Value pricing has arrived at Rolls-Royce in the form of its all new Ghost. The uber-rich, people for whom cost is rarely a concern, now have every reason to show some restraint by considering the first budget model offered by this distinguished motorcar company.
Lest you think Rolls-Royce has abandoned its cherished position as the world’s finest automaker, be of good cheer. The $245,000 Ghost still offers an ostentatious display of unbridled rolling wealth, a top end luxury sedan that remains true to its heritage, while offering enough to differentiate it from the $400,000 Phantom.
But first a background review is required to explain the pinnacle of the super luxury car market.
Rolls-Royce and its former British stablemate, Bentley, are now owned by BMW and the Volkswagen Group respectively. Both marques have long featured sedans, which currently retail for above $350,000, but in recent years Bentley has successfully introduced interim priced models bridging the gap between the BMW 760Li and Mercedes S600 sedans, cars retailing for under $150,000. Today, the Bentley Continental and Rolls-Royce Ghost compete for the affections of motorists aspiring for the best, but happy to explore the middle ground and choose cars in the quarter-million-dollar range.
Performance Meets Opulence
Happily, the hand-built Rolls-Royce Ghost offers every pleasure found in the Phantom, but in a less ponderous and amazingly fast body. Indeed, besides offering its own modernized take on Rolls-Royce styling with its curved grille and striking silver satin hood, the chiseled Ghost successfully demonstrates that its 5,445-pound frame doesn’t get in the way of performance.
The Ghost’s twin-turbo-charged, intercooled, direct-injection, 48-valve V12 engine effortlessly moves this stately five-passenger sedan from zero to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds, but without the strain some motors experience when tasked with carrying a mass of iron. Paired with its eight-speed automatic transmission, the 563-horsepower Ghost ingests premium fuel while returning about 20 miles to the gallon on the highway.
A hybrid model is more than a year away, but when it arrives it’ll boost fuel economy by an estimated 15 percent. Yes, even the rich understand the importance of environmental responsibility.
Hand-Built and Customized
The exterior is what you make of it, meaning you can choose your Ghost’s color scheme and wheels, personalizing your sedan as desired. The same can be said for the interior where you may select hand-crafted wood, inlays and leather coloring that suits you. Rolls-Royce says that 60 pairs of hands work with every Ghost, a 20-day process that transforms a lifeless body shell into a swaggering masterpiece at its pastoral Goodwind manufactory in England.
Step inside and the Ghost pampers you in every way possible. A thoroughly contemporary interior replete with modern technological amenities including Night Vision System, which self activates at dusk, using an infrared camera to scan objects as far as one thousand feet away. This system can spot an unseen pedestrian and with a touch of a button show you where they are standing on the control center display. An ideal feature for foggy nights or a drive down poorly lit roadways with narrow shoulders.
Active cruise control, lane-departure warning and a windshield display with driver information helps you keep your eyes on the road at all times. Somewhat distracting, but still pleasing is the control center display, which brings most of your important commands to one area including navigation, telephone, music, time, Rolls-Royce services and other vehicle information.
Lavish and Quiet Cabin
The cabin is peacefully quiet and plush, featuring the softest leathers and most comfortable center armrest for the driver. Rolls-Royce goes to great lengths to engineer every possible noise out of the Ghost with switches, dials, and even the head rests quietly moving into position.
The rear pivoting aft doors makes it easy for rear passengers to enter, offering plenty of room for three, although under ideal circumstances no more than two would ride in the back. It is all kick-off-your-shoes-and-lay-your-head-back comfort back there, a mobile living room with individualized sculpted seating separating you from the cares of the world beyond.
To get the Ghost moving, a push button start engages the motor while a transmission selector located behind the steering wheel shifts it into gear. Unlike the Phantom, which moves smoothly and quickly, the Ghost bears down on the road with authority, delighting drivers who prize its European handling and steering while maintaining the smoothest of rides thanks to its four wheel air suspension system.
No you won’t find the active stick shift driving enjoyed by Mercedes, BMW, and Audi motorists, but you’ll come darn close. And for Rolls-Royce to even show signs of being a super luxury sport sedan says much about the fresh direction the company has taken with the Ghost.
Optimal Trunk Storage
Storage is generous thanks to a bountiful trunk offering more than enough room for all of your accouterments. Of course, you may be more inclined to keep your driving local, taking every opportunity to display your Ghost in front of your Mission Road manse.
So is the Rolls-Royce Ghost a stretched version of the BMW 7 Series, or is it of its own lineage? Wisely, BMW has managed the brand much in the same way of the other British makes it owns or has owned, which would be MINI and Land Rover. BMW understands the Rolls-Royce mystique, a heritage tracing back to 1904.
Rolls-Royce says that the Ghost shares 20 percent of its components with BMW, chiefly technological and convenience items including climate control as well as functional pieces out of the driver’s eye. Considering that fewer than 2,000 Ghosts will be built annually, that level of shared content is quite low, allowing the Ghost to focus on what it does best—delivering a thoroughly modern interpretation of the stately Rolls-Royce heritage, a worthy complement to the brand-defining Phantom.
words: Matthew C. Keegan
photos: courtesy Rolls-Royce Motor Cars LTD.