Bentley V8 S Flying Spur
Behind the wheel of new 521bhp ultimate luxury saloon
THE Bentley Flying Spur V8 S is the answer to a question that few of us will ever be lucky enough to ask: how can one of the world’s fastest luxury four-door saloons be made even faster and even more agile?
Confused? You’re not alone. But for those who do have a Bentley in their collection (on average it’s one of eight vehicles, we’re told), the V8 S Spur is designed to offer a halfway house between the ‘entry-level’ 500bhp V8 and full-fat W12. It mirrors the V8 S introduced last year in the two-door Continental GT range, and – in the UK at least – that car has proven a popular option. In fact, Bentley insiders admit sales for the S are higher than for the regular V8.
The raw facts, then, are a retuned version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which brings an extra 21bhp and 20Nm of torque to deliver 521bhp and a whopping 680Nm from only 1,750rpm. There are further revisions to the transmission to help improve throttle response across the rev range. The modifications trim 0.3 seconds from the regular V8’s 0-62mph time, taking it down to a mere 4.9 seconds, while also increasing the top speed to 190mph.
Bentley has chosen not to give the Flying Spur the Continental GT V8 S’s lowered ride height – this is still a limousine, after all – but there are reprofiled air-suspension settings to tighten up body control and sharpen steering reaction on turn-in.
For the most part, though, you’ll drive the V8 S in one of its softer modes and with the gearlever stuck in D – and in this configuration it has bags of charm.
There’s more than enough power and torque to catapult itself along, and the gearbox – a ZF eight-speed automatic controlled by Bentley’s own software – is smart enough to make smooth kickdowns when requested. The engine fades away quickly at speed, too; only road roar from the big tyres is likely to intrude when you’re cruising on a motorway, and even this is pretty well suppressed.
Flicking the gearbox into Sport mode fences off eighth gear altogether – although it’ll still be a brave person that hustles the Flying Spur along in seventh. The revised chassis settings do sharpen up the big car’s reactions, making it keener to aim for the apex of a corner when you ask it to.
However, there’s no disguising the fact that there are two-and-a-half tonnes of car following the nose; while the body is better controlled, you can still feel the weight shifting around, and sudden changes
“Retuned version of Bentley’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 brings an extra 21bhp and 20Nm of torque”
of direction are still not the Bentley’s forte. At least the ride doesn’t get too brittle, which means you could happily slot the car into Sport if you were trying to make up time on a smooth, fast A-road, for example.
Contrary to popular belief, fuel economy is an issue for buyers of this type of car – although it’s usually on the grounds of inconvenience rather than cost. Either way, the Flying Spur’s cylinder deactivation is also present on the V8 S, and it helps this huge car to a claimed 25.9mpg, with CO2 emissions of 254g/km. Our test mileage was pleasingly close to this figure, too, at around 23mpg – so the 90-litre fuel tank should give you a decent range of around 450 miles between fill-ups. Standard kit upgrades on the V8 S include a different grille design and gloss-black rear diffuser, along with contrasting material and colour down the centre of the headlining.
Of course, Bentley thrives on offering its customers a personal experience – and that extends to an options list that encourages buyers to open up their imaginations almost as wide as their wallets. As part of a £50,000 list of add-ons, our test car had carbon-ceramic brakes, a Mulliner package that brings 21-inch alloys, diamond-quilted leather seats and sports pedals, and an extensive rear-entertainment system.
Buyers determined to relish the opulence of a Bentley purchase will have little trouble in justifying most of the extras, although the £2,100 bill for adaptive cruise control seems a little petty on a vehicle so clearly suited to crossing continents at high speeds.