Bentley Flying Spur V8

Updated four-door gets 500bhp twin-turbo V8 from our favourite Conti GT

I lIke Bentleys . Really like them. I thought I should say that up front because amongst genuine car enthusiasts I seem to be in a minority.

Post a picture of one on Twitter and people pour forth bile and hatred. Maybe there are rational reasons for this. Bentleys are heavy and consume lots of fuel. But that’s also true of Rolls-Royces and the reaction to them is the opposite a collective swoon wherever you go.

No, the real hatred seems to stem from the fact that over the years, some people have painted Continental GTs in awful colours and fitted massive chrome wheels. And while that’s indisputably true, it doesn’t change the fact that the moment you drive or ride in a Bentley, all of that baggage seems to disappear and a sense of well-being washes over you. They’re just lovely things to spend time in and, even better, usually pretty incredible dynamically considering their near 2.5 tons of bulk.

However, the new Flying Spur is a different proposition to the various Continental GTs now on offer and is also deliberately less ‘sporty’ than its predecessor. This is the new V8 version and despite downsizing from a 6-litre W12 to just 4 litres (with two turbochargers, naturally) it’s still endowed with 500bhp at  6000rpm  and  660Nm.  Although  those numbers pale compared to the W12’s 616bhp and 800Nm, the claimed 0-100kmph in 4.9sec and top speed of 295kmph should be adequate.

The Flying Spur V8 costs from `1.39 crore, around `14 lakh less than the W12, and is a bit lighter, too. Don’t get too excited, it’s still 2425kg.

With modest 19in wheels and a paint colour a million miles away from the brash schemes beloved of people who run around after a ball and fall over a lot at weekends, our test car is about as restrained as a 5.3-metre saloon with a huge wire mesh grille can be. Inside, the quality in every little detail, the tactility of the materials and the sense of opulence is shamefully pleasing. In terms of technology it’s not a patch on, say, the new Mercedes S-Class (and the satnav is still terrible), but there’s a timelessness about it that is hard to beat.

Dynamically though, the Flying Spur is resolutely not sporting. At all. It’s bloody fast, the V8 is a really sweet, progressive engine and the eight-speed automatic gearbox is just about quick enough although it lacks the precision and speed of the same ’box in cars like the F-type R Coupe but it’s not a car to hustle or to carry speed into corners in. There are clues to its relaxed brief immediately: the elevated driving position, the gearshift paddles being a stretch too far to use comfortably and the light, slightly vague steering. These subtle messages tell you not to expect the surprising agility and body control of a Continental GT.

Having said that, the ride quality from the air suspension is never as smooth as you might expect. You feel little surface ripples shudder up through the structure and there’s a bit of steering kickback over bigger lumps and bumps, too. Dial the suspension to its stiffest of four settings and it feels more composed, and although there’s plenty of body roll, vertical body movements are kept well in check and you can storm along at quite a pace. The engine doesn’t quite have the ever-ready torque of the W12 but it sounds great and has a free-revving top-end delivery that’s more enjoyable.

In terms of ultimate balance, the all-wheel-drive Flying Spur tends towards understeer but will exit a corner with a hint of oversteer if you get the V8 spinning hard. I dare you to try it… Most of the time you’ll sit back, relax and be swept along. It’s not the fastest or the most sophisticated car, but it’s a glorious way to get around if you’re not in a hurry.

Engine   V8, 3997cc, twin-turbo
Power  500bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque  660Nm @ 1700rpm
Performance  5.2sec (claimed 0-100kmph), 295kmph (claimed)
Weight  2425kg (209bhp/ton)
Basic price  ` 1.39 crore, excl duties/taxes