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2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8 Review: Flying Behemoth

Derryn Wong
07/07/2022
2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - on the road front shot

Bentley’s Flying Spur V8 sedan lays on the stature, presence, and image for a luxury limo experience that can’t be ignored 


2021 Bentley Flying Spur V8

Launched: April 2021 – Price: S$970,000 with VES, without COE, options
Four-door, luxury limousine, five seats 
550hp, 4.0-litre petrol engine, VES C2, 12.6L/100km


PROS
Humongous road presence, image 
Luxurious blend of old and new 
Sporty ride, strong performance

CONS
Powerful V8 is thirsty 
Experience depends options
Average headroom, visibility

SINGAPORE 

I have never, in my life, been mistaken for an important, successful person until I drove the Bentley Flying Spur.  

I’m more used to being treated as a pest (at best) or security hazard (at worst) and being shooed off for taking photos of cars in random places, nevermind that said photo spot is empty. Thing is, it happens less the further up the luxury rung you go – for instance, I’ve also never been asked to move along in a Rolls-Royce. 

2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - front 3/4 view, grille lights

But never before has a workman come up to the car window to ask me about the status of an invoice, without any preamble whatsoever. He was probably just as shocked to discover I wasn’t who he thought I was, and that was a window into the world of a Bentley owner.

Design and appearance: It’s Business Time

2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - front 3/4 view, grille lights



For a car to override even this gross image unbalance, it has to be big, and we’re not just talking about size. When a ‘normal’ German luxury limousine is not enough, a buyer aims higher, and an obvious step is to take the higher ground with Bentley’s Flying Spur. 

The Flying B’s luxury limousine traditionally was one of the entry-points into the brand, alongside the Continental GT coupe. First introduced in 2005, CarBuyer tested the second-gen model way back in 2014. Globally, the  all-new third-generation debuted in 2019, and saw its official launch in Singapore in April 2021.

2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - launch event, stage. -front 3/4 view, grille lights
Our first glimpse of the new Flying Spur was as its Singapore launch in 2021

The Flying Spur is in an interesting position now: It’s now the only four-door the brand makes, with the larger top-flight limo Mulsanne (and Arnage before it) no longer in production. 

But with the world’s demand for super-luxe cars seemingly bottomless, plus various supply chain crunches in the past few years, we’ve only just gotten to test out the Flying Spur in Singapore. This is the least expensive of the lot, the V8 model, with the on-its-way-to-Singapore V6 hybrid model above, and then the range-topping W12. 

2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - side view length profile


I call it obvious because a Bentley is hard to miss, and a 5.3-metre long and nearly two-metre wide Bentley with 22-inch wheels and enough brightwork for a royal banquet is even harder to miss. The test car came in ‘Cricket ball’ maroon and with lots of optional chrome exterior bits, as well as the new pop-up Flying B figurehead that’s also illuminated at night.


2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - closeup grille lights chrome

On closer scrutiny, The Flying Spur resembles its Continental GT coupe brother, length aside, with the front half of both cars appearing nearly identical. The Flying Spur’s muscular image is also bolstered by its small windows/greenhouse and plentiful sheet metal. So while it is a limo, it does look quite sporty – though like a coupe-SUV, there is a price to pay for fashion (read on). 

2021 Bentley Spur V8 review - CarBuyer Singapore - rear 3/4

If that sounds weird, let’s not forget that Bentley’s brand DNA would be something like, 70 percent lux and 30 percent sport, not forgetting its participation in LeMans, the historical Blower cars, and more. 

All that accounts for its oversized road presence and image. My theory is that you get a Bentley because you don’t just want to know you’ve made it, you want other people to know it as well, with little doubt. 

When it comes to the top-rung of luxury motoring, it’s hard to beat Rolls-Royce

Page 2: How the Flying Spur stacks up inside, on the road, and against its rivals

Pages: 1 2

Tags:

4-door 5 seat Bentley flying spur petrol sedan v8

About the Author

Derryn Wong

CarBuyer's former chief editor was previously the editor for Top Gear Singapore and a presenter for CNA's Cruise Control motoring segment.

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