First Drive: 2014 Bentley Flying Spur
We're not exactly
flying through the Chinese countryside in the new Bentley Flying Spur --
more like ducking and dodging stacks of bricks, all manner of glacially
moving wheeled conveyances, trash bins, and sleeping dogs in the road.
Although well-paved, the route is often treacherous, especially given
the hulking, 5500-plus-pound ultra-luxury sedan we're driving.
In the hardscrabble districts outside the
insane, smog-choked bustle of Beijing, the Silverlake blue Flying Spur
we're piloting sticks out like a big, honking, ostentatious sore thumb.
As we snootily barge by a weathered peasant with a massive bundle of
sticks impossibly slung over his back, it's not lost on me how wide the
gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to be here, especially
from behind the Spur's $2,235, dual tone, 3-spoke, hide-trimmed
steering wheel. It's a car that personifies the nouveau riche mentality
of today's China.
But none of that matters as I mat the throttle in a bid to politely blow
by yet another rolling roadblock, summoning the stiff-upper-lip
ferocity of the Flying Spur's menacing 6.0-liter, twin turbocharged,
W12-cylinder-powered heart. Although it's a carryover powerplant, the
W12 has undergone an engine management system makeover. The
hand-assembled mill has more horses (616 in all), and a torque
"plateau," with all 590 lb-ft coming on at 2000 rpm and hanging around
until 4000 rpm, when it starts to slowly taper off. Oh, and it's more
fuel-efficient too, at 15 mpg EPA combined, not that it matters to the
.01 percenters who collect $200,000-plus cars like they're Hot Wheels.
The ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic (a
top-notch gearbox that's been appearing in numerous cars lately) kicks
down a couple of gears in milliseconds as the W12 starts its muffled
roar. Up to 85 percent of the Spur's available power can be routed to
the rear wheels of its all-wheel-drive setup (65 percent max to the
front), with a torque split that normally sits at 40:60 front to rear.
Bentley says the Flying Spur can barrel to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds on
to a claimed top speed of 200 mph, and as we gracefully slingshot past
yet another pokey mini-minivan, there is zero reason to believe
otherwise.
Every so often we had a chance to fling the Spur into a corner or two,
and despite its largish dimensions (120.7-inch wheelbase, 208.5-inch
total length) and heft, the massive sedan proves relatively
entertaining. The steering feel is very heavy and direct, never
wandering. When we need to haul it down, the braking system, featuring
15.9-inch front, 13.2-inch rear ventilated discs (bigger, carbon-silicon
carbide units are available) proves strong. While our tester rolls on
base 19-inch wheels, 20 and 21s are available. The Spur's springs,
anti-roll bars, and bushings have all been softened to varying degrees
in a bid to make things even more comfortable, but new damping and
suspension controls, and a slightly wider front and rear track, help the
car strike a sporting chord when you want to pluck it.
We were one of the last waves of journalists from around the world
putting the spurs to the Spur, and as we trundled past the sticks,
bricks, and dusty small towns, the Chinese locals shot us knowing looks.
By now, they'd no doubt noticed the sharpened-up Spur's exterior. Chief
among the changes is a creased character line starting at a fancy new
swept B graphic worked into the front fender and terminating at the rear
door handle, where a sloping rear fender begins. The C-pillar flows
into the lower and wider trunk for – you guessed it – a more coupe-like
look. At the front, the outside front headlamp is now bigger, and the
lower grille extends across the bow. Out back, the exhaust ports have
been integrated into the rear fascia and new horizontal taillamps house
elliptical light pipes. It all makes for a slicked-back, sportier
appearance with a .29 coefficient of drag – impressive stuff for a sedan
of this sort.
The cockpit is almost too snug for a car that
looks this substantial from the outside. I wasn't blown away by the
Flying Spur's 8-inch nav/infotainment screen, or the HVAC controls, or
the relatively small amount of front stowage space. And the plasticky
paddle shifters seem terribly out of place, but the leather stitch work
is magnificently done. Exquisite wood accent pieces wrap around the
cabin, chrome brightwork dominates the fan vents and other pieces, and
there's a Breitling analog clock. Some 600 interior parts have been
reworked in all.
It's in the back seat where the Flying Spur's cabin excels. According to
Bentley, the typical Chinese buyer doesn't drive the Spur, they're
chauffeured in it, isolated from the hustle and bustle around them
thanks to numerous sound-deadening tricks, which is why the sedan
accounts for some 60 percent of Bentley's sales in China. The Chinese
also like the "blinky blinky" as one exec put it (yes, he said blinky).
Plenty of blinky is both standard and available in the Flying Spur's
extensive Mulliner spec trim.
I'll let my colleague, senior features editor
Jonny Leiberman, who also recently drove the Flying Spur for an upcoming
video on Motor Trend's YouTube channel, tell you all about the back
seat amenities:
"As a place to be transported, well -- that
depends on the car. In this case, the Bentley shines. There are few cars
with backseats (two and three-seat arrangements are available) as
opulent as the new Flying Spur. From the avalanche of leather and wood,
to the champagne-chilling fridge, to the privacy screens to the picnic
tables, where else would you rather be? The more spacious Mulsanne, of
course, and perhaps either of Bentley's familiar and bitter rivals from
Rolls-Royce – the Ghost or the Phantom. There's also the incredibly
luxurious executive seating configuration in the long-wheelbase Audi A8,
though the Flying Spur trumps its distant cousin in terms of sheer
amounts of dead trees and cows. That's basically it. Personally, I'd
rank the Bentley right around the top.
"A cool new feature, almost -- is the car's Rear
Seat Entertainment system, aka RSE ($7,300). It's almost excellent. You
have two large, 10-inch video screens mounted behind the front seat
headrests. Each screen is controlled by a single, touch-screen remote
control unit, which extends towards you at the press of a button. This
handheld device (think smartphone size) allows you to control almost
every gadget in the car, from the rear climate to the rear seats (heated
and cooled, of course) to the rear sunshade to the front head unit
(audio and navigation) and of course the two video screens in back. It
also has a speedometer and a Breitling digital clock, for whatever the
latter's worth. Sounds fantastic, right? But there's the problem.
"Bentley decided NOT to make the two monitors
touch screens. When I asked why, I was told that if the front seats were
forward, rear occupants would not be able to reach the screens. With
the passenger seat all the way forward and my head against the rear
headrest, all 5-foot 11-inches of me was able to palm the screen. So,
hogwash to that… Controlling the screens via the remote is clumsy to put
it mildly… That said, you can plug in your device via rear USB and HDMI
inputs. There are also slots for SD cards and BlueRay discs (Wi-fi,
wired or wireless headphones, and 64-GB hard drive are also part of the
package). Oh, and the optional $7500 Naim stereo system might just be
worth every Yuan, if not more. The sound is excellent."
With some 20,000 made since it first launched as
the Bentley Continental Flying Spur in 2005, this car will not likely
go down in history as a collectable classic. But the latest update will
no doubt continue to help Bentley develop the Spur's reputation as a
high-class sedan to drive and be driven in the world over.
