BENTLEY FLYING SPUR

Plug-in hybrid power is treating us finely in terms of both enjoyment and cost

- STEVE CROPLEY

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT

To see if this new V6 hybrid can match the power and refinement of Bentley's W12 and V8 petrol powertrains

One of the first things they Otell you about habitual Bentley owners is how much they use their cars for lifestyle, business and high-mileage driving. These are working machines, Crewe people insist- and yet when a £250,000 Bentley comes your way to use as you like for three months, especially when it's the biggest they make, a Flying Spur saloon, you find these comments a bit hard to believe.

At first you drive with trepidation, as impressed behind the wheel by this car's presence as those who see its elegant Silver Frost flanks from outside. With its long wheelbase and highly adjustable four-mode air suspension, it's so remarkably free from pitch that for a while you imagine it's even bigger than it is.

This phase can run several days and 100 miles, but it doesn't last. You wake up one morning with a big journey to do, slide into the duotone cabin of Porpoise and Cumbrian Green leather (gripped by the part-Dinamica seats) and the car seems to shrink around you. Suddenly 5.3 metres seems a normal length for a car, and the impression stays. From there, the mileage accumulates.