Bentley Continental Flying Spur

Costs

The Continental Flying Spur is not a cheap vehicle in any sense. A very high purchase price combined with a huge thirst from the W12 engine will equate to large bills. The car's high performance will also lead to large insurance premiums.

Space and practicality

As spacious a car as you're likely to find, the Continental Flying Spur offers almost excessive levels of head and legroom for driver and passengers. Seating is restricted to four if opting for the full-length rear console, if not specified then the central rear passenger's legs will straddle the transmission tunnel. The boot is simply huge; long, wide and deep.

Controls and display

A remarkably easy car to drive considering its bulk and performance, the Continental Flying Spur has been designed to make life as relaxed as possible for all occupants. To this end, the controls are all conveniently placed and feature quality craftsmanship. An electronic parking brake and hill start assist combined with the light steering and seamless automatic gear changes make it relatively simple to manoeuvre. The mixture of analogue and digital displays are well presented and concise.

Comfort

Being a passenger in the Flying Spur is very much like flying first class, but the driver's needs are also equally well catered for. An executive level of equipment, massaging seats and a spacious and well-appointed cabin make it a pleasure to sit in. Refinement is impeccable; the exhaust note is often the only intrusive sound.

Car security

The Continental Flying Spur is a particularly secure vehicle thanks to an impressive alarm and immobiliser system featuring exterior and interior monitoring and a tilt alarm. Keyless entry and ignition is also standard, and a tracking system can be specified incase it is stolen.

Car safety

The Continental Flying Spur's size provides the most obvious form of safety, but huge brakes front and rear mean it has stopping power to match its acceleration in an emergency. Traction control is present and the air suspension with electronic dampers allows for stable and safe cornering. Inside, there are six airbags for additional safety.

Driver appeal

Phenomenally fast and able to corner with a nimbleness that defies its bulk, the Continental Flying Spur is as relaxing to drive as it is to be chauffeured in. The real appeal lies in straight-line speed, and the huge engine's ability to drag the car up hills without breaking a sweat or dropping a gear never gets tiresome. The car handles and corners more confidently if the sports suspension mode is selected, however, as it fails to get flustered in standard mode, it's rare that the driver feels the compulsion to select it.

Family car appeal

The Continental Flying Spur would certainly make for a comfortable family car and has the space to deal with children and family luggage requirements, but it's hardly a car designed to be run on a family budget and is more suited to chauffeuring adults.

First car appeal

All but the most confident of novice drivers will find the Bentley Continental Flying Spur intimidating to drive due to its tremendous performance and considerable size. Few will be in a position to afford the purchase price and running costs either.

Quality and image

The quality is never in question, with near faultless manufacturing and a solid, weighty feel to the whole affair. The Bentley image is one with much appeal, but the Continental Flying Spur is a less obvious car than some. Some drivers may appreciate the less showy nature of the car, but others might want something with more visual presence for the money.

Accessibility

Few cars offer such ease off entry and exit, with four huge doors and a galactic level of legroom in the rear. The boot, with its auto opening and closing mechanism, is equally un-strenuous to use.

Stereo and ICE (In car entertainment)

The highly equipped Continental Flying Spur gets a high quality sound system with a six-disc changer. The down side is a seemingly outdated sat-nav system that offers only basic graphics and a limited postcode search function.

Colours and trim

With 16 exterior and 17 interior colour options available, there is no shortage of ways to personalise the model. Its discreet styling means it's better suited to more subtle colours. Inside, the leather trimmed interiors with chrome effects are neatly crafted. Some parts appear to be from Volkswagen, but the interior is Bentley where it counts.

Parking

A reversing camera, good turning circle and impressive visibility makes the Continental relatively simple to manoeuvre when parking, however, its much larger than average size means it can be difficult to find spaces that will accommodate its girth, and the excess often spills into car park gangways.

Spare wheel

Tyre sealant repair kit or optional space-saver spare.