2006 Bentley Flying Spur

[BMWDave]

Link with Pictures
2006 Bentley Flying Spur
Mercedes? BMW? No. It's Bentley that's created the next must-have ultra-luxury sedan
WES RAYNAL
Published Date: 6/20/05
2006 BENTLEY FLYING SPUR
ON SALE: September
BASE PRICE: $164,990
POWERTRAIN: 6.0-liter, 552-hp, 479-lb-ft twin-turbocharged W12; awd, six-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 5456 pounds
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.9 seconds (mfr.)


When the Bentley EXP Speed 8 flashed across the finish line to win Le Mans in 2003, the motorsports cognoscenti grumbled it was a Bentley in name only, that it was little more than a rebodied version of the all-conquering Audi R8 that had been given to Volkswagen Group?s British sibling. Of course Bentley won?Audi had beaten race competition for years with the same car.

Motoring in the long-awaited, four-door Bentley Flying Spur sedan, that ?03 Le Mans win comes to mind. Why? Because the Flying Spur also borrows heavily from parent Volkswagen.

It was a good thing at the world-famous 24-hour endurance test, and it is a great thing now.


Bentley is one confident automaker. Sales in 2004 were up 447 percent, thanks to a $750 million VW-infused cash investment that allowed Bentley to create both the Continental GT, a car that is a runaway market success, and the Flying Spur.

The Flying Spur is essentially a stretched Continental GT (Aug. 25, 2003) with four doors and more rear seat room. Lots more room: Overall length is 209 inches, 19.7 inches longer than the GT, and at 120.5 inches, the wheelbase is about a foot longer. You can have a six-foot-five-inch driver and a six-foot-eight-inch passenger, and everyone is comfortable.

Dutchman Dirk van Braeckel had the Flying Spur in mind when Bentley turned to the designer to pen both new cars. Like the GT, the easy-on-the-eyes Flying Spur is about British luxury and elegance and, at least with a few days? scrutiny, build quality that would do Audi proud. It is chock-full of colossal, supercar-like performance.


First shown at Geneva (AW, March 14), the Flying Spur?its name comes from Bentley?s 1950s sedans?uses the Continental GT?s 6.0-liter, twin-turbo, quad-cam W12, an engine that takes up less space than most V8s. Audi supplies the aluminum block to Bentley in Crewe, England, and Bentley?s engine builders do the rest. This engine develops 552 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, which is sufficient to propel the 5456-pound car to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and on up to a 195-mph top speed (no electronic speed cutoff?that?s for wimps), making the Bentley the fastest four-door production car available.

The acceleration is awesome?ultra-smooth and instantaneous. It just whooshes. With maximum torque coming at just 1600 rpm, effortless acceleration is only the beginning. Just as impressive as its 0-to-62 time is that it will go from 30 to 50 mph in two seconds and 50 to 70 mph in another two seconds. You begin to see its pull is more like a solid booster-aided launch than anything else.

Like the Continental GT, the Flying Spur rides on a platform based on VW Group?s corporate D1 chassis, also on the Audi A8 and VW Phaeton. Bentley says roughly 25 percent of the parts are from The Family; the rest?adjustable shocks, bushings and the aluminum sub-frame, to name three things?are unique to Bentley.


The Flying Spur?s all-wheel-drive system, which delivers excellent dry-road driveability, mates to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shift controls. The four-link front suspension and trapezoidal multilink rear setup along with electronically adjustable air springs at the corners do a wonderful job planting the car. Once the big sedan gets to 155 mph, the suspension lowers ride height 25 mm (about one inch) for better aerodynamic and handling efficiency. The 15.9-inch front disc brakes and 13s in the rear (same as on the GT, the largest on a production car, says Bentley) stop it with authority. With a car capable of a buck ninety-five sticker, the brakes better be good.

The longer wheelbase aids ride comfort, too. Yes this is a stout car, but unlike some of equivalent heft, there is minimal roll in corners; the body stays controlled and level through the twisty corners, and the ride is not harsh over expansion joints.

We?d hoped for rain to give the all-wheel drive a real flog, but no dice. With the suspension set in sport mode, slicing through the switchbacks in Italy was terrific and, as if it is physically possible, the Flying Spur felt smaller the harder we pushed it.

On a European highway the suspension works best in normal mode; the big cruiser is whisper-quiet at high speeds. Crosswinds, road imperfections? No worries?125 mph feels like 55. There is little thought the car wouldn?t behave equally as well on these shores.


