear seating. The Flying Spur's rear seats don't fold flat, but that's the price you pay for standard heated, ventilated and massaging rear bucket seats. Those seats do have anchors for a child's car seat, and the large rear seat and wide door opening should make installing a seat pretty straightforward.

　　Storage in the rest of the cabin is just OK. The door pockets are reasonably large, and the wireless charging pad is perfect for smartphones of any size. Surprisingly, the front center console doesn't open, though the rear-seat center console does.

　　

Fuel Economy

7.0/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? The Bentley Flying Spur V8 achieves an EPA-estimated 17 mpg in combined city/highway driving, which is on par with other flagship luxury sedans. Our test car got 19.5 mpg on our mixed-driving 115-mile evaluation route.

　　

Value

8.0/10

　　Is the Flying Spur a good value? Our Flying Spur V8 test vehicle, loaded up with options as it was, cost more than $272,000. The thing is, it feels worth  it. Overall build quality is excellent. Everything you look at or touch feels premium, from the leather seats to the pull knobs that open and close the vents. Some competitors feel like very nice versions of less expensive cars; the Flying Spur feels like a completely premium and holistic product. If Bentley has cut corners, it's masked the slices with enough leather and wood that it doesn't make a difference.

　　

Wildcard

9.5/10

　　Few cars have as much curb appeal as the Flying Spur. Unlike something like a S-Class Maybach, the Flying Spur doesn't look like anything else on the road except other Bentleys. It's distinct without being gaudy, and the proportions and design give it a sporty flair that other luxury sedans lack. And while it's no performance car, it drives and handles well enough to not feel soft or sloppy. The engine has plenty of grunt, but lazy low-end torque means you don't have to work hard to access it. If you do, the Flying Spur's V8 soundtrack has as much character as the car's design. It doesn't look or feel like anything else on the road, and, considering the cost of admission, that's a very good thing.

　　

Which Flying Spur does zzdcar recommend?

You won't go wrong with either version of the Flying Spur, but we suggest going with the less expensive V8 model. It loses little in terms of performance and handles better than its W12-powered sibling.

　　

2021 Bentley Flying Spur models

The 2021 Bentley Flying Spur is a large luxury sedan that sits atop Bentley's lineup. For 2021, the Flying Spur is available with either a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 (542 hp, 568 lb-ft of torque) or a 6.0-liter turbocharged W12 (626 hp, 664 lb-ft of torque). Both are paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Features and options are generally the same for both models, meaning the only difference is what's under the hood. Both models are very well equipped and offer a seemingly endless amount of customization.

　　Standard features include:

　　21-inch wheels Air suspension (can raise or lower the ride height of the vehicle) Active stabilizer bars and adaptive suspension dampers (can automatically adjust to improve handling or ride comfort) Rear-wheel steering (enhances maneuverability) Retractable Bentley hood ornament Heated and ventilated front and outboard rear seats with massage 12.3-inch touchscreen Apple CarPlay smartphone integration 10-speaker audio system Onboard Wi-Fi hotspotAdvanced safety features include:

　　Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line onto the windshield) Blind-spot monitoring (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane is in your blind spot) Lane departure mitigation (warns you of a lane departure when a turn signal isn't used and can automatically steer to maintain lane position) Front and rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking) 360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Flying Spur and its surroundings for tight parking situations) Automated parking system (steers into a parking spot with no driver intervention) Night-vision functionThe Flying Spur offers a number of additional options, such as:

　　Illuminated hood ornament Panoramic sunroof Heated steering wheel Rotating central display (rotates to show the touchscreen, analog gauges or a trim veneer) Lambswool carpets Configurable ambient lighting Wireless charging pad 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system 19-speaker Naim audio system Rear-seat entertainment system Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Bentley and the car in front)As with all Bentleys, the Flying Spur can be tailored to fit the buyer's desires. Available customizations include:

　　Knurled vent and button surrounds Numerous wood veneer choices Steering wheel with perforated leather Contrasting stitching and seat piping Personalized kick platesSome features, such as a leather headliner and 22-inch wheels, can only be ordered as part of the Mulliner Driving Specification personalization package. Also of note is the First Edition model, which bundles several of the above features and customization options, plus unique First Edition badges.

　　

2021 Flying Spur Highlights

Trim: V8W12V8

　　

Base MSRP	$196,000
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	17 MPG
Cost to Drive	$274/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.8 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / unlimited miles