With a history dating back to the late 1950s, the Bentley Flying Spur was initially part of the Continental GT series, and it remains heavily based on the Continental GT coupe to this day. However, the luxury four-door spurned the “Continental” badging in 2014 to be its own model line. The flagship sedan holds its own as an ultra-luxury barge (i.e., in-car refrigerated bottle cooler option!) but also has stealth performance chops for the quick wine shop stop when the champagne runs out.

What’s New for the 2023 Bentley Flying Spur

The Flying Spur was redesigned for the 2020 model year, so there are minimal changes for 2023. What is updated comes in the form of performance. For one, the previously-dropped 6.0-liter W12 engine has returned. Removed from the base Flying Spur as an engine option, the booming 12-cylinder is now exclusive to the Flying Spur Speed trim and available on the top-level Mulliner. Bentley also adds a sporty, dark-themed S model to the Flying Spur’s five-model lineup.

Design

Measuring 209.29 inches in length, 87.4 inches in width, and 58.43 inches in height, the Flying Spur demands your attention. Even if you don’t want to look at it, the luxury land yacht would take up most of your field of view, anyway. Thankfully, the Flying Spur isn’t a godawful sight. Its massive proportions are sculpted with athleticism and finesse in mind instead of brutish masculinity.

But the Flying Spur doesn’t shy away from excess, either. Its highfalutin' high fashion is exhibited from the get-go via standard crystal-like jeweled headlights and hand-polished chrome accouterments. Wheels of varying finishes and spokes range from 20 to 22 inches large. The standard paint palette includes seven colors, but it expands to 80 for the Mulliner model. On the inside, there is a selection of five hide colors to pair with the standard walnut veneer or one of the several other finishes. Again, choices increase on the Mulliner, which is the only trim to offer a three-color split option.

Powertrain

The Bentley Flying Spur is available with either a gasoline or a plug-in hybrid powertrains. When operating on gasoline alone, the Flying Spur features a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in base, S, and Azure trims, while a 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine powers Flying Spur Speed. The Flying Spur Mulliner is the only trim where all powertrains are offered, including the hybrid.

The V8 produces 542 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. With standard all-wheel drive (AWD) and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Flying Spur V8 reaches 60 mph within 4.0 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 198 mph–pretty spry for a vehicle with a curb weight of 5,373 pounds. Of course, the bigger W12 will provide bigger power, to the tune of 626 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, to be exact. Not a slow boat, the Flying Spur W12 takes only 3.7 seconds to hit 60 mph and has a higher top speed of 207 mph.

Interior

The Flying Spur may be large and in charge on the outside, but the Bentley's interior is where craftsmanship and comfort take the lead. There is seating for four or five occupants in a cabin that is overly spacious in either configuration. Plush leather upholstery, walnut veneer, and heated front seats are standard. The wide doors make ingress and egress effortless. Bentley also left in some physical buttons for frequently used controls. This improves ergonomics and minimizes frustration by limiting having to navigate digital menus.

At 14.3 cubic feet, the trunk is cavernous as well, but without the benefit of fold-flat rear seats if in the 2+2 arrangement. This is a minor trade-off in order to have heating, ventilation, and massage features for backseat passengers (i.e., you as you’re being chauffeured around) and have room for a bottle cooler. Oh, and yes, you can hang out with the kiddos, too, as there are car seat anchors in all Flying Spurs.

Technology

A 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen commands the center console of the 2023 Flying Spur. Standard features include a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple CarPlay integration, a digital TV, a USB-C port for all occupants, and a 10-speaker audio system. Android Auto is, indeed, missing, but it will be offered in future models. For a price, you can add one of two high-end stereo options (e.g., a 16-speaker Bang & Olufson system or 2,200 watts and 19 speakers of concert hall-level sound from Naim). There’s also a rear seat entertainment system featuring dual 10.1-inch screens, an infotainment remote for rear passengers to access the center touchscreen (and not bother the driver), and a three-sided rotating display option that will on command flip the touchscreen section to a panel of analog buttons or the wood veneer.

Safety

The Bentley Flying Spur offers plenty of passive and active safety features. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, most of the driver-assistance systems are not standard. Gratis and included are a 360-degree camera view, front and rear parking sensors, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, and road-sign assistance. Base model buyers will need to add the Touring Specification package to get adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, night vision, and Bentley Safeguard Plus, which is a front-collision avoidance system with automatic emergency braking. The Touring Spec is standard on upper trim levels, as are rear-wheel steering and an SOS button with automatic crash notification.

Pricing

For 2023, the Bentley Flying Spur V8 starts at $211,325 (including the destination charge). Moving up to the Flying Spur S involves a nearly 32-grand price jump to $243,225. From there, the gap between S, Azure, and Speed trims is roughly $9,000-10,000. The crown of the lineup, the Flying Spur Mulliner, will set you back about $302,000. Customizations and a chauffeur cost extra because, of course, they would.