Compare the2023 Audi A8VS 2023 Bentley Flying Spur

The A8 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The A8 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, 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.

The A8’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Flying Spur.

Both the A8 and the Flying Spur have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, around view monitors, available night vision systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The A8 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 A8’s corrosion warranty is 9 years longer than the Flying Spur’s (12 vs. 3 years).

There are over 6 times as many Audi dealers as there are Bentley dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the A8’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A8’s reliability 20 points higher than the Flying Spur.

On the EPA test cycle the A8 gets better mileage than the Flying Spur running its gasoline engine:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A8 higher (5 out of 10) than the Bentley Flying Spur (3 to 5). This means the A8 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Flying Spur every 15,000 miles.

The A8 stops much shorter than the Flying Spur:

The A8 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Flying Spur; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Audi A8 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 750 pounds less than the Bentley Flying Spur.

The design of the Audi A8 amounts to more than styling. The A8 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Flying Spur (.298) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A8 get better fuel mileage.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A8 a Large car, while the Flying Spur is rated a Mid-size.

The A8 has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Flying Spur (111 vs. 102).

The A8 has .9 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Flying Spur.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A8 easier. The A8’s trunk lift-over height is 27.4 inches, while the Flying Spur’s liftover is 29.5 inches.

If the windows are left open on the A8 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Flying Spur can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The A8’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Flying Spur’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the A8 to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the A8 offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the A8 has standard extendable sun visors. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The A8 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Flying Spur doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The A8’s optional Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Flying Spur’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A8, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Audi A8/S8 outsold the Bentley Flying Spur by over two to one during 2022.