Sure, Bentley flew me to Montana to see its headlining act, the new Bentayga Speed. But before an afternoon return flight on day two, there were some other Bentleys to consider, lined up in the horseshoe driveway of our Big Sky hotel.
The big(ish) news here among the assembled non-Bentaygas is that hybrid V-8s now power the entirety of the Continental GT and Flying Spur ranges, tuned to varying horsepower and torque figures based on trim, but always with at least 670 horsepower and 685 pound-feet.
Bentley insists this streamlining is a benefit, that its customers don’t miss the hallowed W-12 engine which used to power the big bruisers in its portfolio. Proof is in the sales, they contend. W-12 purchases tailed off toward the end of the engine’s production run, while these subsequent V-8 Hybrids have proven massively popular, contributing massively to Bentley’s position as Volkswagen Group’s cash cow.
More importantly, the cars prove the point about hybrid V-8s themselves: This powertrain sounds great and drives beautifully. I’ll call it perhaps the most-refined hybrid powertrain on earth. As an engineering curiosity and connection to Bentley history, the W-12 can’t be replaced. From the driver’s perspective, the V-8 hybrid ensures the outgoing W-12 won’t be missed.
In slow-moving residential areas surrounding the resort, the kick of hybrid torque eases each Bentley effortlessly up short, punchy climbs without a single extra iota of strain from the drivetrain. No kicking down two or three gears when you squeeze the gas pedal, interrupting the sensation you’re rolling along on a breeze. Instead, there’s simply silent, effortless, assured propulsion from the hybrid motor.
So often, hybrids are masterful partners for economy cars but rarely improve sports or luxury cars. These Bentleys provide an exception to the rule.
A hybrid lineup isn’t much to write home (or to readers) about, but I was overcome by the overwhelming Bentley-ness of both cars I tested. After a 45-minute rip in the Continental GTC, I simply scribbled superlatives in my notebook.
"This is a ****** Bentley, baby," I wrote. "Like putting on a diamond necklace."
Now, I don’t actually know what it feels like to don a diamond necklace, probably because I’m bound by the stolid shackles of masculinity. (Also I can’t afford to browse at Tiffany, so let’s go with the shackles). But if you’re spending the cost of a nice Midwestern home on a form of transportation, maybe a diamond necklace on wheels is the sort of hyperbolic emotion worth wheeling out of your driveway.
That’s all to say: I can get my stealth wealth hit from the back seat of a Genesis G90 or an S-Class on 19s; We look to Crewe to deliver something of such sublime quality and style that it stirs us emotionally.
So, first up, the Flying Spur Touring. Nice name to say. Green roof over striking silver body, the paint blends so seamlessly that your fingernail can’t tell where one layer begins and another ends.
This is classic Bentley, long and low and made of boxy shapes that seem to be sanded down so perfectly at the edges, you imagine water dripping off the thing even when it’s sat under Montana’s cobalt sky. However you look at it, the Flying Spur is breathtaking.
As much as I enjoyed the Bentayga Speed and its vast capabilities, the Flying Spur is simply the Bentley closest to my heart. I suppose it’s impossible to explain—though I’ll try—but with the Bentleys that ride closer to the ground instead of parading around like The Mayor of Monaco on 23-inch wheels—well, there’s just something a bit more… Bentley about a Flying Spur. Some restraint.
"A whiff of Gentry about this one," I scribbled into my notebook following that wafty little stint in the Flying Spur.
What does that actually mean? Well, the Flying Spur’s drivetrain doesn’t punch theatrically at your backside when its transmission shifts during a flat-foot quarter-mile blast, unlike the Bentayga’s mill. The Spur’s hybrid system simply smears the gear shifts together like a swipe of warm honey down your back while the engine note boils over gruffly on a swell of syrupy, easy mega-torque.
And perhaps it’s just how this Flying Spur was spec’d by Bentley, but there’s a stateliness to the Flying Spur’s interior that fits better with my own preconceptions of the Bentley namesake. The “Cumbrian Green” leather is laid across the Spur’s interior by the yard, swathing the interior in a shade of avocado-skin that feels at once rich, luxuriant, and assured in its stateliness.
You imagine a new life from behind the wheel of a Flying Spur. This one is full of tartan-lined waxed cotton jackets and maybe a Labrador riding shotgun.
The vast leather surfaces are broken only by white contrast stitching and a walnut veneer stretching across the lower dash and center console. This dash layout looks slightly outdated compared to the Bentayga, but it just fits the Flying Spur.
Also of note: Bentley’s new "Azure" trim. Azure is a styling package, essentially, sat above the base model in terms of cost and prestige. It’s meant to evoke a more easygoing yet overtly luxurious tone compared to the “Speed” trim we sampled in the Bentayga on day one. “Azure” arrives with a not-insignificant bump in bling, converting the exterior trim to mirror-polish brightwork and slapping a pair of silver wheels on the whole thing.
Bentley’s GT/C Azure convertible cranks the luxury up another notch, but in a sort of fresh, new-age way. If the Spur is a musty sort of throwback to British coachmaking’s golden age, the Azure is new luxury; It attends kombucha-ayahuasca wellness retreats in Sonoma with the other girlbosses and gets there by private chopper.
You see that attitude throughout the interior of this blue-on-silver beauty. The leather quality and quantity match the Flying Spur’s, but the Azure renders its interior in cooler shades, evoking a yacht’s sleek ease.
But then there’s the diamond-pattern stitching holding each leather panel together, the visual depth of the beautifully painted trim pieces running along the dash, and in general, the way this interior looks like it’s sitting inside a jeweler’s glass display case. This is a beautiful interior, and I can’t honestly say that about almost any modern car.
While more and more customers go to Bentley for their SUVs, I find that Bentley’s cars offer a purer expression of the brand’s traditional ideals. Even if you ultimately walk out of the showroom with a Bentayga’s keys in your pocket, you owe it to yourself to consider the alternatives.
