Bentley Flying Spur Azure | Test Drive

20 November 2023 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Words Matteo Lavazza / Photos Andy Williams

Luxury: a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense. That’s what the dictionary says, but what luxury really is? In my opinion it is necessary to make a clear distinction between what is defined today as luxury and what actually represents it. It is now such an overused definition that when we find ourselves in front of something defined as “luxury” we struggle to believe. Luxury – as I mean it – it is not the product on sale, much less the one offered by Mercedes-Benz or the fake carbon fiber profiles that generalist brands offer to their customers, unaware that they are buying colored plastic. True luxury is exclusivity, but also freedom to be and above all style. And I repeat the word style, which is very different from elegance. Yes, because the second is a formal label, the first is an innate quality.

In a world where luxury has lost its true meaning, it becomes even more difficult and at the same time satisfying to immerse ourselves in search of something that makes us realize we are truly facing something special. Today I think I found it and it’s no coincidence that it sports that iconic winged B, prominently displayed at the end of a bonnet that exudes opulence, exactly like the model itself, embellished with the Azure specification, the one that Bentley reserves for its customers who intend to elevate the concept of comfort and luxury on board. Precisely.

The Flying Spur, since the Mulsanne went out of production, is the only sedan available in the list and well defines the concept carried forward by the brand for just over a century, with a model that manages the incredible feat of combining the essence of an extraordinary car to drive, as comfortable as it is if you prefer to opt for the rear seats and leave the burden – and honor – of gripping its winged-B steering wheel to the driver. There are numerous details that characterize the Azure and are immediately recognizable despite the almost infinite customization possibilities that Bentley offers for all its models. On the sample tested, the glossy black details of the logo, the front grille and the wheels combine perfectly with the special Sequin Blue color, a solution created upon request of a customer, now made available in the price list. The Azure badges scattered almost everywhere are inevitable – perhaps there are a few too many – to remind you that the driving experience will focus more than usual on the comfort factor.

Here it comes again, luxury. The one made of leather seats as soft as butter and adjustable up to 22 different positions, heated, cooled and which compete with the rear ones which have an extra pillow for the head and enough legroom to take a nap waiting to arrive at your destination. Behind even the smallest solutions adopted there is a real study that led Bentley technicians to underline how Azure does not represent a simple setup, but a real way of understanding life on board, impossible to find elsewhere. To tell the truth, being bombarded with press kits promising all sort of things, I was a bit skeptical at first, but after just a few kilometers you realize that these aren’t just stories. Far from it.

The Flying Spur Azure is a mammoth-sized sedan, exactly as you would expect. Every smallest detail is a triumph of materials and a reason to amaze friends, starting from the front light clusters which look like the inside of a jewelry shop, passing through the side profile which, despite its size, streamlines a silhouette which slopes softly towards the tail which integrates the bright B of the rear lights. From one end to the other it is 5,316 meters long, 2,220 meters wide and has a total weight of 2,330 kg. A colossus, an enormous mastodon that seems to have come from a world where compromises and practicality have not yet been conceived. This is precisely the beauty, the freedom to indulge in every possible quirk for the pure ultimate goal of offering the customer the maximum in terms of space and style. But the Flying Spur is much more, because as those most fond of the Crewe brand will know, Bentley has always combined luxury with another essential factor for any self-respecting motorist: performance. With a range that also offers a W12 version and a 6-cylinder hybrid, the V8 in question offers plenty of power, because luxury is also this, the awareness of having everything at disposal in order to elevate the overall driving experience.

As far as I’m concerned, the concept of freedom is the most important one. A car is above all this, after all, an object that takes you from one place to another and capable of writing emotions and the Flying Spur doesn’t have to be told twice. Inclement weather conditions are not a problem, especially when you can rely on the all-wheel drive which manages to impeccably tame the power reserve of the 4-litre twin-turbo V8. There are a lot of horses available here, 542 and they are delivered rather high on the revs scale (at around 6,000), but the dynamic quality that surprises me the most says hello when I press the gas pedal with greater determination and the 770 Nm of torque pops into the equation. It intervenes with the same force of being hit in the back by a train moving at full speed and presses you to the seat with an intensity that seems unnatural for an object of similar size and weight.

