Compare the2023 Bentley Flying SpurVS 2023 Mercedes CLS

The Bentley Flying Spur has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CLS doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Flying Spur has standard whiplash protection, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the whiplash protection system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The CLS doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Flying Spur. But it costs extra on the CLS.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the Flying Spur helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then projects the image on the windshield, near the driver’s line of sight. The CLS doesn’t offer a night vision system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Flying Spur has standard Reversing Traffic Warning and automatically engage the brakes. Mercedes charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the CLS.

Both the Flying Spur and the CLS have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and available lane departure warning systems.

The Bentley Flying Spur weighs 882 to 1268 pounds more than the Mercedes CLS. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

The Flying Spur Hybrid’s standard 2.9 turbo V6 hybrid produces 174 more horsepower (536 vs. 362) and 184 lbs.-ft. more torque (553 vs. 369) than the CLS’ 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Flying Spur’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 180 more horsepower (542 vs. 362) and 199 lbs.-ft. more torque (568 vs. 369) than the CLS’ 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Flying Spur’s optional 6.0 turbo 12-cylinder produces 264 more horsepower (626 vs. 362) and 295 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 369) than the CLS’ 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Bentley Flying Spur turbo V8 is faster than the Mercedes CLS:

On the EPA test cycle the Flying Spur Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the CLS 450 4MATIC (43 city/50 hwy MPGe vs. 22 city/30 hwy).

The Flying Spur Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 21 miles. The CLS can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Flying Spur (except Hybrid)’s fuel efficiency. The CLS doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Flying Spur’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the CLS (23.8 vs. 21.1 gallons).

The Flying Spur offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CLS doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Flying Spur’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The CLS doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Flying Spur’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CLS:

The Flying Spur stops shorter than the CLS:

For better traction, the Flying Spur has larger standard tires than the CLS (F:265/45R20 & R:295/40R20 vs. F:245/40R19 & R:275/35R19). The Flying Spur’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CLS (F:275/35R22 & R:315/30R22 vs. F:245/40R19 & R:275/35R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Flying Spur has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the CLS. The Flying Spur’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the CLS.

The Flying Spur offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The CLS doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the Flying Spur uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the CLS, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Flying Spur offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Mercedes doesn’t offer an active suspension on the CLS.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Flying Spur’s wheelbase is 10 inches longer than on the CLS (125.7 inches vs. 115.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Flying Spur is 2 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the CLS.

The Flying Spur handles at .98 G’s, while the CLS 450 4MATIC pulls only .93 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Flying Spur executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the CLS 450 4MATIC (24.7 seconds @ .78 average G’s vs. 25.8 seconds @ .72 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Flying Spur Rear Wheel Steering’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the CLS’ (36.3 feet vs. 39 feet). The Flying Spur’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the CLS’ (37.6 feet vs. 39 feet).

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

The Flying Spur has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CLS (102 vs. 93).

The Flying Spur has .5 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom and 7.9 inches more rear legroom than the CLS.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Flying Spur’s rear seats recline. The CLS’ rear seats don’t recline.

The Flying Spur has a much larger trunk than the CLS (14.8 vs. 11.9 cubic feet).

A power rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are standard in the Flying Spur to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CLS doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Flying Spur and the CLS have standard heated front seats. The Flying Spur also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CLS.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and rear seats keep the Flying Spur’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The CLS doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Flying Spur 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 CLS.

The Flying Spur has standard massaging front seats. Massaging front seats cost extra on the CLS. The Flying Spur also has standard massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the CLS.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Bentley Flying Spur has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console and one for the rear passengers. Wireless charging costs extra on the CLS.