Altitude Slickness

The new Flying Spur is better than ever, with clever powertrain and chassis technology enhancing both luxury and performance

- CJ Hubbard

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE.

There is little on the outside of this fourth-generation Flying Spur to suggest the extent of the alterations beneath the surface. Just a few subtle amendments to the grille and the lines of the lower bumpers. Different wheels.

And this Speed version has dark-tint brightwork that contrasts with the more traditionally shiny elements of the alternative Mulliner specification. Sit in the back if you want and you will find it suitably cosseting, but this Flying Spur lives to be driven.

As with the Continental GT, the Flying Spur now packs the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Co-developed with Porsche and built in Zuffenhausen, it might seem strangely retrograde, since it uses only single-scroll turbos and ditches active cylinder deactivation.

But, no. Its own 600 hp is complemented by a 190-hp electric motor, tucked into the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and fed by a 25.9-kWh battery.

This not only delivers 782 hp-the most Bentley have ever placed in a saloon, besting the 635-hp W12-it also overcompensates in other areas. Why deactivate just half the cylinders when you can now turn the engine off entirely? Why bother with complex turbos when the e-motor produces 450 Nm, enabling enough torque fill to eliminate lag? It also helps the engine run leaner and achieves a system peak of 1,000 Nm.