BENTLEY4.0 V8 Hybrid Mulliner 4dr Auto£244,100
Good stuff
Handsome in a trad way, good-grief fast, wide dynamic breadth, gorgeous interior
Bad stuff
No more W12, but perhaps that was only for bragging rights anyway
Overview
What is it?
The Flying Spur now has 782bhp.As standard.That got your attention.It’s not a sledgehammer sports-saloon like some big Brabus Mercedes, nor a pillowy uber-lux limo like a Rolls-Royce.It can do both those things depending on your mood, or the circumstances, or who’s driving – you or your chauffeur.
It’s a substantially new car, under a less new skin.Brand-new is the hugely powerful V8 hybrid drivetrain, the electrical architecture – giving new driver-assist and so on – plus the suspension is recalibrated with new dampers.
Those things are shared with its sister cars, the Mk4 Continental GT and GTC.
But since the Flying Spur was wholly renewed as recently as 2019, Bentley has barely changed the look of it.It does without the new front end of the Continental GT and GTC.
Sales figures show that full limousine duties are actually being picked up by an extended-wheelbase version of the Bentayga, the folk at Crewe realising that the high-net-worth individuals of this world might prefer the stocky swagger of an SUV to the grandeur of an elongated saloon.
Which, in the company of the latest Flying Spur, seems a crying shame.While the elevated seats of an SUV give rear passengers a better view, the simple fact is this Flying Spur gives a far softer, less agitated ride.And it looks more elegant.
In fact, the back seat was always the place to be in the Flying Spur.Fitted with the W12 engine, it was a bit nose heavy for the driver to be having a truly good time.The alternative V6 hybrid was wheezy and unfitting.This new one evicts both those choices, replacing them with a more powerful V8 hybrid system that evens up the weight balance.
Is this now a car for the driver then?
Absolutely.
Perhaps that’s why the Bentayga has been given the chauffeuring reins: buy a Spur and you might just end up relegating your driving staff to gardening duties.
Big news for this 2025 model is that it gets Bentley’s new ‘ultra performance hybrid’.
That’s Bentley’s description, but for once it’s no hyperbole.
The old powertrain range – V6 PHEV, V8 and W12 – are all history.In their place comes a 600bhp V8 plus a 190bhp electric motor, both driving through the eight-speed DCT transmission, for a combined 782 very willing horsies.
The V8 is related to but not the same as the old 4.0.F’rinstance it loses the starter and alternator as the big e-motor does those jobs, and other parts are redesigned to make its output and efficiency better match working in combination with the motor.
In the back is 22kWh (net) of battery, good for 47 miles of electric running in ideal – that is, WLTP – conditions.We’ll talk about economy over in the Buying tab of this review, because as with any PHEV that’s no simple matter.
It’s an utterly majestic powertrain when it puts its shoulder to the wheel, with a full-on V8 rallying cry at high revs.Going gently, you can choose the distant rolling timpani of the engine, or the silence of electric drive.
Because of the limo remit, the accelerator has a gentle response in the top part of its travel, so it’s easy to drive with tender smoothness.But flex further and it all awakes, the e-motor doing a lot to hide turbo lag, the transmission gliding down a couple of gears, 2.7 tonnes of Bentley shortly being dispatched unto the horizon.
Numbers? How about 0-62 in 3.5 seconds, and passing through 100mph just four seconds later.Mad.
The chassis features four-wheel steering and an optional 48-volt electric system that manages an active anti-roll bar.The four-wheel-drive system is more rear-biased and the gearbox is an eight-speeder with twin clutches.
An e-diff sits between the rear driveshafts for a measure of torque vectoring.
And it works.Sure, it’s hardly the last word in involvement, but the grip, poise and security are unimpeachable.The balance is terrific: stable on turn-in, little understeer, and with a mild dose of rear-drive sensibility on the way out of a bend.
Sounds like they forgot this is a limo.
Ah, no.For a start the cabin is just beautiful.
A Maybach owner might get an E-Class minicab to the airport and sadly realise those two Mercedes cabins are uncomfortably similar.But a Bentley is a Bentley.It’s delightful in the front but also roomy and sybaritic out back.Pillowy hide, electric seats, unique textures and room to stretch.
But also, for this 2025 model there are new twin-valve adaptive dampers.
Previously the ride could get a little harsh and vibratory on some surfaces.Now, it’s like the road has been resurfaced.Wake us up when we get there.
Our choice from the range
What’s the verdict?
It’s a deeply clever car this, bridging the gap between the driven and the driver more comprehensively than any other luxury saloon.A Rolls-Royce Ghost is more refined for the driven, but the Bentey runs it close, while bounding ahead for the driver.
It uses technology very effectively but doesn’t allow it to dominate.
This is a swift, sure-footed and genuinely enjoyable luxury saloon, faster than anything this side of a Panamera Turbo S and way more cosseting.And the spaciousness, design and tactility of the cabin lifts it well clear of anything a mass-market brand has to offer.
The Flying Spur is a very, very convincing car, luxurious, balming and stately enough to usurp the now-deceased Mulsanne.But awesome to drive too.It’s more bespoke and special than a Bentayga and more comfortable too, even if it can’t trump the Bentayga for off-roading or towing.But who, in a Bentley, does that? This a fabulous advert for the luxury saloon as a breed..
