Big body sedans. While they aren’t for everyone, there are many who live and die by them.
The Bentley Flying Spur has to be among the best of all the baller big body sedans out there, along with the Ghost and the Mercedes S63/S65.
However, the poor Flying Spur often goes overlooked in the car hacking world, and I want to change that by bringing attention to its amazing hackability with this buyers guide.
So if you are in the market for a sedan that is larger than life that will get you where you need to go in style and without losing an arm and a leg when you go to resell it, then read it on
Driving Experience
Have you ever driven a boat? That’s what it is like driving the Bentley Flying Spur.
Now that isn’t necessarily a negative! There is nothing wrong with having a land yacht in your garage, just make sure you know how to whip it. By that, I simply mean, be aware of the dimensions of the car when putting yourself in certain positions such as in a garage, parallel parking, or in a packed parking lot with the opportunity to be neighbored on 2-3 sides.
Aside from the imposing size of the car, the weight is also something to keep in mind. After all, the spur qualifies for the Section 179 tax exemption as its gross weight is over 6,000 pounds. Despite the weight, whether your Flying Spur has the V8 or the W12 engine, there is indeed power to be delivered but it will take some time to kick in as the engine has to lift over 6,500 pounds up and propel it forward.
Inside the cabin, the spaciousness of the Flying Spur has to be noted, bench seat or not, anyone lucky enough to take a seat in the Flying Spur knows how comfortable it is no matter if you are driver, passenger, or in the back. As the driver, though, I believe you would enjoy the experience all the more as the true luxury surrounds you.
The tech in Bentley is incredibly easy to use as well as reliable. And the overall design of the dash, in combination with the fine craftsmanship delivers a sense of elegance whilst also offering a great amount of form and function to the driver which trickles down to the benefit of the passengers.
Bentley Flying Spur Common Problems
Bentleys, while well known for their luxurious feel, are also known for their scores of issues that can strike any model. Suspension system failure is very common in Bentleys due to the weight of the car itself. Bentley has a very complex air suspension system and while its design is for the smoothness of the drive, it is known to fail and when it does, it can be incredibly costly to fix.
Another common problem that Spurs face in particular, again not being a cheap one to fix, lies in the engine. Gasket leaks plague these models along with turbo leaks, cooling fan issues, and vacuum problems as well. All of these are typically engine-out procedures that will cost you a pretty penny regardless of where you take your Spur to be fixed.
All in all, while this may seem alarming, these issues shouldn’t deter you from the flying spur, as a great way to ensure your future Spur doesn’t boast these laundry lists of issues is to get a PPI done on your potential Flying Spur to make sure that you aren’t walking into an ownership experience that will ultimately turn you off to Bentleys or exotics in general.
Bentley Flying Spur Cost of Ownership/Maintenance
Bentley’s can be incredibly expensive to fix, as we mentioned in the section above. Hence why getting PPIs on your potential vehicles are so important.
But even more crucial than that, once you have your Spur, be sure to keep up with ALL regular maintenance as bringing your Bentley into service can also help you to identify any of the pre-cursors to the problems we mentioned prior to, saving you time and cost in repairs as typically the only way to save you from thousands of dollars in repairs is to catch the problem early and correct it before a chain reaction occurs and other systems begin to fail as well.
Always a wonderful reminder, never take your Bentley to Bentley for service or repairs.
Find a trusted, reputable third-party shop near you that is qualified to work on these cars, because it will truly save you a lot of money regardless if it is just an annual oil change or a full engine-out repair of a leaking gasket.
Bentley Flying Spur Year Changes
The Bentley Flying Spur has been around for quite some time. 2005 to be exact. But for the sake of this program and the essence of car hacking, we will only be focusing on the second generation (2013-2018).
2013-2018: Launching in 2013 the Bentley Flying Spur was solely a W12 engine car, boasting all the trimmings and large body lines we associate it with.
Come 2014 Bentley introduced the Flying Spur with a V8 engine, still boasting all the elegant trappings of the W12 model before it, but now not so killer on gas for the owner.
2016 Bentley brings about a sportier edge to the Flying Spur, giving the market a V8 S model trim with a tuned-up engine that blends speed and style all in one. Distinguishable by a newly designed front bumper, matrix grille, and rear diffuser.
In addition to that V8 S coming out, Bentley also debuted the sportier, more tuned-up version of the iconic W12 model, the W12 S. This was the car that was gifted the most in the redesign, getting a beautiful interior upgrade that featured cross stitch design, on both seats and the steering wheel as well. In addition to the more dynamic interior, the exterior also got a boost of beauty with a sportier front bumper, gloss black diffuser, and new 21inch twin spoke wheels in gloss black.
In 2019 a newly designed Spur was launched and released, and to say it is breathtaking is an understatement, however, due to recent markets, the ability to hack these cars is 0-none.
Bentley Flying Spur Options
For hacking purposes, you are always going to want to keep in mind the exterior and interior colors overall. Means you want something universally hot: black on black, white on black, black on red, white on red, etc. In addition to that, there are a lot of packages and wheel options that can affect a Bentleys final sticker price tremendously.
Refer to this link HERE to see what packages are higher in dollars, what they include, as well as investigate exterior and interior color options. https://www.cars.com/research/bentley-flying_spur-2016/specs/
Best Bentley Flying Spur To Buy
The best Flying Spurs to buy in terms of hacking are going to be the 16-17 W12 (S) models. Obviously, the higher the sticker the better, but with Bentley’s you want to be careful as sometimes the Spur’s with the highest stickers can look rather… ugly.
No offense, but it’s just the truth. So while high stickers are great, remember to keep an eye out for the universally loved specs such as white on black, black on black, black on red, white on red, etc. And ensure the wood used inside the spur compliments the colors of the interior. Meaning teak (light) wood won’t look good on the red interior… but maybe it will look good against the beige interior.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a usable, mafia boss style four-door sedan that boasts prestige via the badge in the front and rear, then the Bentley Flying Spur may just be for you. Able to fit easier into garages than a Ghost or Phantom, and more notable and distinguished than a Mercedes S63/65, it is a perfect blend of function and form that may be the perfect daily for you.
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