Mercedes-Benz C-Class vs Bentley Flying Spur

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 is such a stylish sedan and I would totally have one. The driving performance, luxurious features and practical size made it a winning combo for my family. The price point is definitely up there but you do get a high-end build for the cash. I've seen bigger boots in other sedans and not being able to fit a third child seat will limit some families, but this still easily earns an 8.5/10 from me.

My son really loved this one. The ambient lighting was the highlight for him and he thought it looked like a "space car" inside. He gave it a 9/10.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to plug-in hybrids like the Flying Spur. Some people believe they provide the best of both worlds, combining elements of an EV and ICE vehicle. Others believe it’s a compromise, which requires you to carry around an electric motor and batteries you may not use much of the time.

The truth is the value of a PHEV will largely depend on how you use it. If you have a short commute and access to regular charging then it should work well for your needs, but if you need to drive longer distances and won’t charge it regularly it doesn’t make sense.

What isn’t up for debate, though, is how luxurious and premium the Flying Spur is. Sure, there are some surprisingly non-standard items that require you to spend above and beyond the already sizeable asking price, but if you do you’ll be rewarded with a car that is opulent and efficient.

The C200 is a sleek and elegant steed.

Initially, you may think this is just a standard Merc showcase. There's the nice big badge on the pronounced nose. Beautiful sleek lines in the body... but it's the attention to detail that make this feel special.

There's a repeated badge motif in the grille and a cute cursive Mercedes logo tucked into the corner of the windscreen. The puddle lights on the doors project the badge at night time and you can often spot a badge etched into the LED lights.

However, it's the interior that's the highlight for me and I feel like it's a big step up from previous models I've been in.

Our model has the grey 'Artico' synthetic leather trim (says grey but it's really white) and a lovely mix of piano black and shiny chrome inserts that are set against soft touchpoints throughout.

The quality of the build oozes through every stitch and join. Don't even get me started on the cool customisable ambient lighting system inside, which makes this feel like you're on the set of Tron and really elevates the interior.

It's quite fun to build one of these in Mercedes' online configurator. You can customise your trims to make it feel like your own and their blue paintwork options are great (I do love a blue car).

Bentley isn’t exactly targeting a youthful audience with this car so there’s a, shall we say, traditional design aesthetic to the Flying Spur. This is a car that’s meant to ooze sophistication and luxury and it does that with its appearance.

From the signature Bentley grille, glistening in shiny chrome, to the intricate, jewel-like detail of the headlights, through the carefully sculpted flanks and to the tapered tail the Flying Spur is all about old-school luxury.

But there are some nice modern touches, highlighted by the ‘Flying B’ bonnet mascot, which not only can retract for improved safety, but at night it illuminates when you unlock the car, lending that touch of luxury that tells you that this is a step above most rivals.

I'm not going to lie – there are sedans out there that have an almost limo-like space inside but the C200 isn't one of them.

It's not small by any means and all occupants enjoy the comforts of decent legroom and headroom but it's not cavernous considering the specs (1437mm high/1820mm wide/4751mm long).

The optional panoramic sunroof does cut into the headroom for back seat passengers, which is something to consider if your family is very tall.

The storage is maybe a tad leaner-than-average for a car of this size. The glove box and middle console aren't massive but will suffice.

The cupholders up front can be removed if you need extra storage space for larger items and back seat passengers enjoy retractable cupholders in the armrest.

The way the front doors curve out creates a larger than normal storage bin and drink bottle holder – which help make up the difference. There is a dedicated phone pocket, to tuck it out of the way.

The boot space is 455 litres (VDA), which isn't as large as some others on the market but it was plenty big enough for my family's needs.

There's a handy under-floor storage pocket for smaller items, like the puncture repair kit, because you don't get a spare tyre in this.

When it comes to ease of use, my six-year-old loved not needing my help to get into his seat and he still enjoyed a decent view out of the wide back window.

The amenities in each row are good but not class-defining. Still, creature comforts have be well-thought through.

Front occupants enjoy heated seats and fantastic lumbar and under thigh support. Dual-zone climate control sorts out the temp, and the cool circular air vents that make loud audible 'clicks' when manoeuvred give the interior a jet cockpit vibe.

While I've never had an issue opening or closing a sedan boot, the powered lid was a nice feature to have this week.

The tech throughout is great and intuitive to use. The massive 11.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system is cool and is easy to use once you become acclimatised to Mercedes system.

The customisable digital instrument panel makes the driving experiences feel individualised.

The interior is a chilled out space with gentle scrolling touchpads taking the place of most 'push' buttons and dials.

