Review: How the 2020 Bentley Flying Spur is the Definitive Modern Bentley Sedan

The new Flying Spur shares a platform with Porsche and is a better car for it

The previous two generations of the Bentley Flying Spur had Volkswagen DNA under their luxurious skins, their platforms shared with VW's highly underrated Phaeton sedan. The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur shares its platform with a Porsche. And it's the better car for it. In fact, the 2020 Flying Spur—effortlessly fast, opulently detailed, and brimful of raffish charm—is the best Bentley sedan of the modern era.

Powered by Bentley's mighty W-12 engine, the 2020 Flying Spur is built on an extended version of the VW Group MSB platform that underpins various Porsche Panamera models as well as the Bentley Continental GT coupe and convertible. The Flying Spur shares all its structure ahead of the firewall with Panamera and Continental GTs, and its center section with the long-wheelbase Panamera Executive. The section from the base of the rear seat and back is unique to the Bentley, however, to allow for a more comfort-oriented suspension setup and a roomy conventional trunk instead of the Porsche hatchback.

More importantly, the front engine/rear-drive architecture of MSB has allowed the Bentley design team under the direction of Stefan Sielaff to finally give the 21st century Flying Spur the front-wheels-forward stance of a classic British luxury car, something that simply wasn't possible with the unusual longitudinally mounted front engine/ front-drive architecture of the Phaeton platform. Though a mere 0.6 inches longer than the outgoing car, the new Flying Spur's front axle centerline is 5.1 inches further forward, allowing a long hood without a pronounced front overhang. It's the singular dimensional change between the two cars that, visually, changes everything.

And it changes the way the Flying Spur drives.

With their engines mounted ahead of the front axle, previous generation Flying Spurs were nose-heavy beasts that worked their front tires hard when asked to change direction in a hurry. The new Flying Spur not only weighs slightly less than the previous model, but having its front axle further forward in the chassis has changed the front to rear weight distribution from 56/44 to 54/46. (Easier said than done: Packaging the 6.0-liter W-12 engine and the standard all-wheel drive system in the MSB platform meant routing the front axle through the sump.) This, plus the standard rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll system, torque vectoring by brake, and a drivetrain management protocol that allows no more than 38 percent of the torque to be sent to the front wheels, makes the new Flying Spur feel much more agile and alert in the twisties.

It's still a hefty thing, though. At 209.3 inches long and 77.9 inches wide, the Flying Spur is almost as long and wide overall as a Lincoln Navigator, and has a 3.3-inch longer wheelbase than the giant three-row SUV. The Bentley easily handled the tight switchbacks on our drive along the narrow roads clinging to the mountains that tumble down to the glamorous Cote d'Azur in the south of France. But there were more than a few sharp intakes of breath and instinctive narrowing of shoulders when a local in a Renault or Citroen popped around a corner with a couple of wheels on our side of the tarmac.

Like the original Flying Spurs, which first appeared in the late 1950s, this Bentley's milieu is grand touring on fast, open roads. The W12, upgraded for the launch of the Continental GTs last year, develops 626 hp at 6,000 rpm and 646 lb-ft of torque from 1,350 rpm to 4,000 rpm, all of which arrives in less than one-third the time it did in the previous car. Bentley claims a 0-60 mph acceleration time for the Flying Spur of just 3.7 seconds, making it just a tenth slower over the sprint than the Continental GT coupe, with the speedo needle gliding past 100 mph just 4.5 seconds after that. Claimed top speed is a stonking 207 mph, making this majestic Bentley the fastest production four-door in the world; faster, even, than the 680-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Allow it to stretch its legs—tickling a distant gravelly snarl from the W-12—and the Flying Spur serenely compresses time and space, the three-chamber air suspension shrugging off humps and heaves even as the anti-roll system keeps the big sedan as flat as a sports car through the corners. The steering feel is meaty and authoritative, and the massive brakes—16.5-inch rotors up front and 15.0-inchers at the rear—resolute in their response. The long wheelbase and the rear-wheel steering system, which steers the rear tires in the same direction as the fronts at high speeds, work together to deliver remarkable composure through fast sweepers.

There are four drive modes, selected via a rotary controller on the center console, that allow you to finesse the drive experience to your liking. Comfort keeps everything relaxed, while Sport sharpens the throttle and transmission response, stiffens the suspension, and reduces the amount of torque allowed to the front wheels from 38 percent to just 17 percent. In between is Bentley mode, which reflects what Bentley engineers consider to be the car's optimal setup. Custom mode allows drivers to individually select their preferred settings for powertrain, suspension, and steering.

