2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Sedan 4-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Bentley Flying Spur pictures leaked early

We can imagine that automakers are among the groups salivating at the prospect of a colony on Mars - perhaps a photo studio on the red planet will be far enough away from the terrestrial Internet to keep everything they've got from leaking all over the web. In the midst of Bentley's teasing for the next-generation Flying Spur, someone got in early on a set of photos and decided to share them with us.
The transformation is all about character, the super sedan's lines getting injected with a whole lot more of it. The family face of the Continental line is evident, the new Spur getting a more upright grille than before and a Mulsanne-esque undivided lower grille. The front fenders get narrow, horizontal vents, and behind that the character line that starts with at the hood shutline runs in a long arc to the rear door, then rolls up into haunches that terminate at the very back. Lower down, a character line cuts up the bulk up the sides. In profile there is a definite hint of this being a junior Mulsanne.
The only item we see at the moment that could take some getting used to are the horizontal taillights. Housing a large single element topped by curved red brows, our initial impression is that they lack the flow of the rest of the car. Inside, it's what you'd expect from a Bentley.

2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 First Drive | Not messing with success

The 2021 Bentley Bentayga V8 marks the first refresh for Bentley’s first and rather successful SUV. The company has sold more than 20,000 of them worldwide since its introduction just a few years ago. As such, Bentley didnÂ’t need to do much to keep it updated, nor did it. The refresh boils down to exterior and interior updates, and after spending some time with the updated Bentayga, it continues to be a brilliantly luxurious machine with impressive capability. The most obvious and significant changes are to the exterior styling, which has hardly been the Bentayga's strong point. There are new round headlights with a cut crystal design like on other recent Bentleys. The grille has been enlarged, and the front bumper has a sportier design with an integrated spoiler. On the side, the fender vent has been lengthened and mounted higher, while the rear now has slim oval taillights and oval exhaust outlets. Those taillights have the same kind of cut crystal design as the headlights. The changes are subtle but effective at sprucing up the Bentayga, but they also donÂ’t make existing Bentaygas look out of date. ItÂ’s a similar situation inside. The biggest changes are in the center of the dashboard. The upper air vents are thin and horizontal instead of circles, and they've been relocated with the dash clock to sit mostly on top of the dash instead of nestled into it. Below them is a larger, 10.9-inch infotainment system that spans the whole width of the center stack and looks better integrated than the old version. The back seats can be configured to have nearly 4 inches more legroom, and thereÂ’s a larger touchscreen remote and available rear air vents for the bench seat configuration. Beyond that, the interior is mostly the same, which is hardly a complaint. This is a Bentley, after all. Essentially every surface is wrapped in soft leather, adorned with rich wood trim or made of weighty knurled metal. And customers have access to a vast variety of colors and combinations to create a genuinely custom cabin. There are a few low-ish points. The infotainment system isnÂ’t the most responsive, and it can be a little tricky to find the menu you want. Also, and this is a bit of a car journalist nitpick, you can spot some bits pilfered from the Audi parts bin: the turn signal and washer stalks, the headlight knob, and the underlying menus and layout of the instrument panel.

2022 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid has pure electric range, near-V8 performance

Bentley is adding the new 2022 Flying Spur Hybrid as a third powertrain option in the Flying Spur family that already includes a W12 and V8 model. It’s BentleyÂ’s second hybrid vehicle, joining the Bentayga Hybrid in the companyÂ’s rollout of slightly greener vehicles. This Flying Spur PHEV is the result of borrowing powertrain components from Porsche for its powertrain components. A 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 and electric motor combine for a total system output of 536 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. The horsepower is slightly down from the Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, but its 553 pound-feet of torque is identical to the Porsche from which its powertrain is derived from. This motivates the Flying Spur Hybrid from 0-60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which is just 0.1 second slower than the V8. Top speed is an impressive 177 mph. ThereÂ’s nothing slow about it. As for the electrics, Bentley is using a 14.1 kWh battery pack. Tested on the optimistic WLTP test cycle, Bentley predicts itÂ’ll have a range rating greater than 25 miles. The Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid with the same size battery pack (2020 model, because the 2021 Panamera got a bigger battery pack) is EPA-rated for 14 miles on a full charge, so we suspect the Flying Spur will be closer to this total when it receives its EPA rating. YouÂ’ll be able to choose between pure EV mode, Hybrid Mode or Hold Mode (retains current battery charge) depending on how you wish to utilize the battery charge on your drive. A new dedicated button on the interior facilitates these mode changes, and besides the necessary hybrid-specific infotainment software and cluster layout, is the only physical change to the interior. Hybrid models will be recognizable via their small “Hybrid” badge on the front fender. TheyÂ’ll also have new quad oval tailpipes and a charging port on the left rear fender. Fuel economy figures are not yet available from Bentley, but if the Panamera it shares powertrains with is any indication, we may not see massive gains by going from the V8 to the V6 hybrid. Porsche gains only 1 mpg going from the Turbo to a 4S E-Hybrid, so a similar 1- or 2-mpg bump from the V8Â’s 17 mpg combined figure seems likely. A total driving range of 435 miles is expected with this Hybrid model, which Bentley claims is the best in its lineup. Pricing isnÂ’t out yet, but Bentley says youÂ’ll be able to place an order for a Flying Spur Hybrid this summer. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for the end of 2021.