Think of each surface as being a bit like a touchscreen tablet in how you operate it. I was a little worried the touchpads would be laggy but they're very responsive.

There's only one USB port in the whole car, which limits charging for other passengers but I did enjoy the easy connectivity of the wireless Apple CarPlay.

The electric heated front seats are a nice touch but I was amused by the 'kinetic' function on both. It's what you might call a 'massage' function on another car but here they don't really work. It's best to think of them as a way to do some (very) gentle stretching on a long trip.

The 360-degree camera view is super clear and crisp but the dynamic guidelines (which tilt the camera angle) are a bit too dynamic for my liking and I relied mostly on the bird's eye view to park.

As I've mentioned, the ambient lighting system creates a stellar atmosphere inside. I've often wondered why other car manufacturers haven't jumped on that bandwagon because it's a relatively cheap way of creating wow factor. And it generates massive wow factor in here.

Not surprisingly, there’s generous room inside this modern limousine. The Flying Spur is one of those cars you’d enjoy being driven in, arguably even more than driving.

But before we talk about the back seat accommodations, let’s start in the driver’s seat.

The front of the cabin is another display of traditional luxury with a blend of modern technology. There is a veritable smorgasbord of premium materials - fine leather, bright metals and genuine wood veneers. 

The steering wheel is thick and wrapped in very nice leather so it feels great, as does the supple hide that covers the soft but supportive seat.

In front of the driver is a digital dashboard but the graphics are traditional round dials for the speedo and tacho, with a central area for other key information, such as the use of the hybrid system.

For the trained eye there are some giveaways that Bentley is part of the Volkswagen Group, the way some of the graphics are presented, some of the switchgear and other small elements - but nothing overt.

Space in the rear is very good, with more-than-adequate head, knee and legroom, but it’s not expansive as you’ll find in an extended-wheelbase vehicle, like its Bentayga SUV sibling.

Still, those in the rear are well looked after, elevating the Flying Spur beyond what you’ll typically find in a ‘luxury car’ - like those from the ‘big three’ German brands.

There are pillow-like headrests, for example, as well as plenty more premium materials and leather-lined surfaces.

But, again, a lot of the items fitted to our test car were cost options, such as the panoramic sunroof, rear window sun blinds and vanity mirrors that flip down from the ceiling.

Boot space is another surprising element of the Flying Spur, because despite the overall size of the car, it measures just 351 litres. For comparison, the Toyota Corolla sedan has a 470-litre boot.

It’s oddly shaped too, with space lost to the wheel arches and other hidden hardware, with even more room given up for the large charging cable bag.

In a sign of the times, the Flying Spur is the sole remaining four-door sedan in the Bentley line-up, as it now focuses on the Continental GT coupe and convertible and the Bentayga SUV.

While it may be the ‘old-fashioned’ member of the range, it’s probably the one that suits… shall we say… ‘traditional’ Bentley customers.

A four-door sedan is certainly not a ‘young person's’ car, but it clearly has a place and serves a role for the brand.

The Flying Spur range begins at $445,200 for the V8-powered model or $456,000 for the Hybrid (both prices exclude on-road costs). Although, as with any luxury vehicle, the starting price is just that, a starting point before you add your personalisation options.

In the case of our test car, pictured, it ended up at $589,641, with that extra $133,641 coming with a range of additional extras that, to be blunt, are surprisingly not standard.

For example, an inductive smartphone charging pad is a cost option, remarkable for a car of this price, when you consider it’s standard on low- and mid-grade Hyundai and Kia models.

The optional 'Mulliner Driving Specification' adds 22-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, diamond quilted leather seats, sports pedals and more, but the Touring Specification includes active lane-keeping assist - all items that you could reasonably expect to be included on your $400K luxury car.

What is standard are the full LED matrix headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen that incorporates navigation, Bluetooth and WiFi streaming, smartphone connectivity and even includes a CD/DVD slot. 

The standard sound system is a 650W, 10-speaker set-up, but you can option a Bang & Olufsen 1500W, 16-speaker system or even a 2200W, 19-speaker Naim option.

The C200 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator. 

What's that, you ask? So, glad you did. It's basically an electric battery that also acts as your starter... or alternator.

It smooths out vibrations from the engine and generates some power from braking. Making this a very mild hybrid. Note the 'mild'.

Is it powerful? Surprisingly, yeah. It has a maximum output of 165kW and 300Nm of torque. Combine that with the starter-generator and we have a powerful little engine that can push the C200 from 0-100km in 7.3 seconds, while still feeling like there's power in reserve.

The nine-speed auto transmission is damn smooth and there's no clunky gear changing at any speed. It's got great pick-up, too, for when you need to overtake or zip across traffic.

