The renaissance of Bentley, the famed British sports-car brand, continues under the careful stewardship of German parent Volkswagen with the arrival this year of the Continental Flying Spur, a four-door companion to the Continental GT coupe.
The two cars share common underpinnings, but the new sedan has a more conservative aura, albeit an equally stiff price tag.
We tested a well-equipped 2006 Flying Spur with a bottom line of $179,485.
HE: Bentley sedans for so many years were virtual clones of Rolls-Royces, it’s almost a jolt to see something new and different like the Flying Spur. It makes the old-school Arnage look like a relic. The performance also pretty much lives up to Bentley’s proud pedigree, even though the hardware now happens to be German. It still looks and feels veddyBritish, don’t you think?
SHE: I think it looks and feels kind of ridiculous. And I’m not alone. Let me tell you about my recent experience with a group of seventh- and eighth-graders at Kennedy Middle School in St. Clair Shores. I was there for career day, talking about my adventures as an auto writer. And, of course, they wanted to know exactly what cars I drove. So I told them we just got out of the Flying Spur and said the price was nearly $200,000. At that point, the math teacher in the back of the room piped up, “That’s as much as most of your houses cost.” And there was a collective gasp from the kids. One little girl said, “Why does it cost so much?” To which I was tempted to reply, “Because some people are foolish enough to pay that price.”
HE: This is the story of my life. I want to talk about horsepower and hardware, and you go off on middle schools and houses. Just to humor me, let’s go over some nuts and bolts. We could start with that magnificent twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine that cranks out an eye-popping 552 horsepower. That’s way more than any sane person really needs, but it’s enough to give the Bentley a theoretical top speed of 195 miles per hour. I’d like to see your house go that fast. And considering the car weighs nearly three tons, the acceleration is unbelievable — zero to 60 in less than five seconds, which is just a hair off pure performance cars like the BMW M5. When you get it up to speed, this big Bentley feels like nothing so much as a big locomotive under full steam.
SHE: I think you missed my point somewhere in your little soliloquy. I’m not debating whether the Flying Spur is a lovely automobile or incredibly powerful, only whether it’s really relevant. I really do appreciate that rich cockpit, which looks like a library for wealthy English gentlemen — all leather and wood and finely crafted materials. The little touches are nice, too, things like those chrome “organ-stop” vent pulls. I also admired a suspension that is so sophisticated and supple that it is almost impervious to road conditions, especially our famous Michigan potholes. But I wonder if it is as technically advanced as the new Mercedes-Benz S550, which is about half the price.
HE: Actually, I could live without some of the high-tech gizmos that Mercedes and BMW seem to be throwing rather indiscriminately onto their top-of-the-line cars. A lot of fancy electronic gadgets don’t necessarily justify a lofty price tag. Now look at the Bentley. It has loads of features, everything from fancy leather seats with a massaging lumbar function to fine details, like the knurled chrome-and-leather shift lever.
SHE: But it’s far from perfect. The Flying Spur has ridiculously tiny vanity mirrors for such an oversize automobile. And you can brag all you want about the horsepower, but don’t forget to add that we averaged a lousy 10.4 miles per gallon while we drove the car.
HE: That stuff is really beside the point. You’re paying for exclusivity, great performance, superb luxury and the prestige of owning a Bentley.
2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
Type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan.
Price: Base, $171,285 (inc. $2,595 shipping charge and $3,700 gas-guzzler tax); as tested, $179,485.
Engine: 6.0-liter W-12; 552-hp; 479 lb-ft torque.
EPA fuel economy: 11 mpg city/18 mpg highway.
Where built: England Estimated 12-month insurance cost, according to AAA Michigan: $3,364
Anita: 4
Likes: Whisper-quiet cabin. Great “organ stop” vent pulls. Top-drawer materials, including charcoal and tan leather everywhere. Compliant suspension is nearly impervious to road conditions.
Dislikes: Tiny vanity mirrors. Only one cupholder in center console, but ashtray and lighter have prominent place. Nav system identifies lakes, but not streets at some levels.
Paul: 5
Likes: Under full steam, feels like a locomotive. Outrageous twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine makes 552 hp. Standard all-wheel drive provides great all-weather traction.
Dislikes: Not as sexy as the Continental GT coupe. Shiny wood not as contemporary as matte-finish wood on BMW 7 Series. Performance only marginally better than 12-cylinder sedans from BMW and Mercedes, but price tag is considerably higher.