One big improvement is its steering; engineers adjusted the software for better on-center feel. This is much appreciated, especially at high speeds, where some have complained the GT?s steering is too light.

The Spur?s interior is outstanding: gorgeous, comfortable and beautifully built in that industry-leading and virtually flawless VW/Audi tradition. Materials include hand-stitched leather?yes, the headliner, too?wood and metal; the only plastic bits are in places where the occupants can?t see or touch them. The front buckets (heated and cooled, naturally) are coddling and commodious. The rear seating area, where perhaps a few Flying Spur owners will spend time, is also huge. If the Flying Spur weren?t so much fun to drive, it could become the next unofficial limo of the NBA. If you choose to order the four-seat-only configuration, rear seats recline and have lumbar support adjustments.

Cars go on sale in the United States in September and 1200 have already been sold. That?s the allotment for 2005 and part of 2006, so you?re looking at delivery of a 2007 model if you?re not already on the list. Some industry insiders suggest if demand makes it necessary, Flying Spurs will be built at VW?s stunning, glass-walled Phaeton plant in Dresden, Germany. Wouldn?t that take parts sharing to a new level?


By industry standards, and by ultra-luxury standards, the Flying Spur is not over-the-top expensive like a Rolls-Royce or Maybach. For $164,990 you get a sedan that runs with most any car on the planet while cosseting you in comfort.

The question is what?s next for Bentley. The drophead coupe shown at the L.A. auto show will make it to production. After that, don?t be surprised to see a Continental GT convertible. And who knows? With Bentley churning out cash and paying Volkswagen back its investment, maybe a new Arnage will happen, too.

For now the Flying Spur will keep Bentley dealers busy. As Adrian Hallmark, Bentley?s marketing chief, put it, ?We are that rare thing in the British automotive world?a car company that is expanding.?

[ifcar]

The "British" automotive world? If you want to throw the definition around, LR and Jaguar have also expanded lately.

[BMWDave]

The "British" automotive world? If you want to throw the definition around, LR and Jaguar have also expanded lately.

LR sales are projected to be up 40% this year.

[ifcar]

The "British" automotive world? If you want to throw the definition around, LR and Jaguar have also expanded lately.

LR sales are projected to be up 40% this year.

Never said otherwise. Always on the defensive, aren't you?  

[BMWDave]

The "British" automotive world? If you want to throw the definition around, LR and Jaguar have also expanded lately.

LR sales are projected to be up 40% this year.

Never said otherwise. Always on the defensive, aren't you?

Wow, you totally misconstrued the meaning of that.  I was just backing up your last statement that LR sales have been up this year.   Always on the defensive, aren't you?

[ifcar]

Knowing you, I figured you'd think I was insulting LR the way I usually am.  

[BMWDave]

Knowing you, I figured you'd think I was insulting LR the way I usually am.

I can tell an insult from a compliment... :)

[ifcar]

Congratulations.

(Which was that?)

[BMWDave]

Congratulations.

(Which was that?)

Well, I never thought you were degrading LR there.

[ifcar]

Congratulations.

(Which was that?)

Well, I never thought you were degrading LR there.

That's a start.    

[Raza]

If you read Automobile's review, you'd note that even with all the price and engineering that went into it, they said it still doesn't ride as well as an S class.

[R33 GT-R]

If you read Automobile's review, you'd note that even with all the price and engineering that went into it, they said it still doesn't ride as well as an S class.

Which is very sad, by the way.

[R33 GT-R]

Raza, you don't like Bentley and Rolls do you?

[Raza]

Raza, you don't like Bentley and Rolls do you?

I love Rolls and Bentley (though from what I'm told, our old Spur was a dog to drive), but I think the brands have been too perverted by their German ownership.  The Continental GT has a W12 engine, underpinnings from a VW Phaeton and A8, an Audi/VW Quatto system, an Audi interior and gearshift, and looks like a blown up G35 coupe.  The Roller Phantom is not much of an improvement, either, with two iDrives (an iDrive at the front, and an iSit at the back) a gear shift that is lifted from the 7er, and an interior, which below all the wood and decor, looks alot like a 745i's.  Ford has done more to retain Jaguar's Britishness (save for the disgrace, though a beautiful one, of the X-type, and the debacle that is the S type) than BMW and VW have to Roller and Bentley.  