This is obviously the centrepiece of the Flying Spur Hybrid and under the bonnet you’ll find a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine paired with an electric motor and 18kWh lithium-ion battery.

The petrol engine makes 306kW/550Nm on its own, with the electric motor good for 100kW/400Nm and combined Bentley claims the powertrain produces 400kW/750Nm.

That power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.

Bentley claims the Flying Spur Hybrid is quick, as well as efficient, sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 4.3 seconds, with top speed rated at 285km/h.

The official combined cycle fuel figure is 6.9L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 7.2L, which was awesome for the heavy driving I did this week on a combo of urban and open-roads.

The light regen braking probably helps this coast comfortably into being a very efficient sedan for its size.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you'll need 66 litres of it to fill the tank.

Driving range using the official consumption figure is around 950km, and 915km using our real-world number.

Fuel consumption and electric driving range are always tricky to judge with plug-in hybrids. The official testing cycle favours the combination of electric and petrol power resulting in an official combined cycle figure that’s difficult to hit in the real world.

As was the case with the Flying Spur Hybrid, which has claimed figures of 3.3L/100km, but we could only reach 6.5L/100km during our time in the car.

To be fair, less than 7.0L/100km for such a big, heavy and powerful car is still an impressive return, but it’s well short of the claim.

In terms of electric-only range and the energy consumption of the battery, Bentley claims an EV driving range of 40km, which we also found hard to manage during our test drive. 

The claimed energy use of 9.2kWh/100km is optimistic, though, with the car’s computer telling us it was actually 22.3kWh/100km.

Overall, Bentley claims the Flying Spur Hybrid has a maximum driving range of 804km thanks to the combination of electric and petrol power. 

The steering feels solid and concise. The tyres seem like they're glued to the road, making winding roads downright fun to tackle. Oh, and the sharp 11 metre turning circle is wonderful.

The handling makes this your best friend in a car park. The lower ground clearance did elicit some unladylike grunts when I parked on a hill, but otherwise the wide door apertures makes it easy to get in and out of.

The only thing I would note is the low-profile ground clearance. Just be aware of your speed and angle when you handle car park ramps or road bumps in this. They are not your friends.

Climbing aboard and closing the heavy door with a thud, the Flying Spur feels isolated from the outside world before you’ve even turned the powertrain on. It adds that feeling of luxury and refinements that few other cars - and certainly few sedans - can claim these days.

Before you start driving you can select which version of the powertrain you’d like to use, with the ability to switch to all-electric power, a combination of petrol and electric or biased towards petrol to charge the battery.

In hybrid mode the Flying Spur manages which element of the powertrain it uses, typically using the electric motor to get you off the mark and boost performance on the move but allowing the petrol engine to do most of the heavy lifting.

Regardless of the details, it certainly provides the performance you expect from a car like a Bentley. It has the kind of effortless performance that means, despite its size, it never labours or struggles to close a gap or burst forward with urgency.

However, it’s electric mode that seems to fit the nature of the Bentley best - quiet, refined and powerful. Which makes sense.

Electric motors are so well suited to luxury cars that it's no surprise Bentley has committed to going all-electric by the end of the decade.

It’s a shame, then, that the 40km of range runs out quicker than expected and leaves you leaning on the petrol engine again.

The standard list of safety features includes front, side and curtain airbags as well as city assist (low-speed autonomous emergency braking), pedestrian warning, reverse cross-traffic warning and top view parking camera.

However, you’ll need to pay extra for the 'Touring Specification' pack that brings active lane assist, night vision and 'Bentley Safeguard Plus' (which adds high-speed autonomous emergency braking and pre-collision mitigation).

It’s shocking that nearly $500,000 doesn’t get you a comprehensive suite of active safety features and it hurts the appeal of the Flying Spur in some regard.

The Flying Spur hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP, likely due to the high cost of the car and the relatively low sales volumes. 

The C200 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.

There are multiple servicing options and on the five-year plan, the services average $1090 annually, which is quite expensive.

Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or a longer than usual 25,000km, whichever comes first.

Another surprising element of the Bentley ownership experience is the relatively short warranty, at least by modern standards.

Like every other model in the range, it’s only covered for three years (but unlimited kilometres), which is short of the five years most other brands offer, and curious given the high standard to which these cars are built. 

However, the Flying Spur Hybrid is covered by a five-year servicing plan - with 12 months/16,000km intervals - which is included in the cost of the car.

Befitting Bentley’s status as a premium brand, the local dealer will arrange to collect and return the car when servicing is required, and a loan car can be arranged if required so the owner isn’t inconvenienced.