Bentley Flying Spur vs Audi S4
What's the difference?

Bentley Flying Spur

—

2024 price

View pricing & specs

Audi S4

—

2021 price

View pricing & specs

Maserati Quattroporte

Mazda 6

McLaren Artura

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C43

Mercedes-Benz C63

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Summary

2024 Bentley Flying Spur

2021 Audi S4

By Stephen Corby

By Malcolm Flynn

Safety Rating

Engine Type

V12, 6.0L

Turbo V6, 3.0L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

14.7L/100km (combined)

8.6L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Performance
Luxury interior
Ride comfort

Excellent performance you can live with
Choice of five bodystyles
S4 scores a lot of new sheetmetal

Dislikes

Price
Weight
Fuel economy

Still no wireless CarPlay
Three-year warranty lags behind cheaper brands

2024 Bentley Flying Spur Summary

In any other super car, it would seem deeply strange, wrong even, to loll (and LOL) in the back seats while a colleague blasts you around a race track at insane speeds, and not just because cars with V12 engines making 575kW and 1000Nm don’t normally have more than two seats.

The Bentley Flying Spur Speed is, of course, no ordinary car, it is a super sedan, a luxe limousine crossed with a rocket ship, and if Sir wants to get to the rooftop helipad in a spectacular hurry, then these are the back seats to be sitting in.

We flew to Japan, and the spectacular setting of the Magarigawa Club, a members-only race track carved out of the rolling hills outside Tokyo at a rumoured cost of $US2 billion, to try the back seats, and the driver’s seat, of the new and very impressive Flying Spur Speed.

View full pricing & specs

2021 Audi S4 Summary

Audi would probably prefer you not to realise this, but the five distinct versions of S4 and S5 on the market all pertain to a single performance and equipment formula spread across five different bodystyles.

Yes five, and this has been the case for more than a decade, with the S4 sedan and Avant wagon, A5 two-door Coupe, convertible Cabriolet and five door liftback Sportback all representing vastly different shapes for you to choose from, with the same underpinnings. This simply echoes the A4 and A5 ranges they’re based on of course, and BMW clearly thought it was a good idea too, given the 3 and 4 Series ranges were split into individual lines at the start of last generation.

Mercedes-Benz offers a similar array, minus the liftback, but is happy to wrap the whole lot under the C-Class label.

So, given that the A4 and A5 range scored a mid-life update a few months ago, it’s only logical that the changes flow on to the performance S4 and S5s, with the top-tier RS4 Avant following suit.

We’ve covered the latter in October, and now it’s the turn for the former, and CarsGuide was among the first to drive the updated S4 and S5 ranges at their Australian media launch last week.

View full pricing & specs

Deep dive comparison

2024 Bentley Flying Spur 2021 Audi S4

Verdict

The Bentley Flying Spur Speed is a whole lot of car, for a whole lot of money. Sure, I’d rather have a Ferrari or a Porsche with similar power (and the Panamera shares the same V8 and hybrid set up), but then if you’re in the market for a Bentley like this you already have a garage full of other options. And I can see why you’d add one of these to your collection. Because you can.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Verdict

The S4 and S5 range continues to represent a great formula for performance you can live with every day. They're arguably the sweetest balance Audi produces, actually. All come fantastically equipped, with cabins that feel truly special, and we’re lucky they can be had in a choice of five bodystyles.

Bentley Flying Spur vs Audi S4 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Bentley Flying Spur vs Audi S4
What's the difference?