Driven: Bentley Flying Spur V8

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The Flying Spur V8 is more than just world class luxury and comfort!

I am a bit perplexed after driving the Bentley Flying Spur. We know that the brand Bentley is for filthy rich people around the world. If you ask me, the Bentley Flying Spur V8 is a car with a dual personality. Wondering why? Read on.

We know that Bentley’s cars come with an all-wheel drive system. Bentley knows that the best possible way to take advantage of the all-wheel drive system is to drive the cars on snow/ice – one of the reasons why Bentley has so many drive experience programs on snow/ice in their own ice driving school.

So these things were running through my mind when I floored the throttle pedal of the Flying Spur V8 on an empty stretch of road. The Flying Spur is a luxury performance sedan. You should stress on the word performance. Because this lovely luxurious Bentley Flying Spur manufactured with exquisite luxury and craftsmanship is not just a car to be chauffeured in.; it’s a driver’s car too!

Bentley says–“We start where others stop”. It sounds so apt for the brand. I drove a Rolls Royce Ghost just before driving the Flying Spur, and I quite liked the car. We know that Rolls Royce is one of the biggest rivals for Bentley and as Bentley says, yes, they have started where Rolls Royce stopped.

Rolls Royce is for ultimate luxury and comfort. You can barely feel you are cruising at 150kmph in a Rolls Royce. It takes around 6 months to build a Rolls Royce. But Bentley cars are even more special. They added a bit of sportiness to all their models rather than just luxury and comfort. Buy a Bentley, get chauffeured around, and you will understand how special it is and how luxurious the cabin is. But it is not just that. Bentley cars offer mind boggling performance too!

Everything is handcrafted and customisable. You can choose from over 100 exterior colour options and millions of interior options and colours to choose from too. The wood veneer used in the Flying Spur cabin is ethically sourced. Cured for 72 hours, it is treated with five layers of clear lacquer to enhance its natural beauty. What you get in, the result is the mirror-matched surfaces that flow seamlessly into the soft leather.

You can configure your car using the Bentley Configurator, and there may never be another car like yours! You have options to select the style of seat stitching and the colour of the leather, as per your wish. My story, unfortunately, is limited to a certain number of words, or else I could have gone on-and-on about all the options in a Bentley . But before we finish with the interiors, the Flying Spur has an awesome touch screen front infotainment system and the rear gets LCD screens and an optional touch screen remote at the back. The remote allows you to control everything, from climate to audio from behind, and you also get an optional Wi-Fi hub for internet access. Plus a 64 GB hard drive for storing documents, music etc. And the 1100 watts Naim Bentley sound system is a treat to the music fans out there. Did I mention our car came with an inbuilt wireless phone where you can insert a sim and use it whenever you’re with the car? With all these options and acres of space inside, the Flying Spur offers you world class luxury and comfort.

The car we tested was the Flying Spur V8, and not the W12. Yes, the Flying Spur comes in two options, the V8 and W12. The 4-litre V8 petrol unit has a maximum power output of 500bhp at your disposal, and a whopping 660Nm of peak torque at just 1750rpm. All that power and grunt is channelled to all the four wheels through an eight speed automatic gearbox with a 40:60 front to rear torque split.

If you haven’t seen a Bentley Flying Spur in your life, imagine a car that measures 5.2 metres length and 2.2 metres wide, which is gigantic if you compare it with usual road cars. And by and large, it weighs 2425 kilograms. With these kind of dimensions, and huge kerb weight, the Flying Spur V8 hits 100kmph in just 5.2 seconds, which is enough to destroy a few sports cars on a drag strip.

The beauty of Bentley is, they didn’t just stop with ultimate world class luxury. They have built a marvellous engine which exudes a strong V8 rumble. The Flying Spur is a car with a dual personality, it offers comfort when you are chauffeured, and the moment you want to play hard, just floor the throttle and it transforms itself from a luxury sedan to a performance sedan. Drive it smoothly, and you could barely hear the engine note. At the same time, a small dab on throttle is enough to listen to the sweet V8 rumble, and the car turns into a hooligan. The Flying Spur can go all the way up to 295kmph, and the car remains planted and holds the road firmly at high speeds. Yes, you obviously tend to feel the weight of the car when you corner it or drive it around a roundabout. But I felt there is less body roll than a Rolls and more traction because of the All-Wheel-Drive.

All together the Bentley Flying Spur V8 is . . .

I shouldn’t talk about build quality, comfort or luxury as part of Bentley’s verdict, as it would sound a bit like a newspaper boy praising the quality of the best daily out in the market. We know that Bentley makes exceptionally luxurious, class-leading cars. The Flying Spur V8 is not just about luxury; it has a mighty heart which could turn you into Jason Statham. The V8 is powerful, and as always, with the All-Wheel-Drive system, you can put many sports car drivers to shame. But being practical, Bentley owners wouldn’t buy a Flying Spur for that purpose. Chances are, owners may drive the car once in a blue moon. Or they might just be too busy fixing deals with their partners and boasting about the swanky, optional Breitling watch in their Flying Spur. Life feels a lot better when you own a Bentley – if you’re lucky enough, that is!