Leave it in Bentley mode, and you'll be more than happy with the way the Flying Spur goes down the road most of the time. But if that road turns interesting, select Custom mode, put the drivetrain in Sport, the suspension in Bentley, the steering in Comfort, and use the paddle shifters to manually work the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. You get the crisper powertrain response but keep the suspension just a little relaxed—it takes the edge off sharper impacts if, as all our testers were, the car is fitted with the optional 22-inch wheels—and more sensitive steering. You'll soon be grinning at the sheer audacity with which this giant sedan dances down the tarmac.

For all that, though, the Bentley Flying Spur does some of its best work schmoozing around town on light throttle. Which is probably just as well as, sadly, this is how most will be driven. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—part and parcel of the Porsche-developed MSB architecture—initially proved a major headache for Bentley engineers as it couldn't match the smoothness of a torque converter transmission under light throttle acceleration, both in terms of initial takeoff and gearshifts. But a ton of development work has eliminated the clunkiness evident in the Continental coupe; under low speed, light throttle acceleration the dual-clutch feels virtually as seamless and elastic as an old-school automatic.

More importantly, the front engine/rear-drive architecture of MSB has allowed the Bentley design team under the direction of Stefan Sielaff to finally give the 21st century Flying Spur the front-wheels-forward stance of a classic British luxury car, something that simply wasn't possible with the unusual longitudinally mounted front engine/ front-drive architecture of the Phaeton platform. Though a mere 0.6 inches longer than the outgoing car, the new Flying Spur's front axle centerline is 5.1 inches further forward, allowing a long hood without a pronounced front overhang. It's the singular dimensional change between the two cars that, visually, changes everything.

And it changes the way the Flying Spur drives.

With their engines mounted ahead of the front axle, previous generation Flying Spurs were nose-heavy beasts that worked their front tires hard when asked to change direction in a hurry. The new Flying Spur not only weighs slightly less than the previous model, but having its front axle further forward in the chassis has changed the front to rear weight distribution from 56/44 to 54/46. (Easier said than done: Packaging the 6.0-liter W-12 engine and the standard all-wheel drive system in the MSB platform meant routing the front axle through the sump.) This, plus the standard rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll system, torque vectoring by brake, and a drivetrain management protocol that allows no more than 38 percent of the torque to be sent to the front wheels, makes the new Flying Spur feel much more agile and alert in the twisties.

It's still a hefty thing, though. At 209.3 inches long and 77.9 inches wide, the Flying Spur is almost as long and wide overall as a Lincoln Navigator, and has a 3.3-inch longer wheelbase than the giant three-row SUV. The Bentley easily handled the tight switchbacks on our drive along the narrow roads clinging to the mountains that tumble down to the glamorous Cote d'Azur in the south of France. But there were more than a few sharp intakes of breath and instinctive narrowing of shoulders when a local in a Renault or Citroen popped around a corner with a couple of wheels on our side of the tarmac.

Like the original Flying Spurs, which first appeared in the late 1950s, this Bentley's milieu is grand touring on fast, open roads. The W12, upgraded for the launch of the Continental GTs last year, develops 626 hp at 6,000 rpm and 646 lb-ft of torque from 1,350 rpm to 4,000 rpm, all of which arrives in less than one-third the time it did in the previous car. Bentley claims a 0-60 mph acceleration time for the Flying Spur of just 3.7 seconds, making it just a tenth slower over the sprint than the Continental GT coupe, with the speedo needle gliding past 100 mph just 4.5 seconds after that. Claimed top speed is a stonking 207 mph, making this majestic Bentley the fastest production four-door in the world; faster, even, than the 680-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Allow it to stretch its legs—tickling a distant gravelly snarl from the W-12—and the Flying Spur serenely compresses time and space, the three-chamber air suspension shrugging off humps and heaves even as the anti-roll system keeps the big sedan as flat as a sports car through the corners. The steering feel is meaty and authoritative, and the massive brakes—16.5-inch rotors up front and 15.0-inchers at the rear—resolute in their response. The long wheelbase and the rear-wheel steering system, which steers the rear tires in the same direction as the fronts at high speeds, work together to deliver remarkable composure through fast sweepers.

There are four drive modes, selected via a rotary controller on the center console, that allow you to finesse the drive experience to your liking. Comfort keeps everything relaxed, while Sport sharpens the throttle and transmission response, stiffens the suspension, and reduces the amount of torque allowed to the front wheels from 38 percent to just 17 percent. In between is Bentley mode, which reflects what Bentley engineers consider to be the car's optimal setup. Custom mode allows drivers to individually select their preferred settings for powertrain, suspension, and steering.

