Three months after the reveal of the new Continental GT, Bentley has pulled the covers off its four-door sibling, the Flying Spur. However whereas the coupé is an all-new, clean-sheet design, this automotive is a comparatively gentle facelift of the outgoing mannequin – albeit one which hides a generational leap by way of powertrain, chassis and in-car applied sciences.
The truth is, so thorough had been the upgrades that Crewe is classifying this because the fourth-generation Flying Spur, though it seems to be virtually equivalent to the 2019 mannequin. The highest-dog Pace, the one variant out there at launch, returns to a mesh grille (the earlier automotive had reasonably un-Bentley vertical slats) and includes a sleeker entrance bumper, a body-coloured rear diffuser, new 22-inch turbine-style alloy wheels and animated Bentley Wings welcome lights from the Batur. Neat however not precisely groundbreaking modifications.
However every part beneath that samey pores and skin is virtually all new, beginning with the engine. The Flying Spur Pace will get the fourth-gen Continental GT Pace’s new plug-in Extremely Efficiency Hybrid powertrain, headlined by an up to date 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8.
The mill ditches the normal vacuum system and features higher-pressure gas injection and single-scroll as a substitute of twin-scroll turbos – since there’s now an electrical motor to fill within the turbo lag. This reduces complexity and permits them to run hotter, minimising emissions. Cylinder deactivation has additionally been jettisoned, on condition that the automotive can swap off the engine utterly when being pushed on electrical energy alone. Outputs from the eight-pot are literally barely decrease at 600 PS and 800 Nm of torque.
Making up for this shortfall is a 190 PS/450 Nm electrical motor built-in into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Mixed energy has been bumped up by 19% to 782 PS, whereas torque is up over 11% to a towering 1,000 Nm. With all-wheel drive once more coming as normal, the Pace sprints from zero to 100 km/h in simply 3.5 seconds – three tenths of a second quicker than its predecessor. All this {hardware} additionally improves the Flying Spur’s weight distribution, now rear-biased at 48.3 to 51.7.
However the primary good thing about the PHEV setup is, in fact, the flexibility to drive in full-electric mode at as much as 140 km/h, with the 25.9 kWh battery delivering a formidable vary of 76 km (up from simply 41 km on the earlier Flying Spur Hybrid). This, mixed with the V8, supplies a complete vary of as much as 829 km. Geared up with an 11 kW on-board charger, a full cost takes 2.75 hours.
The adoption of the PHEV powertrain has necessitated a whole revamp of {the electrical} structure, enabling the fitment of the brand new Conti GT’s Efficiency Lively Chassis with Bentley Dynamic Trip. This provides new twin-valve dampers that separate rebound and compression damping management, considerably bettering trip consolation in Consolation mode. You additionally get rear-wheel steering, an digital limited-slip differential, retuned stability management and torque vectoring by braking.
Different modifications launched as a part of the structure improve embody new seats with 3D quilting and the non-obligatory Wellness Seating Specification on all 4 pews. This permits Seat Auto Local weather by way of the heating and air flow capabilities, together with Postural Alter that continuously strikes the strain factors to scale back fatigue on lengthy journeys.
That is paired with an air ioniser, particulate matter filter and outer and internal air high quality shows constructed into the local weather management. In the meantime, the infotainment system features wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a brand new My Bentley App Studio for third-party apps. Customers additionally get new distant park help, charging and local weather pre-conditioning capabilities by way of a smartphone app.
Elsewhere, drivers acquire an atmosphere show when utilizing Stage 2 semi-autonomous driving options, permitting them to see surrounding automobiles within the instrument show. A brand new Clever Park Help with velocity management has additionally been added, whereas different assisted driving options can be enabled annually, reminiscent of inexperienced visitors mild prediction that can be more and more rolled out throughout main US and European cities.
The Flying Spur retains Bentley’s trademark opulence, enhanced right here with darkened exterior trim, precision 3D diamond leather-based on the door playing cards and B-pillars, non-obligatory darkish chrome inside decor and new instrument show graphics. The distinctive Bentley Rotating Show, which might stow the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen to point out both three analogue gauges or an unbroken aspect of veneer, continues to be an possibility.
Additionally on the choices record are a selection of three sound methods. There’s the “base” ten-speaker, 650-watt setup, a 16-speaker, 1,500-watt Bang & Olufsen model or the full-fat 19-speaker, 2,200-watt Naim system with Lively Bass Transducers within the entrance seats.
In fact, we’d be remiss to not point out the size of customisation choices, together with a Styling Specification aero package deal in carbon fibre and a dizzying 101-colour palette, expandable even additional by way of the Mulliner division. You’ll be able to select from any color from Bentley’s previous and even create a paint match to any color. Inside, you get 22 major and 11 secondary leather-based colors, in addition to 4 color splits, eight wooden veneers and three technical finishes reminiscent of carbon.
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