Compare the2022 BMW M8VS 2021 Bentley Flying Spur

The M8’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The M8 has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The M8 offers optional Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The M8’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Flying Spur.

The M8’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the M8 and the Flying Spur have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The M8 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Flying Spur’s 3-year basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

The M8’s corrosion warranty is 9 years longer than the Flying Spur’s (12 vs. 3 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the M8 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Bentley doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Flying Spur.

There are over 7 times as many BMW dealers as there are Bentley dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the M8’s warranty.

The M8’s 4.4 turbo V8 produces 75 more horsepower (617 vs. 542) than the Flying Spur V8’s standard 4.0 turbo V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the BMW M8 is faster than the Bentley Flying Spur:

On the EPA test cycle the M8 gets better mileage than the Flying Spur:

Regenerative brakes improve the M8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the M8’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The M8 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The M8 stops much shorter than the Flying Spur:

For better traction, the M8 has larger front tires than the Flying Spur (275/35R20 vs. 265/40R21).

The M8’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Flying Spur’s standard 40 series front tires.

The M8 Gran Coupe handles at 1.02 G’s, while the Flying Spur V8 pulls only .94 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The BMW M8 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 850 pounds less than the Bentley Flying Spur.

The M8 Gran Coupe is 1 foot, 5.5 inches shorter than the Flying Spur, making the M8 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The M8 Gran Coupe has 1.7 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Flying Spur.

The M8 Gran Coupe has a larger trunk than the Flying Spur (15.5 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

The M8’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the M8 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer cornering lights. The M8 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The M8 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Flying Spur.

The M8’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Flying Spur’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The BMW M8 comes in coupe, convertible and sedan bodystyles; the Bentley Flying Spur isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.