Leave it in Bentley mode, and you'll be more than happy with the way the Flying Spur goes down the road most of the time. But if that road turns interesting, select Custom mode, put the drivetrain in Sport, the suspension in Bentley, the steering in Comfort, and use the paddle shifters to manually work the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. You get the crisper powertrain response but keep the suspension just a little relaxed—it takes the edge off sharper impacts if, as all our testers were, the car is fitted with the optional 22-inch wheels—and more sensitive steering. You'll soon be grinning at the sheer audacity with which this giant sedan dances down the tarmac.

For all that, though, the Bentley Flying Spur does some of its best work schmoozing around town on light throttle. Which is probably just as well as, sadly, this is how most will be driven. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission—part and parcel of the Porsche-developed MSB architecture—initially proved a major headache for Bentley engineers as it couldn't match the smoothness of a torque converter transmission under light throttle acceleration, both in terms of initial takeoff and gearshifts. But a ton of development work has eliminated the clunkiness evident in the Continental coupe; under low speed, light throttle acceleration the dual-clutch feels virtually as seamless and elastic as an old-school automatic.

In addition to delivering impressive agility on mountain switchbacks and reassuring stability in fast corners, the rear-steer system is also mighty useful around town, significantly reducing the big Bentley's turning circle. The new electrical architecture that's part and parcel of the MSB platform means the Flying Spur also comes equipped with a high-def multi-function digital instrument panel, and a host of electronic driver assistance systems useful for the urban jungle. In fact, Bentley offers a City Specification package that bundles together features such as hands-free trunk opening, pedestrian warning, and reverse traffic warning. Other available driver assistance features include night vision, a head-up display, a surround-view camera system, and parking assist, all controlled via the intuitive Porsche-developed 12.3-inch touchscreen interface first seen in the current generation Panameras and also fitted to the Conti twins.

But as in the Continental GTs, Flying Spur drivers don't have to be always on. When the engine start button is pressed, the veneer section in the middle of the dash rotates to reveal the big touchscreen, but this can be further rotated to reveal three analogue dials showing outside temperature, a compass, and chronometer, or rotated once again to return to the plain veneer. Bentley calls it a "digital detox": You can relax and admire the incredible craftsmanship of an interior that redefines traditional notions of English luxury.

The Flying Spur's interior has all the warm wood, rich leather, and sparkling chrome you'd expect in a Bentley, but it's been executed with a subtly modern twist. No fewer than 15 different standard leather colors are offered, and these can be mixed and matched via a number of dramatic color splits, and accented with contrasting stitching. In addition, buyers can choose from eight different veneers, including a new crown cut walnut, and all can be ordered in the dual veneer specification to give the cabin an even more bespoke feel. The showstoppers are the optional three-dimensional diamond quilting effect—in leather or wood—on the door trims, and an optional etched finish on the center console made up of 5,331 individual diamond shapes, each different from the other.

Three audio systems are available. The standard system has 10 speakers and 650 watts. Next up is a 1,500-watt, 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen system with illuminated grilles and the one-touch BeoSonic user interface. Top of the range is a monster 2,200-watt Naim for Bentley system with 19 speakers and active bass transducers built into the front seats. Thunderously vibrant, it's one of the best automotive audio setups in the business.

Rear seat passengers can control a number of functions—including window blinds, rear seat massage, rear climate control, music, and mood lighting—via a 5.1-inch touchscreen remote that unclips from the rear of the center console. Detachable tablets behind the front seat headrests also allow them to access the Bentley Multimedia System, whose array of apps includes access to the Google Play store. But although the heated and ventilated rear seats feature 14-way power adjustment and five massage modes, tall passengers will find the rear seat squab a little short, and that they're peering out of slit-like windows that are an inevitable by-product of that rakish roofline.

To suggest the Bentley Flying Spur is a limo best enjoyed from the driver's seat sounds the very definition of first-world problem solving. But it's absolutely on brand. Bentleys have always been luxury cars for people who like to drive, not be driven. This new Flying Spur delivers a unique combination of sport sedan performance and stunning road presence; it turns the ubiquitous top-end S-Class Benzes into street furniture, renders giant Maybachs almost invisible, and makes the Rolls-Royce Ghost seem oddly plebeian. Available only with the W-12 for now—a V-8 version is coming—the 2020 Bentley Flying Spur is priced from $214,676. And in this company, it looks a bargain.