Notes From the Parking Lot: 2008 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
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Notes From the Parking Lot: 2008 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
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Base Price: $170,990
Options: Paint from Arnage Range (Meteor), Mulliner Driving Specification, Rear View Camera, Electric Glass Solar-Panel Tilt & Slide Sunroof, Contrast Stitching to Seats, Fascia, and Door Panels, Mulliner Alloy Fuel Filler Cap
Price as Tested: $194,215 Total Miles Tested: 661 miles Fuel Economy: 14.1 mpgEditors' Comments Tom Appel:
Dynamically, Bentley's "entry-level" sedan is subordinate to Mercedes'
mighty S-Class cars. The Benz über sedans simply do a better job of
balancing ride and handling. Ah, but no Mercedes has every made me feel
like a billionaire. Compared to the S-Class's machine-perfect
sterility, this Bentley's cabin positively exudes restrained opulence.
Likewise, though clearly meticulously assembled, Mercedes vehicles
suffer the same orange-peel paint texture that plagues assembly-line
painted cars costing just $20,000. Not so our Flying Spur. This
Bentley's mirror-smooth finish alone helps justify its price tag. So,
is the Flying Spur worth $30,000 more than the comparable Mercedes-Benz
S600? For those with a genuine appreciation for things built with
fastidious care, yes. John Biel: If
you're the sort who wishes to do good whilst doing well, then perhaps
driving a car that gets 10 or so mpg and has a rain forest worth of
wood in the cabin wouldn't be your first choice. For anyone else who
can come to terms with a car that costs very nearly $195,000, the
Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a well-tailored automobile with
presence. Fun to drive? No, not something this big. Impressive to drive
(and be seen driving)? Definitely! Rick Cotta:
Mercedes offers some upper-crust AMG sedans in this price range that
are probably quicker, but they don't offer all-wheel drive and likely
don't ride as well. And with their strangling speed limiters (at 155
mph), they can't challenge the Spur's claimed 195-mph top end,
important for locker-room bragging rights. They also can't match the
panache of the Bentley name. That said, a standard S550 4-Matic rivals
the Spur in most important categories at half the retail price. Ed
Piotrowski: Considering what happened to Jaguar during its time as a
Ford subsidiary, it would be easy to worry about how Bentley would be
treated by its outside-England master, Volkswagen. Thankfully, VW
generally leaves Bentley to its own devices. The Germans lend some
platforms and engineering, and they let the folks in Crewe take it from
there. Bentley has managed to take the basic VW Phaeton chassis and
powertrain and transform it into something truly special. The
Mercedes-Benz S-Class might be a better value overall, but one thing
you can't get on the Benz is a 12-cylinder with all-wheel drive. The
only other high-end luxury sedan with that combination is the Audi A8.
Though it costs $70,000 less, the A8 completely lacks the Continental
Flying Spur's character, which makes the Bentley the better choice for
those who can afford such an indulgence. Don Sikora:
How does one go about judging the value of a $194,000 car? Think about
that: $194,000. That's more than my condo, my car, and my furniture
cost. Of course, my condo doesn't have as nice of carpet as this
Bentley has in its trunk. Seriously, the Bentley Continental Flying
Spur is beautifully built and fabulously detailed. The engine sounds
great, and is actually more a part of the driving experience than the
Lamborghini-based V10 in the $115,000 Audi S8 I drove about a week ago.
On the road, it feels more like a seriously fast large car than a
seriously fast sports sedan, but that's not a criticism in my book.
Yes, there are German competitors that may statistically and
dynamically perform better at half the price, but that kind of misses
the point of this Bentley. The interior is finished to a standard that
very few cars can compete with. If you can afford the car, and
appreciate fine craftsmanship, I'd guess little touches like the look
and feel of the beautifully machined shift lever would remind you every
time you drove just how special your car really was.
06.23.2008
Inside This Article
1.
Notes From the Parking Lot: 2008 Bentley Continental Flying Spur
2.
