As far as flagship engines are concerned, Bentley’s 6.0-liter W12 from Bentley’s two turbochargers are more than deserved. With a legacy that runs out until the early 2000s and the work of the industrial -ending Ferdinand Piëch, it is an iconic engine. In view of the fact that the British brand produced its final W12 last year, it is now exposed to a dilemma: What is a flagship engine to replace?
The answer last year came under the fourth generation GT speed in the Continental GT speed: a 4.0-liter V8 with two turbochargers paired with an electric motor and a 25.9-kilowatt hour battery. It is a plug-in hybrid combination that also supplies the Lamborghini Urus SE and the Porsche Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid. This week I am in the latest flagship that this hybridized setup, the 2025 Bentley Flying Spur Speed, takes over.
The development of 771 hp and 738 pound-foot torque produces 145 hp and 74 LB-FT more than the engine of the outgoing speed. However, since the popular W12 of the trail has never been too short, his plug-in hybrid successor is just a case of downsizing to meet stricter emission regulations, or does it have its own charm?
From a visual point of view, there is not much that distinguishes the latest flying lane speed from its predecessor. This is because Bentley’s limousine, in contrast to the Continental GT speed, which last year entered a new generation in addition to the arrival of his new engine, was also in her third iteration. Therefore, it still drives on the same platform that underpins the Porsche Panamera and, despite the major updates of the drive train, maintains the use of an automatic transmission with two couplings and the stellar active anti-roll system of the automotive manufacturer.
While they are subtle, the flying spur speed follows some aesthetic updates. The most important addition is the availability of a dark tint option for the outdoor and interior of the sedan. Think of Rolls Royces approach to his Black Badge models. The Aero package as part of the styling specification is now ready in body color, while it drives on a new set of 22-inch spoke wheels. Open your doors and you will recognize new LED pistiners and round off the relatively short list of the revisions of this limousine.
It is a similar story when you enter the inside, and the Bentley Flying Speed Speed keeps its digital instrument cluster and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen, although the couple has new graphics. The seats are decorated with a new 3D pen pattern, which you can also find on your door cards. You can also darken his light work on the dark chrome specification mentioned above, as can be seen in my tester.
From $ 276,450, this special car combines its dark cladding with a two-tone black and mandarin-orange interior, a 9,615 dollar naim sound system, an expensive touchscreen display of $ 6,995 and an outdoor area of $ 22,135. This brings its total price to $ 367,060.
As you may expect, these updates fade compared to what is going on under the hood of the trail. For the 2025 model, it is only available as a plug-in hybrid, even if you choose the slightly deceased “base” model. The least powerful limousine Bentley is still producing 671 hp and 685 LB-FT. However, get on the speed, and these numbers rise to 771 hp and 738 LB-FT and make the most powerful sedan that the British automobile manufacturer ever produced.
Its 4.0-liter V8 turbo shop sets the basis for these immense numbers and produces 591 hp and 590 LB-FT itself. An electric motor develops up to 187 hp and 332 LB-FT and combined with a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery to offer an estimated electrical area of up to 47 miles. More on that later.
In view of the lighter weight of the V8 compared to the outgoing W12 and the decision of Bentley to position the new batteries of the speed close to its trunk, it now has a rear distribution of 48:52. These statistics lead to a limousine that, despite £ 460 above its W12 predecessor, sprinted a total of 5.833 pound stone weight in 3.3 seconds to 60 miles per hour and protrudes at 177 miles per hour.
In the real world it is difficult to overdo the Bentley Flying Sporn Speed. It accelerates with a wildness that no car in its weight class should be able. While his V8 already generates its peak torque at 2,000 rpm, the associated electric motor bumps both the performance and countered the effects of the turbo delay. The result is a throttle flap reaction, which immediately feels in the most aggressive drive mode and enables the speed to take up effortlessly.
The automatic transmission with two coupling supplements this performance well and immediately carries out shifts. At the same time, the all -wheel drive system of the trail enables all of this without a loss of traction. However, the motor letter of the V8 remains a highlight of experience. Although Bentley runs an ultra-luxurious limousine, it combines this engine with a properly vocal and relatively free exhaust gas, so that it can play its bourgeois, muscle automatic melody.
Apart from the Straightline acceleration, a part of what made the previous Bentley Flying Spur Speed was particularly useful, his ability to marry an ultra-luxury experience with a driving experience that maintained authentic sportiness. This is something that this latest model is better and worse than the spores that came before.
The rear distribution plays an important role, especially if you take into account that it no longer has a strong W12 above its front axis. Transform yourself into a curve and the new speed follows your commands without underlining like your predecessor. Bentley accelerated its variable electrical power steering so that it feels as agile as possible. However, the calibration swings far too slowly between comfort and the twitching sport. A more natural feeling would create somewhere in the middle.
The Bentley Flying Sporn Speed is equipped with the high -performance chassis of the brand. It contains objects such as 48-volt-active anti-roll rods, rear steering, torque vectoring and an electronic differential with limited panties in the rear. It is a hardware suite that eliminates a large part of this body role of the 5,833 pound limousine and at the same time maximizes its mechanical grip and can leave it confidently from the output of the corners.
In combination with a new double valve dampers, the speed can strengthen your journey in sports mode without sacrificing your plush in comfort. Its dampers work in conjunction with an adaptive air frame structure. As such, its side street performance is as impressive as the ability to absorb street defects in the city and on the highway.
However, these profits have some losses. At the time of writing, Bentley still has to announce plans to create a V8 flying spur without a hybrid system. This is probably due to emission regulations, but I would like to reconsider the Flying Spur S V8, which I tested over two and a half years ago. While its 542 hp edition and the time of four seconds to 60 miles per hour are certainly less impressive than what you get in the latest speed, the S weighs almost £ 700.
While a 5,137 LB brick weight does not turn a bentley into a lotus, it enables many active systems that you get into the current car. With less weight to counteract, the dynamic ride enables the S-corner completely flat and has reached a level of compensation and stability since then. The direction changes immediately and treats like a car whose curb weight begins with four. True to the Bentley spirit, the S is an ultra luxury car that still delivers a real thrill.
Here the new Bentley Flying Spur Sporn is fighting. As quickly as it is in a straight line and due to the bends, the light-on-feet feeling that has been reached by the S that have preceded it. Although it is enormously capable of going far beyond the level of joy over the speed that it replaces by admitting more weight, it limits its ability to offer a real double personality.
However, the speeds of the speed have a significant advantage, and that is only the electrical area. While this is more important for the owners in Europe, who have to deal with ultra-low emission zones, the American buyers still benefit from the increased efficiency of this setup and its ability to cover up to 47 miles without ever taking up the V8 of the car. For those who want to commute the quietest, it is an ideal setup.
From $ 276,450, the updated 2025 Bentley Flying Sporn Speed marks an impressive introduction to the plug-in hybrid world. It is more powerful, faster and more efficient than the car that replaces it while it keeps its good looks. It is even more important that his V8 engine passed the character both thanks to its performance and the burly motor note.
Inside, his cabin benefits from refinements from the seats and an extended list of adaptation extras. Thanks to the use of an electric motor and a battery, the speed supports its world fittings performance with the additional flexibility of electrical cruises.
It cannot be denied that the flagship status of this car is to mask its constantly increasing weight, is not quite the luxurious driver car that it was once.
