Bentley Motors has announced details of the company’s latest luxury model on its journey to electrification. The introduction of the new Flying Spur Hybrid builds uses a third powertrain delivering what the company says is the most environmentally friendly Bentley to date.

The new powertrain combines a 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine with an advanced electric motor, delivering a total of 536 bhp and 553 lb.ft of torque – an additional 95 bhp in comparison to the Bentayga Hybrid. The company says the new Flying Spur becomes the most efficient Bentley ever having the capability to cover over 700 km when fully fuelled.

The latest hybrid model gives little away to the Flying Spur V8 in acceleration, passing 60 mph from a standstill in 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.3 secs).  For the Flying Spur Hybrid, connected car services will now also include My Battery Charge, My Car Statistics, and My Cabin Comfort. To provide further feedback to the driver, the driver instruments include additional information showing when the car is operating solely in EV drive, regenerating whilst deaccelerating or using the combustion engine.

Inside the cabin, the automatic Start-Stop switch has been replaced with a control for the three E Modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode, enabling the driver to manage the battery usage during a journey. EV Drive mode is engaged as soon as the car is switched on, and maximises the electric driving experience. This is ideal for city driving and for shorter journeys.

The flow of energy can also be displayed via the infotainment screen where statistics can be seen and the timers for charging of the vehicle can be set. Additional e-motion information is available to the driver via the instrument panel, heads up display and centre screen, including range, battery level and charging information.

Exterior visual differences for the Flying Spur Hybrid include a ‘Hybrid’ front fender badge, quad oval tailpipes and a covered universal charging point on the left hand rear fender.

The E-motor is powered by a 14.1 kWh lithium ion battery and can be charged to 100 per cent in as little as two and a half hours (region specific). The power electronics convert the energy stored from the high voltage battery to supply the E-Motor or supplement the existing 12v vehicle electrical infrastructure.

The combined powertrain propels the Flying Spur Hybrid from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds (Flying Spur V8: 4.0 secs) and on to a top speed of 177 mph.

A dedicated button allows control over the three E Modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode. These will enable the driver to manually manage battery usage during a journey – though this can also be managed automatically by the car:

EV DRIVE – is engaged as soon as the car is switched on, and maximises the electric driving experience. This is ideal for city driving and for shorter journeys.

HYBRID – maximise vehicle efficiency and range using data from the intelligent navigation system. This mode is suited for longer journeys and uses predictive E-Mode and engine coasting whilst following directions from the navigation system. Inputting a destination, the car will automatically engage the correct Drive Mode for each part of the journey, constantly calculating the most efficient use of battery charge and storing electrical energy for sections of the journey where it is most useful – such as when arriving in the city. The system will reduce on-board charge to zero just as the vehicle reaches its destination, maximising overall efficiency.

HOLD – balances engine and electric power to hold high voltage battery charge for later use conserving electric energy. This is the default mode when the driver selects Sport to provide consistent boost and recuperation.

The Flying Spur Hybrid is delivered with all of the required market specific cables, facilitating charging of the vehicle at the home or via industrial charge points at work or in public car parks. In addition to the standard equipment supplied, customers can also choose a Bentley branded wallbox available as a no cost option.

Remote services – subject to regional availability – are accessible through the My Bentley app, including a range of features our customers now come to expect – from ‘find my car’ and ‘lock my car’, through to car status and statistics. Specific features for the new Flying Spur Hybrid can be found in the convenient features and are as follows:

MY CAR STATISTICS – which provides an overview of vehicle data. You can view the time and date of recent trips as well as last trip distance, average speed, travel time and average fuel/electric consumption.

MY BATTERY CHARGE – allows you to remotely initiate vehicle charging as long as your vehicle is plugged in. You can select the time you plan to leave and the charging system will calculate a rate of charging to achieve the highest level of charge in line with your departure.

MY CABIN COMFORT – lets you remotely heat or cool the cabin to an optimum temperature of 22°C ahead of your journey.

All Flying Spurs are manufactured at Bentley’s home in Crewe – the world’s first carbon neutral factory for luxury car production. Customer orders can be taken from summer onwards, and first customer deliveries are due before the end of 2021.