RE: You Know You Want To: Bentley Flying Spur
Discussion
I am back having seen what's on offer.
It has got me thinking.
These modern Bentleys with VW underpinnings are fine machines, and to the average person on the street, they"d not know or care if the stalks came from a Phaeton or the bonnet release is off a Golf, just the same as few would know Silver Shadows shared a grearbox with a Vauxhall (GM400 or something.)
Will the newer Bentoeys stand the test of time? I feel sure they will mechanically/bodily, probably more so than older Crewe-built cars.
But will they be as desirable/classy in 20 or 30 years time?
It has got me thinking.
These modern Bentleys with VW underpinnings are fine machines, and to the average person on the street, they"d not know or care if the stalks came from a Phaeton or the bonnet release is off a Golf, just the same as few would know Silver Shadows shared a grearbox with a Vauxhall (GM400 or something.)
Will the newer Bentoeys stand the test of time? I feel sure they will mechanically/bodily, probably more so than older Crewe-built cars.
But will they be as desirable/classy in 20 or 30 years time?
militantmandy said:
Sat in a Phaeton recently and thought the interior was a big disappointment. Not a patch on the Bently and it looks very, very similar to a Passat! Good value, but not in the same league class wise.
Are you sure you didn't sit in a poverty-spec V6 with half trim? There's a huge difference between this:
...and this:
The sheer depth & breadth of overengineering in the Phaeton is staggering. Trust me. This is a car that, like a good butler, knows what you want and provides it for you before you even realize you want it.
Edited by Visionist on Sunday 21st October 20:55
Visionist said:
Are you sure you didn't sit in a poverty-spec V6 with half trim? There's a huge difference between this:
...and this:
The sheer depth & breadth of overengineering in the Phaeton is staggering. Trust me. This is a car that, like a good butler, knows what you want and provides it for you before you even realize you want it.
Apart from the colour and the fact one has a hideous amount of fake wood including a truly vile timber steering wheel, they look almost identical to me....and this:
The sheer depth & breadth of overengineering in the Phaeton is staggering. Trust me. This is a car that, like a good butler, knows what you want and provides it for you before you even realize you want it.
Edited by Visionist on Sunday 21st October 20:55
bertie said:
Apart from the colour and the fact one has a hideous amount of fake wood including a truly vile timber steering wheel, they look almost identical to me.
And indeed they will be built the same as well.Anyone who thinks a Phaeton is on the same page as a Bentley interior wise is actually on crack cocaine. The Bentley bosses the Phaeton in every way to the point where the VW feel awfully cheap in comparison. I personally was not expecting there to be a HUGE difference between the two, but there is.
People banging on about the whole platform thing, or moaning that unimportant things such as the radiator matrix being plastic does boggle my mind slightly though. Especially when there same people usually will then go on to talk about the Arnage like it is the holy grail of Bentley motors, seemingly forgetting that A) They also share a fair bit of development work with a 'lesser' vehicle (the 7 series) and B) As a daily driver a Flying spur make them look a bit slow, uncomfortable and (believe it or not) unrefined (anybody been in an Arnage T at tickover?).
279 said:
Anyone who thinks a Phaeton is on the same page as a Bentley interior wise is actually on crack cocaine. The Bentley bosses the Phaeton in every way to the point where the VW feel awfully cheap in comparison. I personally was not expecting there to be a HUGE difference between the two, but there is.
I think the Phaeton still beats the Bentley in VFM though 
Jonny_ said:
I've seen quite a few Phaeton W12s go for a third of the price of this Bentley. Fair enough, you do get 100BHP less than the Bentley, and none of the bragging rights that go with the Bentley badge. But the Phaeton is mostly the same car and the upside of it looking a lot like a Passat is that it's less likely to be vandalised or stolen. Probably cheaper to insure as well. Give it a couple of years and I might just pick one up...
The problem is that they have the most awful, generic rep car plastic interior. In reality they are massively overpriced as you'd buy an old Audi or Merc for less and with a more pleasant interior. With the Bentley you get a genuinely lovely environment to sit in and you can see how the premium is justified whether one likes the car or not.
In reality you would only ever contemplate a Phaeton if you had a real obsession for the engine or it was vastly cheaper than the corresponding competition.
motoroller said:
I've been driving a Phaeton V10 TDi LWB. Stunning car. Let other people assume you're in a "Passat-thing" and enjoy the ride.
If you find it stunning you'd have a heart attack if someone let you have a play around in a flying spur.I'm not knocking phateons but the Bentley's truly are in another class, which is why comparisons to mini cabs and passats are bought up when people think that one is the same car as the bentley for a fraction of the cost.
I would tend to look upon buying something like this as a sensible alternative to buying a (biggish) boat. Boats tend to be money pits that people enjoy a few weekends a year. This would be more fun (for a pistonheader) who had somewhere to keep it, and you can enjoy it all the year round. :-)
I have driven both - the FS and a W12 Phaeton.
Yes, the FS has "a bit" more sense of occasion, and "a bit" nicer interior - but the difference is not so big that it would really justify the price difference. In the FS you can see so many VW parts/references that I would be put off by this, having spent so much money on a car. The Phaeton on the other hand makes an effort to look nice.
The FS has the Bentley badge and is bigger.Following PH logic the VW should win a true PH's heart because there is no badge snobbery and it should handle better, just as the beloved MX-5.
Yes, the FS has "a bit" more sense of occasion, and "a bit" nicer interior - but the difference is not so big that it would really justify the price difference. In the FS you can see so many VW parts/references that I would be put off by this, having spent so much money on a car. The Phaeton on the other hand makes an effort to look nice.
The FS has the Bentley badge and is bigger.Following PH logic the VW should win a true PH's heart because there is no badge snobbery and it should handle better, just as the beloved MX-5.
279 said:
If you find it stunning you'd have a heart attack if someone let you have a play around in a flying spur.
I'm not knocking phateons but the Bentley's truly are in another class, which is why comparisons to mini cabs and passats are bought up when people think that one is the same car as the bentley for a fraction of the cost.
I'm not knocking phateons but the Bentley's truly are in another class, which is why comparisons to mini cabs and passats are bought up when people think that one is the same car as the bentley for a fraction of the cost.
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