(7.8 out of 10)
REVIEW DATE: 21 Nov 2006
What is it about Bentley's Continentalflying spur that makes it appeal so strongly to top business people who have to spend their lives on the road? Jonathan Crouch has been finding out at the wheel
Life on the road isn't so bad these days. The quality of the Little Chefs is better. There's the Birmingham Toll Road to make cross-country commuting more bearable. And the standard of the kind of top luxury saloon you've worked your way up to owning to make long journeys more bearable has changed beyond recognition.
Think back ten years - then ten years before that. Motorway marathons were things you psyched yourself up for with a stock of Mars bars and a few bottles of Red Bull. No longer. At the wheel of a car like the Bentley Continentalflying spur that I've been driving recently, you've the kind of luxury that truly befits any company Chairman.
It goes without saying that this car is fully equipped, specified with all the bells and whistles that you'd expect from a car costing £117,500. Having said that, at this level of the market, it's not just about equipment. After all, even the most basic executive car these days comes with things like climate-controlled air conditioning, front and side airbags and a decent stereo. To these things, our Continentalflying spur test car added satellite navigation, leather trim and electric almost everything. It's well equipped, as we said. However, what's more impressive is this model's sheer craftsmanship - the way that everything has been seamlessly incorporated into a cocoon of luxury.
Once upon a time with Bentleys, running costs were something that you just didn't talk about. If you wanted one, you paid them: simple as that. Fortunately, Bentley Motors in the 21st Century is a very different company - and so are its products. This Continentalflying spur stacks up surprisingly well against mainstream luxury models, whatever your criteria of measurement. No other super luxury saloon handles better and in terms of running costs, the car is exactly where it needs to be. The 552bhp 6.0-litre W12 unit installed beneath the bonnet manages a top end of 195mph and it dispatches the benchmark sprint in a sprightly 4.9sec. There's also a better fuel economy figure than you might expect, the Bentley returning over 16mpg on the combined cycle.
"To overlook the Continentalflying spur in this sector would be a mistake. Any top Business Traveller who's tried one will tell you that..."
The interior is demonstrably Bentley with acres of leather and wood veneers. The fascia has been designed with a notion of symmetry, the centre console rising up to divide two swathes of veneer that were designed to resemble the Bentley winged logo. It's said that Bentley's designers even took a tape measure to a team of New York basketball players to ensure that headroom is acceptable even to those at the extremes of the morphological scale. The Flying Spur can be specified with three seats across the back or a rather cosier two seat configuration with a beautifully finished veneered centre console.
Certain Bentley trademarks endure - the bullseye chromed ventilation outlets and the organ stop controls - but don't get the impression that this interior is a quaint retro pastiche. A touch screen LCD display on the centre console controls the air conditioning, satellite navigation, computer information and entertainment systems, whilst many of the minor controls can be operated without removing hands from the steering wheel. It's this blend of old and new that's particularly fascinating. Craftsmanship techniques have been similarly updated. For instance, wood panelling can be dramatically curved in a way that was once impossible. By the same token, while the leather is still applied to the car with the same hand crafted care, it's cut from hides using a digitized process that reduces waste and optimizes efficiency.
In a market sector dominated these days by excellence, it's easy for motoring journalists and Fleet Managers alike to take this Bentley's talents for granted. Even to overlook the car in conversations dominated by cars like the Mercedes S-class, the Lexus LS600 and the Maybach. That would be a mistake. Any top business traveller who's tried one will tell you that.
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| For CONTINENTAL BUSINESS | ||
| OVERALL | 7.8 OUT OF 10 | |
| Performance |  |
10 |
| Comfort | |
10 |
| Handling |  |
8 |
| Economy |  |
3 |
| Space / Versatility | |
8 |
| Styling | |
8 |
| Equipment | |
10 |
| Build | |
10 |
| Depreciation | |
8 |
| Insurance | |
3 |
| Value | |
8 |
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Bentley Continental GT
