Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid gets 400kW Porsche system

Bentley had unveiled its first electrified limousine, the Flying Spur Hybrid.

With the ability to travel upwards of 40km on electricity, the new four-door sedan beats arch-rival Rolls-Royce to the partial EV driving experience.

Crucially, it provides the Volkswagen-owned brand with a model that can better target Europe’s strict emissions standards and allow it to be driven in cities where internal combustions engines have been banned.

The new Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid gets a version of the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 hybrid system also used in the Panamera from sister brand Porsche.

In the Bentley, the Porsche-designed V6 makes 306kW and 550Nm. It’s teamed to a 100kW/400Nm electric motor.

When working together the two can make 400kW and 750Nm, enough to propel the sizeable four-door to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds on the way to a top speed of 285km/h.

That makes it marginally slower than the V8 version of the same car (there’s also an even faster and more powerful W12 model, with 12 cylinders arranged in an unusual W configuration).

Blame that partly on weight; the Flying Spur Hybrid is a fraction over 2.5 tonnes.

Clearly acceleration is a lot more leisurely when just relying on the electric motor.

There are also three drive modes – EV Drive, Hybrid and Hold – devoted to the hybrid system. EV Drive maximises electric running, only using the petrol engine when additional performance is called on via the right foot. Hybrid is best for longer journeys, bringing the V6 into the equation sooner but maximising long distance efficiency. And Hold focused on the petrol engine to maintain battery capacity for EV driving later; it’s predominantly for European cities that require zero emissions driving.

The Flying Spur Hybrid gets a 14.1kWh battery that’s claimed to offer in excess of 40km of WLTP range, which is well down on the circa-100km from the rival Mercedes-Benz S580e.

AC charging is claimed to take 2.5 hours when using a wallbox charger.

The Flying Spur Hybrid also comes with an embedded SIM card for data transfer, allowing the car to communicate with a smartphone app.

The app allows the car to be located and the doors locked and unlocked.

It can also provide trip computer data and allow the charging to be controlled remotely. Plus you can cool or heat the cabin before arriving at the car.

The new petrol-electric model will sit alongside the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid that was the first car from the British brand.

As with all Bentleys there’s a suitable smattering of leather and wood as well as a vast selection of colours and trims.

However, all those batteries have taken a toll on luggage space, which has been reduced from 420 litres to 351L.

The Hybrid gets a “hybrid” badge behind the front wheels as well as new quad oval exhaust pipes.

There’s also an additional door on the left of the car covering the charging port; it sits slightly lower on the car than the fuel door on the opposite side.

The most direct rival for the Flying Spur Hybrid for now is the Mercedes-Benz S580e. Those wanting the full EV experience can choose the Mercedes-Benz EQS, a pure EV limousine that has a serious injection of tech and gadgets.

While Bentley has beaten Rolls-Royce to the electrified driving race, RR is planning plenty with electricity, leveraging tech from parent company BMW in the process.