WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT
To see if this new V6 hybrid can match the power and refinement of Bentley's W12 and V8 petrol powertrains
One of the first things they Otell you about habitual Bentley owners is how much they use their cars for lifestyle, business and high-mileage driving. These are working machines, Crewe people insist- and yet when a £250,000 Bentley comes your way to use as you like for three months, especially when it's the biggest they make, a Flying Spur saloon, you find these comments a bit hard to believe.
At first you drive with trepidation, as impressed behind the wheel by this car's presence as those who see its elegant Silver Frost flanks from outside. With its long wheelbase and highly adjustable four-mode air suspension, it's so remarkably free from pitch that for a while you imagine it's even bigger than it is.
This phase can run several days and 100 miles, but it doesn't last. You wake up one morning with a big journey to do, slide into the duotone cabin of Porpoise and Cumbrian Green leather (gripped by the part-Dinamica seats) and the car seems to shrink around you. Suddenly 5.3 metres seems a normal length for a car, and the impression stays. From there, the mileage accumulates.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal