The Bentley Flying Spur is a thrilling drive in an opulent package that cuts no performance or aesthetic corners, writes Paddy Comyn, although junctions are best avoided
I am sure that, like me, you have fantasies about being rich. Not just a little bit rich. I mean stinking rich. Maybe you are and you will tell us all that it is not really all it's cracked up to be and you will give that often quoted line about "money brings its own problems. Blah Blah Blah."
Well, I reckon being loaded would be wonderful. So for one week, I pretended I was. Although getting the train to Belfast, to Charles Hurst Specialist Cars, which is Ireland's only official Bentley centre, might seem like a rather tame start to my week of affluence, arriving at the showroom to mingle with the owners and would-be owners did give me an insight into a rather special club.
You can't help starting to guess about just how the people standing sipping coffee, flicking through brochures and having their egos massaged by the sales staff came to earn their money. The disappointing thing for the cynical among you is that these people often turn out to be painfully nice and normal and more often than not just like their cars.
The obvious difference between me and the people that day, apart from my shoes and my less expensive suit, is that I am a fake. I don't have the €270,000 that I would have to hand over for the silver Bentley Flying Spur that is sitting in the car park, but my new, perfectly dressed friends aren't to know.
Bentley has really changed its image over the last few years. From a company that had a very long tradition of motor racing excellence, its cars of the 1980s and 1990s were large, luxury couches that were a little on the musty side. They might have been driven by old money, but they equally might have been coveted by someone who earned their fortune on gaming machines and thought that they were "classy".
But now, under the considered guidance of Volkswagen, the cars have taken on a new life. Sure enough, the Continental GT that started the renaissance has become something of a default choice for Premiership footballers, but there is no denying its technical excellence.
But it is the Flying Spur that has really brought the Bentley name back to where it should be. And with so many self-made millionaires and plucky entrepreneurs looking for the next step up from the ubiquitous Mercedes S-Class or increasingly popular Maserati Quattroporte, the Flying Spur might just be the answer. And judging by the popularity of the brand in Dublin over the past couple of years, and the amount of visitors that the Belfast outfit gets from south of the Border, this trend looks set to continue.
This is a magnificent car to behold. Quite simply, it is enormous. Weighing in at 2.5 tonnes, and some 5,307mm long, it is the length of two smart cars and considerably more powerful. Under the enormous bonnet is a 6.0-litre V12 putting out 552bhp, (so that is 10 Smart cars) and its CO2 emission figure is 410g/km, which meant I would certainly be melting a polar icecap somewhere. And the fuel consumption figure of 17.1l/100km meant that I would be dining on water and leaves by Friday.
For me this car looks better than the Continental GT. There is no denying that the GT is a pretty car, but I think this car works better as a saloon. For such a large car, the proportions are just right and sitting on the 19-inch alloy wheels, it looks nothing short of magnificent.
Having been run through the car, which is all very straightforward, it was really time to set sail. The interior is a blend of wood and leather everything. The smell is like walking into Land of Leather - suffice to say I wouldn't be going to the chipper in the Flying Spur. Sitting in the front seat of this type of car is always something of a remote experience. Because so much of the car and the leather and the comfort is behind you, you tend to feel a little cheated. But the joy of the Flying Spur isn't too far away. You could argue that this is a car that you should really be chauffeured in, so what is the point in driving it yourself? Well, apart from the fact that it is whisper quiet, has every gadget you could ask for, all discreetly packaged, and is surprisingly easy to navigate around town, the real fun happens when you put your foot down.
There is no major fuss and certainly no drama. But stamp on the right foot pedal in your €1,000 shoes and the well-mannered butler under the engine rounds up all the 552 thoroughbred horses, whispers in their ear and discreetly unleashes hell. You don't so much sprint as gather momentum incredibly quickly and once this momentum has started, the horizon comes at you at an alarming rate. It takes just 4.5 seconds to get to 100km/h and if you had the road (and the legislation) you would reach 325km/h, which is almost 200mph in old money.
But just having a luxury saloon car that smells nice and goes very fast in straight lines would not really suffice, so luckily the Flying Spur seems to think it is a sports saloon too. Equipped with four-wheel drive, variable suspension settings and well-weighted steering that gives great feedback, the Flying Spur belies its size and it is actually very fun to drive and can be driven enthusiastically, should you feel the need. That is, of course, if you ever get out of junctions.
Perhaps I look a little too fresh-faced to be driving a Bentley or maybe I was near a Green party conference, but I broke my own record for not being let out into oncoming traffic by people who just refused to look at me and point-blank refused to let me out. A couple of minutes can be frustrating, but eight agonising minutes means that I had incurred the wrath of those behind me as well as in front of me. Driving it around town, trying to park it and constantly refuelling it can make you feel a tad silly at times. but this is unlikely to bother those with the means and the hired help.
You could look at rivals to the Flying Spur as being cars like the Maybach, which nobody really buys, and the Rolls Royce Phantom, which will cost you considerably more. Then there are the mainstream rivals, such as the top end Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8 and Lexus LS600H. The Bentley sits nicely between these. Yes, it is incredible in its opulence and outlandish in its extravagance, but it is a really impressive car to behold and to drive and I really believe that, despite my junction fiasco, it is a car that people might not hate you for owning, unless of course they are environmentalists and they look at your carbon footprint.
There are drawbacks - there are more comfortable cars that soak up the road better. The impressive Lexus LS600H would be one and the stretched version of that, with its ottoman seat, is a nicer place to spend time in at the rear, and a Maserati Quattroporte is arguably a cooler car. Financially, Mercedes-Benz seems to have the best residuals with the S-Class, and it will still be hard to wrestle a lot of property developers out of their Range Rovers any time soon.
For the customer of the Flying Spur, there really is only likely to be one car in mind and what they are getting is a truly impressive piece of kit. By the weekend, I was back to driving it in my jeans and trainers and that was even more fun. Pulling up outside the shop to buy a paper in a car that costs €270,000 was probably my favourite part of my brief Bentley experience. Would I want this car? Personally no. It is too big for my tastes, but I do get it.
So it was back to the train for me, back with my people. It was fun being loaded, and now that I have a choice - it's not for me.Engine: 5,998cc V12 petrol engine putting out 552bhp @ 6,100rpm and 650Nm of torque @ 1,600rpm. Six speed auto transmission.
Specification: Standard features include 19-inch alloy wheels, full premium grade hide interior, burr walnut unbleached premium veneer to fascia, upper door trim, and front and rear console, infotainment system incorporating DVD satellite navigation and hi-fi system, Bluetooth telephone system, electronically adjustable front seats with lumbar massage, memory and heating settings, four-zone climate control, hide-trimmed multi-function steering wheel, twin bi-Xenon headlamps, electronic tyre pressure monitor, electronic cruise control, keyless entry and ignition, choice of 16 exterior paint colours.
Factfile
L/100km (mpg):
URBAN: 26.2 (10.8)
EXTRA-URBAN: 11.9 (23.7)
COMBINED: 17.1 (16.5)
CO2 emissions: 410g/km
Annual road tax: €1,343
Price: €270,000, from Charles Hurst Specialist Cars, Belfast