MALIBU, California – When I first moved to New York City in the early 1990s, two careers before I became an auto writer, I worked as a preschool teacher in Brooklyn. I cycle to work from Manhattan every day, across the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the richest car opportunities in the city with the lowest auto ownership rate in the nation. The most remarkable vehicle that I see regularly is a Bentley sedans. The only thing weirder than it Azure Purple exterior color, and the distinctive rumble of its signature 6.75-liter V8, is its matching number plate. It seems to indicate that its owner is a scientist or gastroenterologist, MD TUSH.
When I drove the car that descended from that car, a Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid too purple, I can’t stop thinking about MD TUSH, whoever they are. Their flash. Their ostentatiousness. Their dedication to be seen – even from the elevated bike path of New York’s original suspension bridge. One could argue that this is part of the job of a car for occasions like this, a $204,000 (base price) sedan, as long as a Chevrolet Tahoe. It is said to make an impact.
So it’s counter-intuitive that Hot steam is flying Hybrid always starts in EV Drive mode, prioritizing the use of a single rechargeable 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery the battery pack. It definitely does Not make an impact. I suppose one cannot reduce the element of surprise. But in that mode – one of the three doors is accessed via a metal button on the center console’s shiny surface – the four large doors slide away with eerie silence and will stay that way for about 25 miles on the European WLTP cycle (EPA Certification is yet to be completed, but it will likely be lower than the EU figure), where it takes 2.5 hours to charge using a fast charger of unknown voltage through a conspicuous port in the fender. rear left.
As a preview of Bentley’s promised all-electric future – starting with the company’s first fully battery-powered car in 2025, on track to full-line voltage transition by 2030 – Flying Spur has some appeal. With silence, thrust, and weirdness, electric power matches those of super-luxury limousines.
But while the electric motor delivers a paltry 134 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque — enough to propel the 5,523-pound behemoth up to 80 mph — it’s primarily intended for use. low-speed use around town, especially in urban areas that have or are about to ban (or heavily tax) the use of ICE vehicles in the city center.
As a stopgap compliant car, this makes sense. However, like Bentley’s previous attempt at crossbreeding, Flying Spur Hybrid has some challenges. With a new 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 adding 410 hp and 406 lb-ft to the electronic filter, the PHEV has a combined output of 536 hp and 553 lb-ft. That’s only slightly less than the 386-pound, lighter Flying Spur V8, but acceleration isn’t affected as much as you’d expect: a 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds is just 1/slower 10 seconds over V8. The point is that it does so in a way that’s not Bentley-like. The powertrain doesn’t feel as effortless as a car from the Flying B brand. There’s something a little raw about its action, its emotion. Something is close to being achieved, like the engine is working harder than it needs to achieve its task.
It also feels strangely indecisive when in the other two powertrain modes: Hybrid, which combines power sources to maximize efficiency, and Hold mode, which effectively locks the all-electric range, as So there’s still some available when you reach the only EV one that’s downtown. Instead of a consistent and enjoyable meow, the powertrain switches modes with the erratic fervor of a cat with its midnight frenzy. Electricity! Engine! Both! Engine! Electricity! It’s remarkable, which shouldn’t be in Bentley, more so because the brand offers a dedicated gauge in this graph-only cluster. This is the first time I remember the old days, when cars like this didn’t even bother with the tachometer. Rolls-Royce still not.
This touch somehow also takes away the ability to drive, handle and brake capacity. In previous commitments, the non-hybrid Flying Spur amazes with its agility, which results as part of a donkey four-wheel steering system, active anti-roll bars and disc brakes placed in the 20-, 21- range. or 22 inch wheels, each wheel is approx Polyphemus‘ lens. Mountain roads and gorges drive here Malibu is one of the most ideal in America. However, I don’t feel the same excitement, fun as the W12 or V8 engines in the Spurple Reign. I tried out the sport mode, dubbed “Bentley,” and even toyed with the Personal settings for the computer-controlled throttle, steering, and transmission. It’s much higher than average, but no matter what I do, I can’t get past this Spur.
Fortunately, the cabin still maintains most of the qualities that make a contemporary Bentley an extremely pleasant place. The dolphin-colored leather on the seats and steering wheel may also have stimulated Flipper it is truly mesmerizing. Purple skin everywhere else will make Prince feel at home. The optional five-figure Naim stereo is completely powdered, turning the new Weeknd album into a nihilistic disco wheel loader. The carbon fiber The trim is certainly among the best out there, but personally, of the 56 billion ways Bentley says you can configure a Flying Spur, carbon fiber won’t be in the build for the sedan. My $250,000. Crewe veneers are among the best in the world, so why use plastics to switch to wood production?
Nothing is overlooked in the back seat, which I enjoy more than taking the throne when given the opportunity to drive. It’s side-lying, it lacks the extra LCD screen. (Thank you, I have my own premium monitor here in my hand.) It even has a massager, something the purple butt doctor Bentley doesn’t have, though, unlike the version that doesn’t. perfection of an almost perfect sedan, it would be exactly that. about brand.
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