Not exactly what you might think vis-à-vis a fuel-efficient vehicle

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Bentley Flying Spur is an imposing, stately sedan that is meant to go fast, thus its name.

The car is 209 inches long, 87 inches wide (mirror to mirror), 58 inches high, and when equipped with a V8 weighs 5,137 pounds. Large, solid and powerful.

It has a top speed of 198 mph.

The car has also been offered with a W12 engine (think of two V’s).

And now there is another variant, the Flying Spur Hybrid.

It is part of Bentley’s “journey to electrification.”

The hybrid powertrain is based on a 2.9-liter V6 gasoline engine with an electric motor fitted between the engine and the transmission.

The turbocharged V6 engine produces 416 hp. The electric motor produces 134 hp. The system output is 543 hp.

While the V8 has more horsepower overall—549.5 hp—when looked at from a per liter metric, the Hybrid generates 152 hp per liter, more than the V8.

However, the V8’s 198 mph top speed bests the Hybrid, which is poking along at 177 mph.

What’s more, the V8 can go from 0 to 60 more quickly—in 4.0 seconds. 0.1 faster than the Hybrid.

When you get back to the point that these vehicles weigh more than two tons, even 4.1 seconds seems nearly impossible—especially for what the company describes as “the most efficient Bentley ever.”