We advance along the southern slope of the mountain and I call into question my personal well-being on board, that is, the sound of the V8, mostly (rightly) subdued, but which once the tachometer needle touches interesting numbers intensifies to the point of bringing to mind the immortal exploits of the legendary Bentley boys. Of course, the Flying Spur is not a sports car to be thrown around the bends, but the awareness of shortening distances is one of those famous pluses that we mentioned at the beginning of the article. The dual-clutch automatic transmission is quick and precise and once the Bentley driving mode is set, the car itself decides autonomously how to adapt steering, gearbox and suspension, depending on the feedback imposed by the driver. I admit, getting carried away is a matter of moments, proving the incredible versatility of an object with extra large dimensions, to the point of occupying the garage from wall to wall.

The passenger compartment is more soundproofed, the audio system is upgraded and the rolling of the enormous tires fitted with specific 22″ ten-spoke rims is imperceptible, even when the road surface is in poor condition. There is a clear disconnect between what happens inside the cockpit and the world out there. As far as the driving position concerns, a situation that is never too difficult when speaking of generously sized sedans, the matter is once again worthy of attention. With the Flying Spur Azure you not only find the ideal position, but the ultimate one. After this very car, every driving position will seem like that of a second-rate toy. The Azure creates a precedent and I say this with the awareness and honesty of someone who, before living with it for ten days, would never have thought of confirming how much a treatment of this type can not only improve life on board, but transform the approach to driving a model already sitting comfortably on the pinnacle of luxury on wheels.

I could take up half a magazine listing the what, the how and the why of every single choice made by the Bentley guys in order to make the Azure what it really is, but I won’t do it because it might seem like a superfluous redundancy and you might think exactly like me until a few days ago. Yet another string of decorated phrases useful to justify a simple extra badge, right? I was incredibly wrong, but these are situations that if you don’t live first hand you can’t really understand. The Azure is the Flying Spur for those who want that particular extra and the true essence of luxury is the ability to keep the dynamic skills of a model unchanged and that you discover how special it is the precise moment in which – sitting behind the wheel – you realize that size is not a problem and that you would drive for the pure pleasure of doing it, perhaps seeking out winding mountain roads. Far from traffic, where open spaces allow the 542 horsepower to unleash the wild side of a limousine that does not disdain such an intense use, from the city to the motorway, passing through those situations in which the pleasure of driving could also do without the exceptional soft cotton wool in which you are wrapped the precise moment the doors close.

But do we really want to talk about prices? I have always thought that one of the many facets of luxury is precisely the freedom that it implies. Don’t ask the price to find out how much it costs, it’s a superfluous detail. But while we’re at it, let’s take the price list starting at €212,733 for the Flying Spur V8. The special Sequin Blue paint costs €4,805, while the winged B in black glass is €3,795. The Naim audio system, specifically made for Bentley, is a treat at €6,865, while the two large tablets that can keep the rear occupants busy cost €2,040 more. By the way, the person sitting in the back is not just a passenger and, among many things, can operate climate control and infotainment via the touch remote control that can be removed from the central console. To make a long story short, the example we tested offers options for a total of €43,150, so as to bring our Flying Spur Azure to a final price of €255,923, which on balance is not much, especially taking into consideration how much it manages to combine high performance with driving pleasure brought to absolute reference levels.

After the many kilometers travelled, the thing that is even more surprising is how the FS Azure was able to immediately put me at ease, making clear that it should absolutely not be seen as a car for all sort of drivers, but rather an exceptional sedan for those who love to drive. Of course, the added value represented by the rear area might make you prefer the soft armchairs rather than your office, but the driving seat is undoubtedly the one I would choose. Moreover, despite the fact that it takes just 4.1 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph and reaches 318 kph without problems, the Flying Spur still remains a huge sedan which in 99.9% of cases will be driven without haste and without the intention to attack hairpin bends. This is why I believe that the Azure treatment, the one that emphasizes the muffled world of true luxury, really makes sense. The quintessence of first class, the voice of elegance and the soft touch of top quality materials, however, know how to satisfy that desire to drive and feel an engine that exudes glory bein capable of transforming petrol into the pleased smile that appears on my face admiring the sensual and sober silhouette of the Bentley lazing at the feet of the mountains, far from the chaos of the city, where freedom – the maximum expression of luxury – is supported by the calls of the marmots intrigued by this blue spaceship parked in front of our chalet.