Bentley Flying Spur Review — The Driver's Ultra-Luxury Sedan

For most of the Flying Spur’s history, the twin-turbocharged W12 was the defining engine of the range — a genuinely enormous, historically significant powertrain that gave Bentley sedans their signature smoothness and sheer scale of thrust. For 2026, it is gone entirely, replaced across the range by a plug-in hybrid powertrain pairing a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with an electric motor. On paper this looks like a downgrade to purists. In practice, it is anything but.

The standard hybrid powertrain produces 671 horsepower, while the range-topping Speed trim pushes that to 771 horsepower — a genuine increase over the outgoing W12’s output, delivered through an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and standard all-wheel drive. 0–60mph times range from 3.8 seconds in standard trims down to 3.3 seconds in Speed guise — figures that would have been genuinely startling for a car this size a decade ago, and remain properly quick today. The car also gains something the W12 never offered: approximately 30 miles of electric-only driving range, allowing genuinely silent, zero-emission running for typical urban commuting before the V8 engages.

The Flying Spur’s case for being the driver’s choice in this segment rests heavily on its chassis technology. Standard all-wheel steering tightens the car’s turning circle at low speed and adds genuine stability during high-speed lane changes — a meaningful benefit in a car that stretches well over 5.3 metres in length. The Dynamic Ride system uses 48-volt active anti-roll technology to counteract body lean through corners in real time, allowing the Flying Spur to carry genuine pace through a b-road in a way few full-size luxury sedans can match, while still delivering the composed, isolated ride Bentley buyers expect at a cruise.

This is the fundamental difference between the Flying Spur and its most obvious rival. The Phantom is engineered to erase the sensation of speed and motion entirely. The Flying Spur is engineered to let you feel connected to the road when you want to be, and disappear into comfort when you don’t. Neither approach is wrong — they simply serve different owners.

Inside, the Flying Spur leans fully into Bentley’s handcraft reputation. The leather is sourced specifically from herds that graze above sea level in Northern Europe — chosen because higher-altitude grazing produces hides with fewer insect bites and blemishes, a detail that sounds like marketing flourish until you understand how few usable hides that standard actually yields per animal. Veneers are hand-selected wood or engine-turned aluminium finishes that echo the brand’s motorsport heritage. Buyers can choose from seven standard exterior colours or more than 80 extended finishes through Bentley’s in-house Mulliner personalisation division, alongside an optional retractable illuminated Flying B hood ornament and dual-tone paint schemes.

The audio system options are worth calling out specifically: buyers choose between a Bang & Olufsen 1,500-watt system with 16 speakers or a Naim 2,200-watt system with 19 speakers — both genuinely reference-grade setups rarely matched even in this segment. Rear passengers can be specified with dual touchscreen Rear Entertainment displays, and the cabin's overall build quality — formed from superformed aluminium body panels for exceptionally tight, smooth panel gaps — reflects the same manufacturing precision that defines every Bentley product.

The Flying Spur’s exterior design deliberately avoids the kind of visual drama that would compete with its own driving experience. The body is formed from superformed aluminium panels producing exceptionally smooth surfaces, fronted by crystal-effect LED headlights and Bentley’s large chrome grille. The rear remains clean and understated by comparison — there is no attempt here to shout. For buyers who prefer a more aggressive stance, the Black Optic package replaces the chrome accents with dark trim throughout, giving the car a noticeably more purposeful presence without altering any of the underlying mechanical character.