Rolls-Royce Ghost vs Bentley Flying Spur

What's the difference?

You might see it as an obscene indulgence or a piece of engineering excellence, but there’s no denying the new Rolls-Royce Ghost is exceptional. Incredibly refined and capable, it’s arguably the most impressive ‘entry-level’ car in the world. 

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.

Rolls-Royce adopted what it calls a ‘post-opulent’ philosophy in development of the new Ghost’s design. Specifically, restraint, “rejecting superficial expressions of wealth.”

That’s because, as a rule, Ghost customers aren’t Phantom customers. They don’t want to make that big a statement, and prefer to drive the car as much as they might be chauffeured in it.

This Ghost is longer (+89mm) and wider (+30mm) than the outgoing model, yet it’s a superbly balanced shape, with minimalism the guiding design principle. 

That said, the iconic ‘Pantheon Grille’ is bigger, and now downlit by 20 LEDs under the top of the radiator, with its individual slats polished even more carefully to subtly reflect the light. 

The car’s broad surfaces are tightly wrapped and deceptively simple. For example, the rear guards, C-pillars and roof are fabricated as one panel, which makes sense of the absence of shutlines around the rear of the car (except for the boot outline, of course).

Rolls-Royce refers to the Ghost’s cabin as an ‘interior suite’ consisting of no less than 338 individual panels. But despite that number, the feeling inside is simple and serene.

In fact, Rolls says its acoustic engineers are experts in serenity. Sounds like Darryl Kerrigan needs a Ghost for the family road trip to Bonnie Doon.

A few details stand out. The open pore wood trim is a welcome, tactile change from highly finished veneers that often do their best to look like plastic.

The proper metal chromed trim elements around the cabin confidently say quality and solidity, and the steering wheel, as well as the buttons around the multimedia controllers are subtle throwbacks.

The wheel has a circular central pad, with ancillary buttons around its lower perimeter, which echoes the style of the 1920s and ‘30s. You half expect an ignition advance/retard lever to sprout from its centre.

And the buttons around the media controllers use a combination of shape, colour and typeface to conjure up thoughts of the same era. They could be made of Bakelite.

For those that way inclined, the signature ‘Starlight Headliner’, using untold LEDS to create a glittering night sky in the roof, now incorporates a shooting star effect. You can even option up the constellation of your choice.

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.

The new Rolls-Royce Ghost is over 5.5m long, more than 2.1m wide, and close to 1.6m tall. And within that substantial footprint sits a 3295mm wheelbase, so no surprise utility and practicality are exceptional.

First, there’s getting in. The ‘coach’ or ‘clamshell’ doors will be familiar to current Ghost owners, but their “effortless” operation is new, a gentle pull on the door handle bringing welcome electronic assistance.

Once inside the rear of the car, as on the previous model, the press of a C-pillar-mounted button will close the door.   

But up front, easing onto the generous driver’s seat is a breeze thanks to the Ghost’s sheer scale and a large door aperture. 

There’s plenty of space for people and things in a thoroughly considered layout. A large glove box, big centre storage box (containing every connectivity option known to humankind) a lined slot for your phone and twin cupholders under a sliding timber cover. The door pockets are generous, with a sculpted section for bottles. 

Then the rear. Obviously designed for two, the back seat will seat three. The sumptuous full-leather seats are multi-way electronically-adjustable, and NBA players (almost certainly prospective owners) will be happy with the leg, head and shoulder room provided.

Need even more room in the back? Step this way to the ‘Extended’ long-wheelbase version of the Ghost, measuring 5716mm long (+170mm), with a 3465mm wheelbase (+170mm), and stepping up in price to $740,000 (+$112,000). That’s $659 per additional millimetre, but who’s counting?

But back to the rear of the standard wheelbase car. Fold the large centre armrest down and twin cupholders pop out the front. Then, a wood-trimmed lid on the top flips forward to reveal a rotary multimedia controller.

Behind that, a beautifully trimmed storage box offers generous space and 12V power, and behind door number three (a pull-down leather panel in the back of the armrest aperture) is a small fridge. What else?

The rear of the front centre console houses individual climate-control outlets as well as USB and HDMI sockets.

Touch a discreet chrome button and small desks (RR calls them picnic tables) fold down from the front seat backs, faced in the same open pore wood as the dash, console, steering wheel, and door trims, and finished off with flawless chrome.

The entire interior benefits from a ‘Micro-Environment Purification System’ (MEPS), and rather than bore you with the details, let’s just say it’s exceptionally efficient. 

Boot volume is a solid 500 litres, with an electrically-assisted lid and plush carpet lining. Of course, the air suspension system can lower the car to make loading heavy or awkward objects that little bit easier.

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 new Ghost is powered by an all-alloy, direct-injection, 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V12 (also used in the Cullinan SUV) producing 420kW (563hp) at 5000rpm, and 850Nm at 1600rpm.

The ‘six-and-three-quarter-litre’ V12 has a distant link to BMW’s ‘N74’ engine, but Rolls-Royce is at pains to point out this unit stands on its own two feet, and that every piece of it bears a RR part number. 

