First drive: 2024 Bentley Flying Spur W12 in the UAE

Bentley has made the decision to retire the legendary W12 engine, and the 2024 Bentley Flying Spur is the last of their cars to get it, as the 2025 model has already been revealed with a hybrid V8, just like every other Bentley in their latest range. While the new hybrid motors boast more power, anyone who has driven a 12-cylinder car (and most, unfortunately, have not had the pleasure) can attest to how scintillating the entire experience is.

Of course, the Flying Spur also happens to be one of the most perfect sedan designs in current existence, at a time when entire brands are only making crossover SUVs now. So much so that even the “new generation” 2025 model is really just a facelift of the old one. Our dark green test car is trimmed up in all black, with unique 21-inch alloys and only a fender badge hinting at the W12 motor.

The 5.3-metre long car does a great job of appearing expensive, and the bonnet has an electrically-rising “Flying B” ornament that lights up at night, just to make every drive an event.

Inside, the cabin is trimmed up in bright orangey-brown leather from top to bottom, all real because that’s why you pay the big bucks. Several bits, such as a/c vents, shifter knob and some switchgear, are made of metal. The minimalist fascia’s party piece is the infotainment touchscreen that can electrically flip away to a trio of mechanical gauges or even just a blank space.

The in-car tech, which dates back to 2020, remains intuitive with just the one 12.3-inch touchscreen as well as physical buttons for many other basic tasks. The gauge cluster is a fully-customisable LCD screen.

Features include everything from 360-degree cameras and panoramic moonroof all the way to four massage seats and a rear refrigerator. An interesting but ultimately gimmicky feature is a removable smartphone-like device housed in the rear centre console that controls audio, navigation, seat functions, power side-window shades and the moonroof.

All the modern active-safety features are also present, such as adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking and lane-departure prevention, although some of these are optional, and there are no fancy autonomous driving systems.

It is very spacious both front and back, although not quite as limo-like as the boxier Rolls-Royce Ghost, which is the Bentley’s most obvious rival. Two rear passengers get headrest-mounted pillows, and a third would be a squeeze due to the tall transmission tunnel in the centre footwell. The boot is big though, although some space is taken up by the hidden refrigerator.

Getting back to the heart of the matter, the 6.0-litre turbo W12 engine makes 626 hp at 6000 rpm and 900 Nm of torque from just 1350 rpm. Paired with an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive, the Flying Spur just takes off and goes hard. If it weren’t for the grunty exhaust note, you’d think it was an electric car.

Mind you, the engine at full throttle is still heavily muffled. The ride is largely quiet and silky smooth, even as the power is delivered smoothly and relentlessly, good for a 0-100 kph time of 3-point-somthing seconds. The fuel economy is terrible but no worse than a typical large SUV, and it’s a small price to pay, both literally and figuratively.

The Flying Spur handles corners surprisingly well for one of the longest cars on the road. The all-wheel-drive and very wide tyres — 265/40 front and 305/35 rear — do a great job of making the Flying Spur feel like a smaller grand-tourer that can dive into corners confidently. It boasts the same neutral attitude as the Continental GT coupe, no doubt, because they share a version of the same platform. The adaptive suspension offers a wide variety of softness and firmness settings, but picking Sport mode is enough to tighten it up.

Of course, it’s still a heavy car, so understeer creeps in linearly when the high-speed corners get tighter. There is limited feedback from the well-weighted steering, but it is nicely responsive, and the brakes are powerful and progressive in their behaviour, all of which are a lifesaver when approaching a downhill hairpin a little too quickly. As long as you’re mindful of its weight and don’t overdo it, the Flying Spur is rather exciting to drive compared to a Rolls or a Maybach.

If you’ve just come into money, it may already be too late to pick up the last W12 Bentley. The pursuit of emissions reduction hasn’t been kind to the nostalgic car enthusiast, but it is, unfortunately, a necessary change. The 2025 model promises to be more powerful, and the hybrid system is still mated to the company’s excellent V8, so that’s there.

Photos by Marouf Hussain Chowdhury.