The “Flying Spur” name is synonymous with the Uber-luxurious super-saloon experience Bentley has so elegantly crafted over the decades-- and for good reason. But what hasn’t been associated with the brand until recently is the word “hybrid.” Well, Bentley brought us out to Beverly Hills to see how that’s all going to change with the aptly-named Flying Spur Hybrid.

We’ve recently seen Bentley offer a plug-in hybrid powertrains in their Bentayga SUV, and with their commitment to go full-EV by 2030 the Flying Spur Hybrid acts as the next step towards that goal. It’s powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 combined with a 100 kW electric motor, capable of a maximum 536 brake horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-sixty is about 4.1 seconds, with a top speed of 177 miles per hour. The plug-in Hybrid’s 380 volt, 18 kWh battery is capable of roughly 25 miles of battery-only range or at least 450 miles when combined with the traditional motor.

"Those numbers may be surprising to some, considering the unladen weight of the Flying Spur Hybrid: around 5500 pounds. Makes sense, since this car is filled with all the luxury you’d ever need, but what’s most surprising, especially with that weight in mind, is the performance. The acceleration is fantastic and near-instant, no doubt thanks to the electric motor. It’s confidence-inspiring to have enough 'get-up-and-go' on tap, especially without the traditional W12 or V8."

The Flying Spur’s design has won numerous awards over the years, including our own 2021 Drivers’ Choice Award for Best Dream Machine, and Bentley saw no reason to tamper with it; the only major identifying features on our Jetstream blue tester are the charge port and hybrid badging.

The roomy Imperial Blue interior follows suit with minimal changes from non-hybrid models; the most noticeable differences being the open-pour woodgrain, which uses 90 percent less lacquer to produce, the hybrid dash meter, the drive mode button, and a nifty feature on the navigation display.

"When you plug in your destination, you get to see this neat, real-time range map, affectionately referred to as the 'Fried Egg.' It basically shows how far you can go using battery power alone."

Playing into this system are the distinctive drive modes. “Hold” conserves all the available battery, “EV” uses just the battery, and a special “hybrid” mode combines navigation and other data to synergize the two power plants, designed to utilize the battery so that it’s close to empty when you arrive, saving the most fuel possible. A full charge of said battery will take 2 ½ hours.

With Bentley’s plan to go electric by the close of the decade, the Flying Spur Hybrid is more than just another step towards that goal. Rather, it’s evidence of Bentley putting their best foot forwards.

And we’ll have more on the Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid on an upcoming edition of MotorWeek!