Bentley has revealed its new Flying Spur ahead of schedule.
The new luxury sedan was slated to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but Bentley rolled out the new Flying Spur on Tuesday, Feb. 19 instead.
The 2014 Flying Spur is a departure from its predecessor, which was largely based on the Continental GT coupe. The new model is more powerful, with specifications almost identical to the Continental GT Speed. The 2014 model will have a 6.0 liter, twin-turbocharged W-12 engine, reports the Los Angeles Times. This engine will make 616 horsepower and 580 pound-feet of torque, controlled by an eight-speed automatic, paddle shifter-equipped transmission.
Not only is the new model beefier and more powerful than its predecessor, it’s also 110 pounds lighter. Granted, lighter is relative — the 2014 Spur weighs as much as a Chevy Tahoe — but the lower weight and the switch from a six-speed transmission to an eight-speed means a drastic increase in fuel efficiency.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of the 2014 Flying Spur is its fuel economy. The new model boasts a combined 19.2 MPG, while the former Flying Spur only achieved 2.2 mpg. This massive fuel economy boost probably won’t matter much to the Bentley set attracted to buying a car for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it does show that the new, improved Flying Spur can be both more spacious and nimbler on the road.
While the new Flying Spur might be bigger than the former Spur, which was basically a stretched version of the Continental GT Coupe, the new model is not a pokey sedan. Bentley claims the Spur will do zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and will top out at 200 mph.
The new Bentley is not without the customary creature comforts either. The sedan comes in both four- and five-seat configurations, with heated and cooled seats and a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot, as well as a touchscreen remote for the climate control, seat functions and multimedia systems. Options for the new model include 10-inch LCD screens on the back of the front seats and, because it wouldn’t be a Bentley without one, a bottle cooler behind the armrest.
The new 2014 Bentley Flying Spur will officially debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5.