It's sad that the Brits have come to where they are now.  

[BMWDave]

Raza, you don't like Bentley and Rolls do you?

I love Rolls and Bentley (though from what I'm told, our old Spur was a dog to drive), but I think the brands have been too perverted by their German ownership.  The Continental GT has a W12 engine, underpinnings from a VW Phaeton and A8, an Audi/VW Quatto system, an Audi interior and gearshift, and looks like a blown up G35 coupe.  The Roller Phantom is not much of an improvement, either, with two iDrives (an iDrive at the front, and an iSit at the back) a gear shift that is lifted from the 7er, and an interior, which below all the wood and decor, looks alot like a 745i's.  Ford has done more to retain Jaguar's Britishness (save for the disgrace, though a beautiful one, of the X-type, and the debacle that is the S type) than BMW and VW have to Roller and Bentley.  

It's sad that the Brits have come to where they are now.

What do you mean underneath is a 7er interior?

[Raza]

The basic design is much like the 7er.

[BMWDave]

The basic design is much like the 7er.

In what way?  I see absolutely nothing (besides the hidden i-Drive controllers) that even hints at a 7 series.

[Raza]

The basic design is much like the 7er.

In what way?  I see absolutely nothing (besides the hidden i-Drive controllers) that even hints at a 7 series.

Look at the blocky dash design.  It's a 745 underneath it all.  The iDrive and trick-shift gearshift are 7 series pieces.

[BMWDave]

I still dont see it....

[Raza]

Then you're blind, my friend.  It's flattened out, the hump is gone, and it's got better wood, but there's a 7 series lurking behind that walnut and Connelly.

[BMWDave]

I see a much flatter and wider center stack, I see a much higher center armrest, I see a totally different facade, I see totally different guage clusters and binnacles, I see totally different seats and doors, etc, etc, etc.

[Raza]

I see a much flatter and wider center stack, I see a much higher center armrest, I see a totally different facade, I see totally different guage clusters and binnacles, I see totally different seats and doors, etc, etc, etc.

It's revised, sure.  But the roots are there.

And damn, I'm hungry.

[BMWDave]

I see a much flatter and wider center stack, I see a much higher center armrest, I see a totally different facade, I see totally different guage clusters and binnacles, I see totally different seats and doors, etc, etc, etc.

It's revised, sure.  But the roots are there.

And damn, I'm hungry.

Its more than just revised, it almost completely different.

[Raza]

No sense arguing a semantic point--the thing is that BMW and VW have destroyed the English marques with their Germanic designs.  I love German cars, but please, leave the Brits alone.  They aren't supposed to be reliable!

[BMWDave]

No sense arguing a semantic point--the thing is that BMW and VW have destroyed the English marques with their Germanic designs.  I love German cars, but please, leave the Brits alone.  They aren't supposed to be reliable!

BMW and VW saved RR and Bentley...I shudder to think where RR would be without BMW and Bentley without VW...no infusions of cash, no new cars, no nothing.

[Raza]

No sense arguing a semantic point--the thing is that BMW and VW have destroyed the English marques with their Germanic designs.  I love German cars, but please, leave the Brits alone.  They aren't supposed to be reliable!

BMW and VW saved RR and Bentley...I shudder to think where RR would be without BMW and Bentley without VW...no infusions of cash, no new cars, no nothing.

Yeah, they saved them.  But whatever...some of the design should have been left intact.  They don't even LOOK British anymore.

[BMWDave]

No sense arguing a semantic point--the thing is that BMW and VW have destroyed the English marques with their Germanic designs.? I love German cars, but please, leave the Brits alone.? They aren't supposed to be reliable!

BMW and VW saved RR and Bentley...I shudder to think where RR would be without BMW and Bentley without VW...no infusions of cash, no new cars, no nothing.

Yeah, they saved them.  But whatever...some of the design should have been left intact.  They don't even LOOK British anymore.

Its hard to get more British than this:



But I agree that Bentley has deviated from their roots.

[Raza]

I did say that BMW did a better job of keeping Roller British than VW did with Bentley, didn't I?



Overall, they didn't do a bad job.  

Bentley, though, went from the perfection which was...



to the abomination which is...



It's not a bad looking car...it's a bad looking Bentley.

[Raza]

I'll take a Continental T or R Mulliner every day over the GT.

[R33 GT-R]

gimme the GT, hoser