Bentley has defined luxury for ages and has become a benchmark itself, for comfort and design. The iconic Continental, which was released back in 1952, set the tone for style and designing for the company that was later assumed by the Continental GT in 2003 and has since been the stalemate for the company. The same luxury sedan design was adopted by the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, which was later reduced to Bentley Flying Spur, to form a 4-door saloon. The 2018 Bentley Flying Spur V8 S belonged to the same family’s second generation, promising not to compromise on comfort while luxury and performance were expected to match the market standards.
Throughout history, Bentley’s luxury has never been challenged, only some aspects of its car’s performance abilities. This challenge was also refuted when Bentley were able to manufacture supercharged engines that had the prowess to withstand the Le Mans race and win it for several times as well. Since then, Bentley has attempted to combine both luxury and performance in a spectacular fashion. The 2018 Bentley Flying Spur V8 S is the fruit of that combination, reminiscing the style of the renowned Continental GT while displaying the performance ability of an enhanced car manufacturer with an ideology of its own.
The 32-Valve DOHC generated an estimated horsepower of 500 hp, utilizing a V8 cylinder configuration in a 4.0-liter-twin-turbocharged engine. The car had a serious torque of around 502 lb-ft, which made the handling of this heavy car much easier. It's impressive that despite luxury cars being made from premium materials and weighing substantially more than other vehicles, the 2018 Bentley Flying Spur's weight of 5,115 lbs seems completely reasonable. However, this allows us to appreciate the car’s combustion engine that it was able to produce enough torque that a car weighing over 5000 lbs could reach a top speed of almost 190 mph. The car’s acceleration is understandably slightly behind the competitors at the time since the engine is pulling such a large amount of mass nevertheless, 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds still seems extraordinary for a luxurious car. The car was housing an 8-speed automatic transmission for this All-Wheel-Drive (AWD), supporting a seamless transition for a much more inclusive luxury maneuver. Powering this jet requires a lot of fuel and this Flying Spur doesn’t tend to utilize it very well. The car is expected to provide 14 miles per gallon (mpg) with the number increasing to 24 as the car touches the highway. This would still be considered economical when comparing it to the 2018 Rolls-Royce Ghost which only provides around 12 mpg. However, these competitors house a much bigger 6.6-liter V12 engine, helping the car generate more horsepower and therefore, burning up more fuel.
Customizations allow any luxury car to better portray the appearance envisioned by its owner. Rolls-Royce is better known for this ability as the company allows the owner to change the roof, interior even the emblem of the car for their personal convenience. Bentley adopted this strategy as well however, the customizations in a Flying Spur are limited to paint colors, wheel designs and interior trims. This is because Bentley believes in signifying its comfort and ideology through the wooden veneers and luxuriant leather, so it becomes a company stalemate. Where the company spends a fortune building the car interior, it has placed a considerable amount of effort to ensure it meets the comfort standards as well. All four seats in the car support a heating and ventilation system with individual climate zones. Furthermore, the front passengers have access to an 8-inch touch screen whereas, infotainment is also available for the backseat passengers with dual display. On top of all this, the company believes in leaving a trademark bespoke crystal champagne flutes in all the Flying Spurs so that the luxury energy around, never drops.
When you are running at the epitome of luxury, you have to ensure that the correct equipment and safety has been involved to insure this luxury. The upgrade to the carbon ceramic brakes provides just that, with the mixture of silicone and ceramic in a disc braking system providing reliable braking even in wet and dry conditions. Furthermore, Bentley’s have had cruise controls for ages but this second generation of the 2018 Flying Spur bolstered an adaptive cruise control where the usage of sensors, cameras and radars have been increased. This has allowed the car to accelerate and decelerate instead of maintaining speed as the car sees fit, as well as maintaining a proper gap with the car in front. The car also comes equipped with ABS and stability control with further modifications for Blind Spot monitoring and lane assist available upon request. Understandably, installing these luxury amenities and promising a secure driving environment doesn’t come cheap. The car was originally released at an MSRP of $205,000 back in 2018, whereas currently it is available in the market for around $189,000.
The company renowned for its ability to consistently produce luxurious vehicles that excel in performance has once again surpassed expectations. During the Exotic Car Trader comfort test, their advanced technology-enabled suspension system delivered unparalleled stability, ensuring a smooth and controlled ride. Meanwhile, the heated and ventilated seats provided optimal comfort, seamlessly maintaining a relaxed atmosphere regardless of the cruising speed. However, these specs were available first when the car was released therefore, it is better to heavily inspect a car using the professionals at Exotic Car Trader to ensure the actual qualities of the car remain preserved.
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