A car like the Bentley Flying Spur only changes so much, but some updates are bigger than others.
The British luxury marque has just unveiled the latest version of its Flying Spur. The ultra-luxe saloon may look awfully similar to last year’s vintage but flip up the hood and you’ll find something brand new: a hybrid V-8.
That’s right, the saloon’s vaunted V-12, a fixture since its launch in 2005, has been swapped out for a smaller electrified engine. The Flying Spur is the latest vehicle in the automaker’s lineup to go hybrid. Like the Continental GT before it, it now comes equipped with the company’s new “Ultra Performance hybrid powertrain,” which pairs a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 with an electric motor.
Sure, the vehicle may have lost four cylinders but the new plug-in hybrid setup generates a combined 771 hp and 738 ft lbs of torque (592 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque from the engine, 187 hp and 332 ft lbs of torque from the electric motor) in the debut Speed variant. That makes the new Flying Spur the most powerful four-door model in Bentley’s history. It’s also the quickest since it can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, which is nearly a half-second faster than its immediate W-12-powered predecessor.
The 25.9-kWh battery pack that powers the electric motor also gives the saloon 47 miles of electric-only driving range (which ups the total range to 515 miles per tank of gas) at speeds of up to 87 mph. The car’s four battery-specific driving modes include Pure EV, Electric Boost, Regenerative Braking, and Charge. It takes under three hours to recharge the battery.
The powertrain isn’t the only new feature the Flying Spur has to offer in 2025. The exterior design has been refined in subtle ways as well. Yes, the car looks almost identical to the 2024 model, but the front end has been reworked with a more prominent grille, which looks especially aggressive on the Speed. There are also three new sets of 22-inch wheels to choose from.
The interior changes are also only likely to be noticed by the most diehard Bentley aficionados. They include a new digital gauge cluster and infotainment system, a new diamond quilt pattern for the seats, and laminated windows which make the cabin even quieter than before.
The new Flying Spur is expected to arrive at dealerships later this year. Bentley has yet to say how much the hybrid saloon will cost, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s priced higher than last year’s car, which started at $214,000 (RM927,200)
