2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Steering, Powertrain, & Interior Review

There's more weight to the steering than in the Conti GT, especially just off-center, though the front-drive geometry of the front suspension means there's still not much feel. Front and rear spring rates are softer than in the coupe, although the roll rate has been stiffened slightly. As a result, the Flying Spur feels more planted and communicative and nowhere near as stiff in the joints as a Conti GT, though it still doesn't ride as well as an S-Class. Tight mountain roads are a tough test for a car like this. But be smooth with your inputs, use the hill-crushing torque of that mighty engine, the power of the brakes, and the grip of the tires, and the Flying Spur will cover ground at an astonishingly rapid rate.

We spend the night in the Austrian ski-resort of Kitzbuehel, home of the fearsome Hanenkahmm downhill course, and just down the road from former Ferrari F1 driver Gerhard Berger's hometown of Woergl. High tech collides with heritage next morning when a guest at our hotel pulls his nicely kept Mulsanne in behind the Flying Spur to load up his baggage. He's quickly all over our car, taking happy snaps with his digital camera. But does he like what he's seeing? "I don't know," he frowns. "It doesn't look British."

He's absolutely right, and not the least because, like the Conti GT, the Flying Spur is hostage to a powertrain layout shared with the Audi A8 and Volkswagen Phaeton. (Ask the inevitable questions, and the Bentley folks will admit, through slightly gritted teeth, that the Flying Spur shares about 25 percent of its parts with other VW Group products.) Having most of the longitudinally mounted W-12 engine situated ahead of the front axle effectively pushes the grille too far forward and the front wheels too far back, robbing the car of the long-hood, cab-rear look that's somehow essential for a British luxury car. From side on, it just doesn't look like a Bentley.

From inside, it certainly does, with the soft sheen of leather (it takes 11 complete hides to cover the interior from top to bottom) and the warm glow of burled walnut discreetly punctuated by the odd splash of bright chrome and muted aluminum. The view from behind the wheel is identical to that in the coupe; turn your head, though, and you'll see a rear-passenger compartment that has lounge room rather than mere legroom.