2024 Bentley Flying Spur Expert Review
Reviewed by Willis Kuelthau
The 2024 Bentley Flying Spur carries the flag as the brand's only four-door sedan. What a sedan it is—dripping with luxury, commanding in stature, and shockingly quick. This is the final year of the formidable W12 engine, and Bentley is celebrating with a new limited edition. Otherwise, the Flying Spur rolls on with only minor changes.
What's New
- New "A" trim between Base and Azure models
- Speed Edition 12 celebrates the (last) W12 engine
- A few updated paint and trim options
What We Think
The 2024 Bentley Flying Spur is a specific car for a specific buyer. In its given role, few cars can match the Flying Spur's charisma, luxury, and sense of occasion.
It may be a bulky grand tourer, but make no mistake: The Flying Spur is a driver's car. When we first tested the model, we came away impressed at how nimble it feels when tossed into a few tight corners. In this department, Bentley benefits from its relationship with fellow VW Group member Porsche. Whether you're weaving up a mountain road or cruising down an open highway, the Flying Spur never feels anything less than sublime. That goes double for the muscular W12 models, which dial up performance to an astonishing degree.
The Flying Spur's performance isn't the only thing that sets it apart. This Bentley's interior is sumptuously decorated, intricately detailed, and infinitely customizable. Bentley will suggest color schemes if you want, but the combinations of paint, materials, and trim are limited mainly by your imagination. For a car to make every drive an occasion, it's hard to top the Flying Spur.
That's not to say it's perfect. We found ourselves wishing for more storage nooks in the front row, and Bentley still charges extra for active safety tech that most of the industry has made standard. Of course, the Flying Spur's V-8 and W12 engines are prodigiously thirsty, too. A plug-in hybrid offers some relief, but it's hamstrung by the car's impressive bulk.
Bentley's target audience is unlikely to care about any of those complaints, and we don't blame them. The Flying Spur's mission is to elevate the sedan experience as far as it can go, and in that, it's an undeniable success.
Performance and Fuel Economy
The 2024 Bentley Flying Spur is available with three powertrains. The "base" option is nothing to sneeze at: a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 pumping out 542 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque. In our testing, a V-8 Flying Spur beat Bentley's estimates by a half second in the 0-60 sprint, turning in a time of 3.5 seconds. Even in the quarter mile, it's only a tenth of a second slower than the vaunted W12. Fuel economy is what you'd expect: an EPA-estimated 15/20 mpg city/highway.
The green option is a plug-in hybrid that joined the lineup in the 2022 model year. Combining a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 with an 18.9-kWh battery and an electric motor, the system makes 536 hp and 553 lb-ft. With regular charging, the EPA rates the hybrid at 46 mpg-e combined. That sounds great, but it will only be achievable on short trips—the hybrid has 21 miles of electric range, and once its battery is depleted, it manages only 19 mpg.
Bentley marks 2024 as the final year of its range-topping W12 engine. With 626 hp and 664 lb-ft, it's a thrilling sonic and kinetic experience. It's 3.6 seconds to 60 mph, and the quarter mile goes by in 11.9. Fuel economy is a dreadful 12/19 mpg, but if you're buying a Bentley Flying Spur, you probably don't mind. The automotive industry's long-term transition to electric cars means it's time to say goodbye to the W12, but at least Bentley is celebrating its tenure with a special edition.
Bentley or Rolls?
The pinnacle of British luxury sedans is dominated by two brands: Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Neither is truly British anymore (Bentley is a subsidiary of Audi; Rolls-Royce of BMW), but both still carry a sense of aristocratic authority. So where should luxury buyers look?
When the Flying Spur made its debut, we tested it in tandem with the similarly sized Rolls-Royce Ghost. Both are fabulously opulent, and we found that they have distinct personalities. The Rolls-Royce is taller and boxier, which makes it more regally imposing and less planted in the curves. The Bentley is sleeker and curvier—a bit more understated (relatively speaking) and more of a driver's car.
In short: The Flying Spur is built around the driver, while the Rolls-Royce still feels made for a chauffeur. Then there's the price. For the privilege of the double R on the hood, Rolls-Royce asks over $100,000 more than a base Flying Spur. Then again, a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Maybach S-Class are more affordable and less conspicuous than either.
Safety Ratings and Features
Compared to many modern manufacturers, Bentley is a bit stingy with active safety tech. Automatic emergency braking and parking sensors are included on every model, but not much more. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and a head-up display are bundled in the Touring package, which is only standard from the Azure trim and up. The options list also includes a night-vision system.
Cargo Space and Interior Room
Unlike many sedans in this rarefied price bracket, we found the Flying Spur is best experienced from the driver's seat. We wouldn't call the second row cramped, but it's not quite as spacious as full-size sedans like the BMW 7 Series.
Technology
Every Flying Spur gets a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. For a bit of analog charm, an optional rotating screen mount allows you to flip the display inward, hiding it to instead see a wood panel with three dials (time, outside temperature, and compass heading). It's a nifty party trick that suits the Bentley's upscale personality.
The software is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a Wi-Fi hotspot comes standard. A 10-speaker sound system is the default but upgraded configurations from Bang & Olufsen and Naim are available; the latter comes with illuminated speaker grilles.
Recommended Trim
The 2024 Flying Spur lineup covers a wide range of prices and powertrains, but even the cheapest will set you back well over $200,000.
We don't think the base model is a bad buy. It remains hugely customizable in the aesthetic department, and it comes with nearly all the most important features. We'd add the Touring Specification for its additional safety tech. The V-8 is nearly equal to the W12 on the dragstrip, so drivers needn't worry they're missing out.
For the full Bentley experience, however, we'd move up to the Flying Spur Speed. In addition to the roaring W12, Speed models benefit from performance upgrades like massive 16.5-inch front brakes. Plus, there are always bragging rights to be considered—and as the last year of the W12, 2024 is the perfect chance to join the club before the door closes.
