Bentley powers down with new V8 Flying Spur: lighter model also comes with lighter price tag

The new addition to the luxury brand's range has less oomph than some of its siblings, but it's more agile than before

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  Less weight equals more agility in the Bentley V8 Flying Spur.

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  Bentley headlines to the fore on a Flying Spur.

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  The V8 Flying Spur is light, but not lightweight.

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  Rear-light detail.

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  The V8 Flying Spur is 100kg lighter than the W12.

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  Inside the cabin.

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  Desert running.

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  The V8 Flying Spur comes in a nice shade of gold as well.

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  Touchscreen in the rear.

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  The new Flying Spur's compact and bijoux engine.

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  Bentley's Flying B bonnet ornament.

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  A V8 gets a workout in the countryside near Bentley's Crewe headquarters.

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  The Flying Spur's rims.

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  Earlier in 2021, Bentley released the Continental GT Speed, the most dynamic model it has ever produced.

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  The V8's beefier bandmate, the W12.

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  Bentley's Flying Spur Hybrid, set for release later in 2021, will be the most efficient car the brand has ever produced.

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  Back seats in the Flying Spur.

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  Agility is key with the new V8.

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  Off into the mountains.

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  Very full on.

Bentley’s latest Flying Spur has arrived in the Middle East in a mechanically slimmed-down format that the manufacturer vows offers a more driver-centric experience than ever before.

Following its crash diet, the newbie has been fitted out with a 4-litre V8 engine, which doesn’t exactly sound like the powertrain from a go-kart until you remember its heftier predecessor has a 6-litre W12 behemoth under the bonnet.

That means a serious reduction on the scales for the new Flying Spur (if you could find any big enough to put it on, of course) with the latest version being 100 kilograms trimmer.

Compared to the W12, then, the V8 is literally a lightweight. Not metaphorically, though, Bentley says. The twin-turbocharged engine will still pump out 542 brake horsepower, which will get you from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 4.1 seconds and allow a top speed of 318kph.

Agility is key to the V8 – ride stability has been improved thanks to a revamp in weight distribution and, of course, all this slenderness will ensure the car goes a lot further before you have to pull into the petrol station for a fill-up. Always a bonus in a big car.

The V8 is available in eight colours, and in four and five-seat configurations. It also incorporates the usual portfolio of intelligent and intuitive equipment tailored to the driver and passengers, including a new touchscreen in the rear. The car balances delicacy and craftsmanship, with a choice of seats in five hide hues.

Bentley’s wing theme features across the lower console and fascia, covered as it is in what is referred to as crown-cut walnut, and there is a choice of seven veneers. Everything else has a high-gloss carbon-fibre finish.

In the 15 years since its introduction, around 40,000 Flying Spurs have been manufactured, but this is the first significantly pared-down version.

The V8 Flying Spur is now available in the UAE, and there’s another way it’s slimmer than the W12 – the latest version starts at Dh830,000, which is nearly half a million cheaper than its predecessor.