2023 Bentley Flying Spur
2023 Bentley Flying Spur Review
Pros
- Exquisitely detailed and crafted cabin
- Heaps of available customization options
- Remarkable acceleration and handling for an ultra-luxury sedan
- Turns heads and pampers like few other cars
Cons
- Ho-hum technology features and driver aids considering the car's price
- Limited interior storage
What's new
- The sportier-looking and dark-themed S trim
- Part of the third Flying Spur generation introduced for 2020
The Bentley Flying Spur isn't your average large luxury sedan. It's powerful, sumptuous, exclusive, highly customizable, and it cruises around with panache and opulence. It has few rivals and is one of the last sedans to offer a 12-cylinder engine. And unlike some mega-dollar yachts that simply offer exceptional luxury and comfort, the Bentley also handles well — it's no slouch when the road gets curvy. The Flying Spur is part of Bentley's three-car lineup that includes the Bentayga SUV and Continental GT coupe and convertible.
The 2023 model year introduces the Flying Spur S, a sportier version of the ultra-luxury sedan that comes equipped with 21-inch gloss black wheels, gloss black exterior trim, red brake calipers and active stabilizer bars. You can configure it with the 542-horsepower V8 or the 536-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain. The 626-hp W12 engine is reserved for the Speed model and is available on the Mulliner.
There are only so many cars offering the same level of craftsmanship and grandeur that the $200,000-plus Flying Spur does. The Rolls-Royce Ghost takes lavishness, comfort and customization to another level, which explains its starting price that's well north of $300,000. The Mercedes-Benz Maybach is another uber-luxury sedan that rivals the Flying Spur. The Porsche Panamera is more of a sport sedan than anything else, but the powerful Turbo S Executive model is a worthy alternative. To help you decide if the Flying Spur is right for you, check out our test team's in-depth review below in the Edmunds Expert Rating.
Which Flying Spur does Edmunds recommend?
Bentley Flying Spur models
[Editor's note: The following unofficial information is based on last year's Flying Spur. We expect the 2023 model will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Bentley Flying Spur is a large luxury sedan available with a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 (542 hp, 568 lb-ft of torque), a turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 plug-in hybrid powertrain (536 hp, 553 lb-ft of torque) or a turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 (626 hp, 664 lb-ft of torque). All Flying Spur models come standard with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. Feature highlights include:
The base Flying Spur V8 comes well equipped with:
- 20-inch wheels
- Adaptive air suspension (can raise or lower the ride height of the vehicle)
- Retractable Bentley hood ornament
- Leather upholstery
- Heated front seats
- Walnut veneers
- 12.3-inch touchscreen
- Apple CarPlay smartphone integration
- 10-speaker audio system
- Air ionizer
- 360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Flying Spur and its surroundings for tight parking situations)
- Front and rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking)
- Road sign assistance (detects certain road signs and displays them on the instrument panel)
The Flying Spur offers several option packages or what Bentley calls specifications:
- Touring Specification
- Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Bentley and the car in front)
- Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line onto the windshield)
- Blind-spot warning (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane is in your blind spot)
- Lane departure mitigation (warns you of a lane departure when a turn signal isn't used and can automatically steer to maintain lane position)
- Night vision function
- The Seat Comfort Specification includes heated and ventilated front and outboard rear seats with massage and additional adjustments.
- The Styling Specification includes carbon-fiber side sills, front lip, rear air diffuser and rear spoiler.
- The Blackline Specification includes gloss black exterior trim.
