Bentley Flying Spur vs BMW M3

What's the difference?

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.

Long live the mighty wagon. The BMW M3 Touring is treat to look at, and an even bigger treat to drive.

If you want one, act fast. We waited a long time for a wagon-shaped M3, and with electrification increasing in the automotive industry, this will likely be your last chance.

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.

It looks spectacular, this M3 Touring, and even more so given a) wagons are so rare, and b) proper low-riding performance wagons with massive alloys are even rarer.

That said, I expect it will be polarising – and possibly too shouty for some – but I've got to say, I like it.

I’ve seen it described elsewhere as a bit of a sleeper, but for mine, you’d need painted-on eyes to not see there’s plenty going on with the Touring, especially one finished in the same Frozen Black paint as our test car.

It is at once sleek and swept back, and bulging and aggressive, especially at the flared wheel arches and fat exhausts poking from its diffuser-filled rump.

Inside, it’s mostly business as BMW usual, though with more carbon-fibre elements — our vehicle was equipped with the M Carbon Experience pack — but snug-fitting seats aside, it’s a premium, if performance-focused, place to spend time.

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.

A performance-focused wagon is still a wagon, right? And that means there is oodles of space in the boot, though the seating choices in our test cars made the front seats less comfortable than they could, and should, be.

But first, the boot. The M3 Touring is a 4.8m-long wagon, which pays dividends when it comes to cargo. BMW says you'll find a minimum 500L of storage space, which grows to 1510L with the rear seat folded.

In the back, you’ll find seating for three, with the requisite ISOFIX attachment points, and with enough head and leg room to get comfortable.

But those carbon front seats are an option I wouldn’t be springing for. They arrive carved out of the rock-hard material, though with big holes throughout to reduce their overall weight, and they’re not only challenging to climb in and out of, but they’re awkward and hard to sit behind.

Stick with the regular seats and both rows will be happier.

The BMW M3 Touring lists at $180,100, which isn’t chump change, and positions the wagon body shape a fair way above a regular M3 sedan.

That’s before on-road costs, of course. According to BMW’s website, putting an M3 Touring on the road in NSW will be more like $194,039 — before you start ticking option boxes.

The 'M Carbon Experience' adds $17,500, and reduces overall weight by close to 10kg through carbon bucket seats, and adds more visible carbon and even more possible headroom to fit a helmet

The 'M Carbon ceramic brakes' add another $16,500, and while there are plenty of free paint colours, you can pay up to $7000 for the 'Frozen White' paintwork.

Our test car was finished in 'Frozen Black', a bargain at $5K.

Elsewhere, there is plenty of equipment on a stacked standard features list. 

That includes staggered 19- and 20-inch alloys, BMW’s digital 'Laserlight' headlights, and an automatic boot.

Inside, there’s a 'BMW Live Cockpit' with a 12.3-inch instrument display, a 14.9-inch central screen, a head-up display, wireless device charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a premium Harman Kardon surround sound stereo.

You also get three-zone climate, leather seats, an 'Active M Differential' and 'Adaptive M Suspension', and seat heating up front.

Oh, and there is lots — lots — of performance, but we’ll come back to that shortly.

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 M3 Touring’s engine might well be one of the best in the business – a hard-charging 3.0-litre twin-turbo-petrol inline six-cylinder engine that produces a sizeable 375kW and 650Nm.

That power is sent to all four wheels via BMW’s 'M xDrive' with Active M Differential, producing a sprint to 100km/h of just 3.6 seconds.

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. 

Officially, you should see a claimed 10.4L/100km on the combined cycle, but as is often the case in cars with engines that tempt you to be aggressive with the accelerator, the reality can be a little different.

We saw more like 16.4L/100km, but in the big bruiser’s defence, we spent a lot of time in city and suburbs, and a lot more time standing on the accelerator.

The M3 Touring is fitted with a 59-litre tank, and will only accept 98RON premium fuel.

Range is close to 570km using the official consumption figure and around 360km using our real-world number.

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.

In a word? Delightful.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the easiest car in the world to daily drive. The carbon-fibre seats fitted to ours, for example, made getting in and out a slightly embarrassing challenge, and there’s a surging eagerness to the delivery of power that makes you look a little like you're showing off.

But the adaptive suspension serves up a far more comfortable ride than you might be expecting (more comfortable, in fact, than lesser, cheaper M models), making tootling around town easier and less chiropractic than I was expecting.

But it’s away from the city, with its traffic and red lights, that owning the M3 Touring becomes a delight, from its potent and punchy powertrain to the thrum of its exhaust, and the EV-like immediacy of its power delivery.

This is a driver’s wagon, there’s no doubt about it, with proper seatback-pushing acceleration, direct and confident steering and enough body stiffening and bracing that you really would have no idea you’re driving a wagon when cornering.

Engage its sportiest settings, and disengage its electronic nanny systems, and you can even set to work judging your drifting skills, courtesy of the (as yet untested, honestly) 'M Drift Analyser'.

A family car like few others, then. That you can also take it to Bunnings and throw some sleepers in the back is just a very welcome bonus.

Neither the M3 or M3 Touring have been independently crash tested to date, but it’s worth pointing out the 3 Series and 4 Series received maximum five-star scores from Euro NCAP.

Standard safety kit includes AEB with pedestrian detection, active lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

You’ll also find six airbags on board.

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.

The BMW M3 Touring is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and servicing is "condition based", in that the vehicle will tell you what maintenance is required, and when.

You can prepay your service costs at the time of purchase for all BMW vehicles, covering the first five years of ownership.