Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s Design:
Without scouring my brain for obscure competition, I’d say the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is the most beautiful modern sedan I’ve ever seen. The body’s lines give the car elegant distinction without being garish or overly conspicuous, while the quad headlight setup, the sloping hood, and the short front overhang suggest more of a sporting nature than something like a Rolls-Royce Phantom. The massive chrome wheels help in this regard, as well. The tail end is comparatively subdued, though it is accented by wide chrome exhaust tips and a center-mounted Bentley badge.

Interior design is equally impressive, though better plastics should be used for the steering wheel controls and a few controls have odd placement. The electronic stability control button is on the steering wheel, making it easy to tap when hands are shuffling around the wheel on a twisty road, and the start/stop buttons are on the center console, despite the key ignition placement on the left dash.

Brian Chee’s Opinion of the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s Design:
Think suave. Think superior. And ask yourself: if I had the kind of money that buys a Bentley Flying Spur, would I want to show it off? If your answer is yes, there are Ferraris that may be more to your taste. If, on the other hand, you have no need to flaunt what you’ve got – but want to announce, quietly, that you have arrived – the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is the perfect car. From the masterful grille to it’s quietly smoldering sheetmetal, the Flying Spur is among those cars that come close to art. Inside is even better, laughably, with exquisite, hand-stitched leather and quality materials everywhere. The two-tone leather is especially notable for its premium quality. Other highlights include the shifter and the steering wheel. The shifter is a meaty unit with etched chrome and an inlaid “B.” The steering wheel, well, according to Bentley, the steering wheel takes five hours of handiwork before it’s complete.

If there’s a disappointing element to the Flying Spur it’s the navigation system, which was state-of-the-art for 2001, perhaps. For this type of car, there ought to be a little man dressed in a blue blazer and neck kerchief, a hologram for example, standing on the dash and telling you what to do. And of course, he’d have an English accent, saying things like My word…you missed that turn. Please take the next exit, or I’m afraid that you’ll be late for tea, old chap… Instead, you get the same directions shouted back at you, time and time again. And with every wrong move, the system calibrates how to get you back to that original route. From its usability to graphics, the navigation system in the Flying Spur was really quite ordinary, and, on a $185,000 car, ordinary just doesn’t get it done.

‘Nuff said. Ultimately, when you think of design and the Bentley Flying Spur, think not of jaw-dropping sheetmetal or over-the-top interior materials. Think, instead, of the Mona Lisa. Simple, quiet, but still a sexy masterpiece.

Ron Perry’s Opinion of the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s Design:
I really like the understated design of the Continental Flying Spur. The Bentley doesn’t draw the attention of, say, a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Rather, the Bentley’s appeal is that it only draws stares and nods of appreciation from those in the know, which makes driving the Flying Spur a discreet delight. Whether from the front or rear, the Flying Spur oozes status. The raked back headlights and protruding grille give the Bentley its instantly recognizable looks. At the rear, simple taillights, a short deck and two oval exhaust outlets make up the rear treatments. A beautiful bodyline that wraps around the front wheel and runs down the side integrating into the rear taillight element cements the Bentley’s forward-leaning stance. It would be hard, in my book, to beat the looks of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. I will take mine in black.

Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s Design:
Honestly, I prefer the more ostentatious Bentley Arnage sedan to the clean-shaven 2006 Continental Flying Spur. The Conti is certainly stately, but a bit bland in comparison to its bejeweled older brother. The headlights need more character – they have all the life of a shark’s dead, unfeeling eyes. The taillights lack panache, too. On positive notes, the car is perfectly proportioned, balanced, and doesn’t look its size. The paint is lustrous. The wheels are imbued with just the right amount of detail and contouring to add character – as they should be for an extra four grand. The Flying Spur is a handsome automobile that needs just a little bit more detailing to truly distance it from more pedestrian luxury sedans.

Inside, the Flying Spur is gorgeous. A dual-cowl dash design and flow-through center console lend this big sedan a feeling of intimacy and decadence. Unlike the exterior, the cabin is imbued with plenty of bling factor thanks to the glossy wood, chrome accents, polished metal trim, and two-tone décor in rich caramel and creamy tan leather. The Brietling analog clock and lovely aluminum- and leather-trimmed gear selector are a little bit over the top, which is exactly as it should be in a car like this.

If you haul a bunch of stuff with you – Blackberry, iPod, sunglasses case, packs of licorice-flavored Altoids – know that the Bentley Continental Flying Spur provides few spots to stow this stuff while underway. The cupholders are clear afterthoughts, too, sized to hold one larger drink in front and one in the rear, or a total of four smaller cans of Red Bull or Starbucks Double Shot.

The Bentley’s control layout isn’t ideal, either. Though you can operate the basic functions of the stereo and four-zone climate control without using the numb center screen, it takes awhile to acclimate. The center screen is not touch-sensitive, hence the “numb” descriptor, which is also a mystery since this isn’t proprietary technology protected by Japanese or American patents. The CD changer is located in the glove box, almost unheard of in this day and age. The power mirror control is on the center console, and if you adjust the passenger’s side mirror first you’re wasting your time since it’s keyed to move with the driver’s mirror – so wait until the driver’s mirror is moved into position.

Funky ergonomics aside, the rest of the Flying Spur is surprisingly well thought out. I particularly liked the push/pull vent operation and the overhead twist knob for the sunroof. Navigation programming is easy enough, though it’s a guess as to how to get started and entering an address requires lots of knob twisting and pushing to select the city, street, and house number. As with other controls inside the Bentley, the system operates slowly, like a choked PC. Also, the map isn’t clearly marked with street names – zoom in all the way using the twist knob, and street names are conspicuous by their absence.