It runs a Ghost-specific engine map, and permanently drives all four wheels through a GPS-guided eight-speed automatic transmission.

That’s right, the GPS link will pre-select the most appropriate gear for upcoming bends and terrain with the aim of producing “a sense of one endless gear.” More on that later.

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.

Rolls is currently quoting European Regulation (NEDC) fuel consumption numbers for the new Ghost, which for the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 15.0L/100km, the big V12 emitting 343g/km of CO2 in the process.

On the launch drive, covering around 100km of urban pottering, B-road cornering, and freeway cruising, we saw a dash-indicated figure of 18.4L/100km. 

Premium 95 RON unleaded fuel is recommended, but if circumstances (presumably in the back-of-beyond) demand it, standard 91 unleaded is usable. 

Whichever you choose, you’ll need no less than 82 litres of it to fill the tank, at our average fuel use, enough for a theoretical range of 445km.

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. 

So, if this Rolls is designed to be driven, what’s it like behind the wheel? Well for a start, it’s plush. As in, the front seats are big and comfortable, but surprisingly supportive and endlessly adjustable.

The digital instrument cluster tips its hat to classic RR dials, and despite thick pillars (especially the bulky B-pillars) vision all around is good.

And if you’re thinking 2553kg is a lot of Ghost to get moving, you’re right. But there’s nothing like applying 420kW/850Nm of twin-turbo V12 muscle to the task.

Peak torque is available from just 1600rpm (600rpm above idle) and Rolls-Royce claims 0-100km/h in 4.8sec. Plant the right foot and this car will calmly have you at throw-away-the-key speeds in the blink of an eye, the eight-speed auto shifting imperceptibly all the way. And even at full throttle, engine noise is relatively subtle.

But aside from that prodigious thrust, the next eye-opener is unbelievable ride quality. Rolls calls it ‘Magic Carpet Ride’, and it’s no exaggeration.

The bumpy road surface disappearing under the front wheels just doesn’t compute with the unruffled, perfectly smooth progress you’re experiencing. It is unbelievable.

I’ve only had that sensation once before, behind the wheel of a Bentley Mulsanne, but this was possibly even more surreal.

Rolls-Royce’s ‘Planar’ suspension system refers to, “a geometric plane which is completely flat and level”, and it works.

The set-up is double wishbones at the front (incorporating a unique to RR upper wishbone damper) and a five-link arrangement at the rear. But it’s the air suspension and active damping that create the magic Rolls calls “flight on land.”

A ‘Flagbearer’ stereo camera system in the windscreen reads the road ahead to proactively adjust the suspension up to 100km/h. It’s name recalls the early days of ‘motoring’ where a person waving a red flag walked in front of cars to warn unwary pedestrians. This slightly more sophisticated approach is just as arresting.

This time around the Ghost is all-wheel drive (rather than RWD) and it puts its power down brilliantly well. We dared to push it fairly aggressively on a twisting B-road section and all four fat Pirelli P Zero tyres (255/40 x 21) kept things on track without so much as a squeal.

A 50/50 weight distribution and the stiffness of the car’s aluminium space-frame architecture help keep it balanced, planted and under control. But on the flip side, steering feel is almost completely MIA. Numb and overly light, it’s the missing link in the Ghost’s otherwise impressive dynamic performance.

Drop into a freeway cruise and you become aware of the impossibly low noise level. But it’s not as quiet as it could be. Rolls says it’s able to achieve near silence, but adds that becomes disorienting, so it introduced an ambient “whisper”... “a single, subtle note.” 

To achieve this level of calm the bulkhead and floor have been double-skinned, interior components are tuned to a specific resonance frequency, and there’s 100kg worth of acoustic damping materials within nearly half the architecture of the car, in the doors, roof, double-glazed windows, even inside the tyres.

The four-wheel steering system helps with agility on the highway (where the front and rear axles steer in unison), but comes into its own at parking speeds (where they counter-steer), because even with numerous cameras and sensors, parking this 5.5m long, 2.5-tonne machine is quite an undertaking. Turning circle is still 13.0m, though, so beware. If all else fails, the car will park itself, anyway.

Beefy ventilated disc brakes front and rear wash off speed progressively and without a hint of drama.

Other highlights? The multimedia system is the only thing openly borrowed from BMW, but that’s not a problem because the interface is great. And that 1300W, 18-speaker 18-channel audio system absolutely cranks!

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. 

Rolls-Royce covers its Australian range with a four year/unlimited km warranty, but that's just the tip of the ownership iceberg.

The mysterious ‘Whispers’ owners portal, a “world beyond”, is claimed to offer the opportunity, “to gain access to the inaccessible, to discover rare finds, to connect with like-minds.” 

Plug your car’s VIN into the app and you’ll be on the receiving end of curated content, event invitations, news and offers, as well as access to your own ‘Rolls-Royce garage’, plus a 24/7 concierge. All complimentary.

What’s more, service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km, and it’s free-of-charge for the duration of the warranty.

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.