Review: The all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost reigns supreme
The British brand says purple will be the hero colour for the new Ghost that is the biggest seller globally for Rolls-Royce.
The Ghost is Rolls-Royce’s biggest seller, so when it came time to create the second generation of the luxury car they did the smart move of asking existing customers what changes they wanted.
Why was it a smart move?
Because if you’re paying more than NZ$500,000 for a car you’d want your opinion heard. And listen is what the brand did, launching the limousine last year with it arriving in New Zealand just before Christmas.
Priced from NZ$490,230 Rolls-Royce expects the final price for the Ghost to be higher as the cars are bespoke with customer specifications adding to the final figure.
Launched in 2009, the first-generation Ghost was slightly smaller than the flagship Phantom and more likely to be driven by its owners. That proved true for North American owners while Chinese buyers preferred to be sitting in the back.
Customer opinion for the second-generation Ghost was a quieter engine and more torque. The interior design aspect was also important for the brand.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost had the hero exterior colour of Dark Indigo. Photo: Liz Dobson
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said the only components carried over from the first Goodwood Ghost were the Spirit of Ecstasy and umbrellas.
“The first Goodwood Ghost was a response to a whole new generation of clients, both in age and attitude. These men and women asked us for a slightly smaller, less ostentatious means to own a Rolls-Royce,” he said.
Under the surface, there’s all-wheel drive for those trips to your ski chalet and all-wheel steering to make it more nimble in cities as you drive to your mansion; and a twin-turbo 6.75-litre, V-12 engine, making 420kW and 850Nm driving through an 8-speed gearbox. Zero to 100km/h takes 4.8sec.
There is also a completely redesigned Planar Suspension System, which further enhances the marque’s hallmark Magic Carpet Ride.
According to Müller-Ötvös,
“Everything else was designed, crafted and engineered from the ground up. The result is the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce yet. It distills the pillars of our brand into a beautiful, minimalist, yet a highly complex product that is perfectly in harmony with our Ghost clients’ needs and perfectly in tune with the times”.
The ‘Double R’ monogram on the car panels and wheels are a staple of the brand. Photo: Karl Sheridan of Monster Valley
The chassis is based on Rolls’ proprietary “Architecture of Luxury” platform, shared with the new Phantom and Cullinan SUV.
This is quite a big car; at 5546mm long and 2148mm wide (including the mirrors), it’s a touch bigger than the old one. Not so differently sized inside, though, because there’s more insulation in the doors. But unsurprisingly, it's wide enough and long enough for tall occupants to sit behind tall occupants.
There’s 100kg of soundproofing in total (the Phantom has 130kg) so that if you’re lounging in a rear seat at motorway speeds, you can have a hushed conversation with the person in the front.
The rear had reclining seats that were ventilated with a fridge behind the middle seat. Photo: Liz Dobson
“These business leaders and entrepreneurs demand more of their Ghost than ever. They require a new type of super-luxury saloon that is dynamic, serenely comfortable and perfect in its minimalism. Ghost is this product,” said Müller-Ötvös.
To this end, It is packed with the latest technology including a four-camera system with panoramic view, all-round visibility and helicopter view; active cruise control; collision warning; cross-traffic warning; lane departure and lane change warning; an industry-leading 7x3 high-resolution head-up display; Wi-Fi hotspot; self-park; and the very latest navigation and entertainment systems.
For the new Ghost, the marque’s Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers and craftspeople created Illuminated Fascia: a world-first innovation that subtly echoes the Starlight Headliner, which has become as much a part of Rolls-Royce iconography as the Spirit of Ecstasy, Pantheon Grille and ‘Double R’ monogram.
Developed over the course of two years and more than 10,000 collective hours, this remarkable piece brings an ethereal glowing Ghost nameplate, surrounded by more than 850 stars, into the interior suite of the motor car. Located on the passenger side of the dashboard, the constellation and wordmark are completely invisible when the interior lights are not in operation.
