Bentley Flying Spur review

The Flying Spur lives up to the Bentley reputation for breathtaking luxury. Fixtures and fittings are of superb quality and almost everything is trimmed with polished wood or soft leather. True, it doesn't quite match the Rolls-Royce Ghost for interior panache, but it feels a cut above 'mainstream' alternatives, such as the Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class.

The 12.3in touchscreen infotainment system can rotate back into the dashboard when not in use, leaving a clean fascia or old-school analogue instrument dials depending on your mood. That really adds to the car's wow factor, and the screen itself is reasonably user-friendly, with quick responses and well-ordered menus. The standard 10-speaker, 650-watt audio system is powerful enough, but the optional 19-speaker Naim set-up is one of the best sound systems fitted to any car on sale.

The driver's seat has a wide range of electric adjustments to help owners (or chauffeurs) of all different shapes and sizes to get comfortable. You sit reasonably high up by saloon standards, but the similarly high window-line creates a cocooned feel.

The one major disappointment in the Flying Spur is visibility. Thick, steeply angled windscreen pillars create sizeable blind-spots at roundabouts and angled junctions. Your view to the rear is similarly limited so you really rely on the reversing camera and blind-spot monitoring system. Full matrix LED headlights are on hand to light the road ahead at night, though.