BENTLEY FLYING SPUR HYBRID

Can a V6 and an electric motor create a better real-world limo than a V8 or W12?

- MIKE DUFF

TESTED 10.1.22. LOS ANGELES, US ON SALE SPRING

While the plug-in Bentayga Hybrid was a small first step on Bentley’s path to full electrification of its line-up, the new Flying Spur Hybrid takes a bigger stride. The saloon’s electric-only range is still limited, and although certification hasn’t been finished yet, Bentley says it expects a relatively modest 25 miles of pure EV operation under the WLTP standard. But a punchy new powertrain means the Flying Spur Hybrid is only fractionally slower than its V8 sibling and Bentley promises that the pricing of both cars will be similarly close.

Even though the Bentayga Hybrid and Flying Spur Hybrid each use a twin-turbocharged hybridised V6, their engines are barely related to each other. The SUV’s is an Audi based system that uses a torque converter automatic gearbox, whereas the Spur’s is closely related to the much brawnier one in the Porsche Panamera 4S E-Hybrid.

That means a 410bhp 2.9-litre V6 with its turbos packaged in the vee of its cylinder bank, with electric power coming from a 134bhp motor sandwiched between the combustion engine and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The result is a combined peak of 536bhp – 93bhp more than the Bentayga Hybrid and only 6bhp less than the Spur V8. The Flying Spur Hybrid’s official 4.1sec 0-60mph time is just a tenth behind that of the V8, too. And while the PHEV is unsurprisingly heavier, that penalty has been cut. According to Bentley, it weighs 50kg more than the pure-petrol car. For comparison, the Bentayga PHEV’s supplement is 210kg.