2020 Bentley Flying Spur Review

The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur represents the beginning of the third Flying Spur generation and a full ground-up redesign of Bentley's sport-oriented big sedan. The Flying Spur is essentially a four-door version of the recently redesigned Continental GT. As such, it has many of the same improvements, including a new interior and more power from its turbocharged 12-cylinder engine.

That engine now makes 626 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque — an increase of 59 lb-ft over the previous range-topping W12 S model — and is connected to a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Bentley says this new powertrain is good for a 3.7-second sprint to 60 mph, which is about half a second quicker than the previous generation car. The Flying Spur also has a variety of body, steering and suspension changes that Bentley says make the sedan feel sportier and more engaging to drive.

Not into sporting potential? Maybe you'll be more impressed by Bentley's improvements to the cabin. All outboard seats are equipped with heated, ventilated and massaging functions, and a removable center tablet gives passengers control over climate, power window blinds and configurable ambient lighting. There's more legroom all around, too.

Up front is a new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that's similar to what you'll find in the latest Audis (Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, which also owns Audi). One neat party trick is the rotating display option. It lets you rotate the screen on a horizontal axis to reveal a panel with three inset analog dials. Or you can select the third fascia, which simply consists of the wood veneer used throughout the rest of the cabin.

Overall, we're impressed with the Flying Spur's performance and its regal cabin. You certainly won't go wrong with any ultra-luxury sedan — assuming you have the budget for one — but we can see how the Flying Spur's fresh redesign could give it the edge over the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II and Mercedes-Benz Maybach.

The 2020 Bentley Flying Spur serves as Bentley's preeminent luxury sedan (in addition to the Mulsanne, which is riding out to the sunset after 2020). Think of it as a four-door version of the Bentley Continental GT coupe. Unlike the Continental GT, however, the Flying Spur only has one powertrain option: a turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 (626 hp, 664 lb-ft of torque) paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The Flying Spur comes in a single, well-equipped trim, though the options list has a considerable number of extras.