Bentley Continental Flying Spur: Full test with video!

Looking for a luxury ride which is worth its six-figure price?
Read this full test and enjoy the video of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

The Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a different story. It looks modern and powerful and has the performance to match. Its $165,000 base price makes it less expensive than the older Arnage flagship, but it's the Flying Spur that gets people's attention.

We weren't fully convinced of the Flying Spur's handling abilities until it wound its way through our slalom course at 65.1 mph, faster than the new S-Class and the last BMW 7 Series we tested. In fact, the Flying Spur nearly matched the slalom speed of the Continental GT coupe (65.2 mph) we ran the same day.

It all works perfectly on the highway. Park the Flying Spur at 75 mph and there's not a more relaxing sedan on the road. It feels big, but not necessarily heavy, and you can see well over the sloping hood. It irons any road smooth yet it will swap lanes with a flick of your fingers. In the GT coupe, you can feel the stiffness in the chassis, but the Flying Spur is always relaxed and smooth.

Bentley says it takes 5 hours to finish trimming out the steering wheel in the Flying Spur. Sounds slow until you wrap your hands around the hand-lacquered wood and feel the double-stitched leather under your thumbs. It's perfect.

And the perfection doesn't stop there. The driver and front passenger get 16-way power seats that can massage your back in conjunction with three levels of heating or cooling. You wish the lounge chairs in front of your TV were as comfortable.

Rear-seat comfort isn't as flawless, though. There are fewer adjustments and less legroom than in the Flying Spur's competition.

Previous Bentleys added technology as an afterthought, if at all. The Flying Spur has the latest of everything, including a usable DVD navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and one of the best audio systems we've ever heard.

And the best part is the designers managed to incorporate all these new gadgets without ruining the look of the interior. There's still the traditional chrome vent pulls along with classy gauges and a Breitling clock. It looks like a $165,000 sedan should.