FAIR play to Bentley for making a plug-in hybrid model of the Flying Spur.
Everybody has to do their bit. However I've noticed a evident drawback.
Including a battery pack means you possibly can’t have a fridge within the again — and that’s Bentley 101 in my ebook. Let’s face it, the Flying Spur is an indulgent limo for wealthy individuals to be pushed in.
They’re not more likely to prioritise a less expensive tax band over the chance to have a glass of fizz on the way in which to the gee-gees at Cheltenham.
They’d somewhat pay additional than drink heat Moët.
That stated, the Flying Spur Hybrid does have one huge benefit over the common V8 or W12.
Silence is the last word luxurious and also you’ve received 25 miles to glide round Mayfair and Chelsea on battery energy alone.
I’ve tried it and it’s quieter than Boris Johnson when he will get a celebration invite.
The whole lot else about this automobile is pure Bentley: Floor ground penthouse suite with race automobile oomph.
Let’s begin inside. No person will sit at the back of this automobile and say: “Effectively, that’s a bit garbage.”
Aside from the lacking fridge, in fact. As a result of a Bentley inside is deeply satisfying. A wonderful fusion of artisan craftsmanship and cutting-edge tech. And you'll have any leather-based, any wooden, any color you fancy.
Additionally, Bentley has the perfect seats of any automobile on sale at this time. These super-squishy headrests inform you that.
However the ballerina within the musical jewelry field is the iPhone-sized rear-seat distant. It controls the window blinds, air-con, sound system, heated/ massaging seats, and the pop-up Flying B mascot on the bonnet.
Whereas I consider it, the glass wings on the Flying B illuminate and sparkle like Tinker Bell at evening. It’s classier than it sounds.
Your driver will probably be very pleased too. There’s evening imaginative and prescient (which sees 300m forward), head-up show, top-view digicam, and all types of driver aids to make progress as easy as attainable.
Plus, there’s a lot pace to play with, ought to it's essential give if full every thing. Which brings me properly to the hybrid bit.
The Flying Spur makes use of the identical petrol/electrical combo as a Porsche Panamera: 2.9-litre V6 paired with an e-motor and 18kWh battery pack.
Complete output is 544hp, simply six horses wanting the V8, and it catapults from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds, or 0-100mph in 9.5. Fast.
With four-wheel drive, three-chamber air suspension, 48v anti-roll bar and the largest brakes of any manufacturing automobile on the planet, you even have a limo with astonishing all-round means.
Set off late, arrive early. Which in fact you’ll wish to do since you’ll be gagging for a drink.
Different observations. The V6 isn’t as tuneful as a V8. We’ll miss that when it’s gone.
It’s slower, heavier, and has a smaller boot. On the up facet, it’s quieter, extra environment friendly — I averaged 33mpg on check, you received’t get wherever close to that in a V8 — and on the very least it provides extra “conscious” millionaires a alternative.
It’s additionally a stepping stone in direction of full electrification. Bentley’s first EV will arrive in 2025 and by 2030 each mannequin will probably be EV-only. The Crewe manufacturing unit is already carbon impartial.
Lastly, it's possible you'll ask “Why did Bentley launch this automobile in Beverly Hills?”
I requested the identical factor myself. However this place can’t get sufficient of them. One single dealership offered 400 Bentleys final yr, virtually a 3rd of the UK whole by itself. Fairly extraordinary.
Gliding down Rodeo Drive in e-mode is . . . quiet extraordinary.
Post a Comment