Earlier this year, Bentley stopped making the W12 that has carried its super-luxury vehicles since 2003, making way for the launch of its V8 hybrid in the new Continental GT. Now comes the second model with this potent combination: the 2025 Flying Spur.
It’s equipped with the same turbocharged 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cranking out 592 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque developed in conjunction with Porsche. Paired with a powerful e-motor and a 25.9 kWh battery, total output is an impressive 771 hp and 738 pound-feet of torque. In sum, Bentley calls the Flying Spur the most powerful sedan it has ever built.
The Flying Spur is hand built at Bentley’s “Dream Factory” in the UK, which includes a new design center, paint shop, and battery-electric vehicle assembly line. This facility is streamlined for sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, saving water, and lowering the temperature in the paint shop to conserve energy.
This super-luxury car, while it looks nearly identical to the previous model, has multiple engineering and technological secret weapons to set it apart. One, it can zip from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, which Bentley head of communications Mike Sayer calls “outrageous” in the best way (and that’s a half-second faster than the previous gas-only Flying Spur). Also on tap is all-new electrical architecture, an advanced suspension system, and impressive battery regeneration.
Hybrid power with uncommonly good regeneration
While regeneration is not uncommon for vehicles with an electric motor, the Flying Spur has an uncommonly good energy recuperation system. During a 300-mile scenic test drive from Phoenix to Sedona and back, I noticed that the battery could gain double-digit miles of all-electric range on a descent.
“We have a very strong regen system in the car,” Sayer says. “When you first apply the brakes, watch the gauge to see how the car can slow itself down just by using the motor in reverse to charge the battery. You don’t even have to plug it in; it’s a very powerful system.”
Near the beginning of the drive, I hadn’t yet activated cruise control and yet, the Flying Spur felt as though it was driving itself. No, Bentley hasn’t quite mastered full self-driving cars. It does, however, have a few things going for it that give the driver a sense that the sedan is magically moving forward. One is the weight balance; the main battery pack sits on the floor beneath the trunk, acting as a counterweight to the hefty V8 up front. Most EVs integrate the battery into the floor under the passengers to create a low center of gravity. The Flying Spur carries about 400 more pounds than the Continental GT, but its weight distribution helps the heavier car carry its bulk gracefully.
Another element giving the Flying Spur a silky-smooth driving feel is that it doesn’t require cylinder deactivation to reduce its carbon footprint. With the motor backing up the internal combustion engine, the e-motor enables the system to turn off all eight cylinders and hitch a ride on the electric side. Bentley’s new “Ultra Performance Hybrid” powertrain delivers 11 percent more torque in the new Flying Spur over the previous year’s model, and nearly 20 percent more power overall. As Sayer explains it, it’s a one-two punch in a velvet glove.
“In the gearbox we have a 190 PS [187 hp] e-motor, which can generate 450 Newton-meters at torque peak, so it’s very much like having a 2.0-liter [Volkswagen] TSI engine bolted to the back of our 4.0-liter V8.”
Plus, you can drive for up to 515 miles, Bentley says, before you have to stop at the gas station. Even in all-electric mode, the V8 stands ready to take over. if your speed exceeds 87 mph or the battery’s reserves are depleted. Or just press the accelerator into the floor and the internal combustion side kicks in immediately.
New chassis, new electronic architecture, smart ionizer
Bentley mode is the default setting, or the driver can choose the Comfort setting, which loosens the anti-roll bars and electronic stability control for a looser ride. In Sport mode, the springs get stiffer and the active all-wheel drive sends more power to the rear axle and limits how much will go to the front. The e-differential stands at attention, and the car hunkers down.
As it is in Bentley’s Continental GT coupe, the twin-valve suspension system plays a major role in ride comfort. The key benefit of fitting each corner with a damper is completely independent control between compression and rebound, Sayer explains. In the real world, that means that while the Flying Spur keeps the body control of its previous Sport setting in the chassis, the Comfort mode is significantly better.
Underpinning all of this is a new electronic architecture tying it together. Bentley equipped the Spur with an all-new semi-autonomous driving system, giving the sedan the ability to monitor up to five vehicles around it. The car also received an updated air conditioning and heating system with an air quality display, showing quality of air inside and out while iIonizers pull particulate matter from the air. In a nifty trick, the ionizer is tied to the navigation system, so the car knows without instruction to use recirculation if you’re heading into a high pollution area or a tunnel, for example.
If you’re going to go for this $280,000-plus vehicle, go all the way: Bentley has over 100 colors in its palette, including the stunning blue Kingfisher or deep burgundy Cricket Ball hue, and the British automaker claims there are billions of potential combinations for customization.
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