The Flying Spur is also available in the following models. The features below are in addition to the standard features from the base model:
- Flying Spur Speed
- W12 engine
- 21-inch wheels
- Adaptive exhaust control
- Active stabilizer bars (can automatically adjust to improve handling or ride comfort)
- Rear-wheel steering (enhances maneuverability)
- Two-tone interior colors
- Leather-wrapped interior panels
- Touring Specification
- Flying Spur Mulliner
- 22-inch wheels
- Active stabilizer bars (can automatically adjust to improve handling or ride comfort)
- Rear-wheel steering (enhances maneuverability)
- Illuminated hood ornament
- Panoramic sunroof
- Metal fuel and oil filler caps
- Alloy sport pedals
- Heated steering wheel
- Rear seat center console (four-seat configuration)
- Rear vanity mirrors
- Rotating central display (rotates to show the touchscreen, analog gauges or a trim veneer)
- Diamond-quilted leather upholstery with embroidered Bentley emblems
- Leather headliner
- Two-tone interior colors
- Leather-wrapped interior panels
- Interior ambient lighting
- Piano black, walnut or eucalyptus interior trim
- Flying Spur S
- 21-inch gloss black wheels
- Gloss black grille and exterior trim
- Red brake calipers
- Active stabilizer bars (can automatically adjust to improve handling or ride comfort)
- Rear-wheel steering (enhances maneuverability)
- Unique two-tone interior colors
- Leather and synthetic suede upholstery
- Heated steering wheel
- Upgraded instrument panel
- Flying Spur Azure
- 22-inch wheels
- Panoramic sunroof
- Interior ambient lighting
- Seat Comfort Specification
- Touring Specification
- SOS button and automatic crash notification
- Flying Spur Odyssean
- Hybrid powertrain
- 21-inch wheels
- Odyssean Edition exterior badge
- Illuminated hood ornament
- Unique exterior trim
- Panoramic sunroof
- Rotating central display (rotates to show the touchscreen, analog gauges or a trim veneer)
- Android Auto smartphone integration
- Heated steering wheel
- Seat Comfort Specification
- Interior ambient lighting
- Leather headliner
- Koa wood veneer
- Leather-wrapped interior panels
- Unique interior colors
- Touring Specification
The Flying Spur offers a number of additional stand-alone options, such as:
- Illuminated hood ornament
- Multiple 21- or 22-inch wheel designs
- Panoramic sunroof
- Refrigerated bottle cooler
- Rotating central display (rotates to show the touchscreen, analog gauges or a trim veneer)
- Lambswool carpets
- Knurled vent and button surrounds
- Front and rear wireless charging pad
- 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system
- 21-speaker Naim audio system
- Rear seat tables
- Rear-seat entertainment system
As with all Bentleys, the Flying Spur can be tailored to fit the buyer's desires. Available customizations include:
- Numerous exterior paint colors
- Numerous wood, carbon-fiber and aluminum veneer choices
- Several leather upholstery colors, plus contrasting stitching and seat piping
- Different two-tone interior colors
- Various embroidered seat emblems
- Personalized doorsill plates
Compare the Bentley Flying Spur
Bentley Flying Spur vs. Mercedes-Benz Maybach
The Maybach is a more exclusive and lavish version of the S-Class. Its starting price is close to the Flying Spur's and it also offers turbocharged V8 and V12 engines. The Maybach isn't as customizable as the Bentley, and because it looks a lot like a regular S-Class, it doesn't stand out as much. And if you plan on driving your mega-luxury sedan, you'll have a lot more fun behind the wheel of the Flying Spur. But if you plan on being chauffeured around, you'll likely be more comfortable in the Maybach's more spacious rear seats.
Bentley Flying Spur vs. Rolls-Royce Ghost
As amazing as the Flying Spur is, the Ghost takes it up a notch. It's more customizable and offers more of just about everything. But the Rolls is more expensive. The starting price of the Ghost is higher than the most expensive Flying Spur model. Like the Maybach above, the Ghost is built to be driven around in. Its larger rear seats provide more luxury and comfort. The Ghost is also more exclusive and attracts more attention. But if you don't want to pay the premium the Ghost demands and you plan on driving, you'll be happier behind the wheel of the Bentley.
Bentley Flying Spur vs. Porsche Panamera
The Panamera isn't as lavish or as comfortable as the Flying Spur, but it's easily one of the best-handling luxury sedans in the market. If you're considering the Panamera, make sure to aim for the top-spec Turbo S or Turbo S E-Hybrid plug-in models in the long-wheelbase Executive configuration. They provide as much power as the Bentley's W12 engine (the E-Hybrid actually makes more) and cost about as much as the lower-end Flying Spur models. The Bentley will impress your friends and family more, but the Panamera is more entertaining to drive.