The all-new Ghost had the stunning Illuminated Fascia that took 10,0000 hours to create. Photo: Rolls-Royce
In its most pared back form, the Rolls-Royce architecture is based around four fixed points, one at each corner of the motor car. The moveable aluminium bulkhead, floor, crossmembers and sill panels were positioned specifically to ensure new Ghost meets client expectations as a motor car that is equally enjoyable to drive as it is to be driven in. Two of the cast suspension mounting assemblies were pushed to the very front of new Ghost, placing its V12 engine behind the front axle to achieve an optimum 50/50 weight distribution.
AutoMuse had the chance to drive the all-new Ghost thanks to Rolls-Royce Auckland City and it had a final price tag of $780,000 driveaway.
It was optioned up to include the shooting star headliner, rear theatre configuration, TV tuner, picnic tables at the rear, front and rear ventilated seats, a rear coolbox complete with two champagne glasses, the Rolls-Royce bespoke audio.
There are great touchpoints in the front of the Ghost, including the metal vents. Photo: Karl Sheridan of Monster Valley
It had the exterior colour of Dark Indigo that Rolls-Royce NZ told AutoMuse is the hero colour for the Ghost for 2021. Purple reign then?
It had 21in 10 apple fully polished wheels with the amazing function found in all Rolls-Royces where the emblem always faces up, no upside down for the RR symbol.
Inside, the leather interior was Arctic White, not a colour I’d pick, only as I’d be too scared to mark the material. But it had the cool factor of contrast stitching in purple.
Is the Rolls-Royce Ghost worth the price tag?
There’s nothing quite like driving a Rolls-Royce. Yes, the Ghost is a large vehicle but it drives like, well, you’re floating. It’s so smooth with immaculate steering and thanks to all the sensors and surround cameras you can easily manoeuvre it around the city.
You had add the option of Picnic Tables plus screens. Photo: Rolls-Royce
It also seems as if traffic disperses to make room for such a luxury vehicle, or more than likely, they don’t want to foot an insurance bill if they damage the car.
Heading along the motorway, the Ghost devoured the road, with a touch on the accelerator leaping the V12 engine into action despite the fact it weighs 2470kg. The only issue with overtaking in remembering you are a long vehicle but blind-spot monitoring helps check the lanes.
Heading to Parihoa, the Ghost handled the winding roads thanks to the Planar Suspension System and all-wheel-steering but due to the gravel road to the farm, I kept the Ghost at a very low speed not to damage the paintwork whereas I knew the four-wheel-drive system could easily cope with a few ruts.
The inside of a Ghost is a fine place to be, whether driving or sitting in the back.
The rear seats cocoon you and there is plenty of leg- and head-room. For those long trips, just recline and pop on a film to while away the time or if you are heading somewhere special, there is the Champagne cooling in the optional cool box.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost is 5546mm long and 2148mm wide. Photo: Karl Sheridan of Monster Valley
In the front or rear there are so many touchpoints; be it the leather seats, the stitching, the aluminum vents, to the wool floor mats.
There are also fantastic points of interest for passengers, especially the Starlight Headliner on the roof of the cabin. It’s truly a work of art.
After picking up AutoMuse co-founder Matt Chapman at his home, Chapman House at Parihoa, we headed to Waimauku’s Espresso Room to show the Ghost to owner Scott. But when his mother saw the posh car she thought royalty was visiting.
Of course, we had to let her experience being in the back of a Rolls-Royce. Access and egress for rear passengers is easy; the rear ‘suicide’-coach doors open wide and you slide into the comfort of the leather.
To exit the car you have your driver push a button by their door, or better still they come to the door and open it for you, or a button on the panelling opens it, and you grasp a sill and push open the door. For Scott’s mum we had to go for option two, of course.
The reaction to the Ghost, like that of Scott’s mum, makes it an amazing experience to drive the Rolls. During my day in the luxurious sedan I had thumbs up, hang-10 hand gestures, double-takes, and cars following me so the occupants could take photos of it.
Yes, this is a special vehicle worth all of the money. And if you can’t afford the price tag, then check out our review below.
