The thing about a Rolls-Royce is that it doesn’t half make you feel special. Sure, some cars may make you feel powerful – a Mercedes S-Class, for example, has a certain autocratic panache. Others can inject you with obscene smugness – a long-wheelbase Range Rover is so large and capable that if people don’t get out of your way, you could just drive over the top of them. But a Rolls-Royce makes you feel genuinely, royally, spectacularly special. And not in a remedial way.
The first time I drove a Rolls was an eye-opener. It wasn’t (just) the quality of the car that stood out immediately; it was the reaction to it. Within five minutes of sitting behind the wheel, I had pulled up at a zebra crossing; rather than walking across, the female pedestrian waiting curtsied and waved me on.
Five minutes later I was at some traffic lights and a tramp gave me a salute – and not even a two-fingered one. This would not have happened if I was driving any other car.
A Rolls-Royce has two things in abundance – presence and personality. The new Ghost Series II is no exception. Just look at it. It’s the only car that can make a City skyscraper look a bit, you know, meh. At 17ft 8in long, it’s not much smaller than one, either.
With its huge glistening grill, it shouts money louder than any barrow boy on a trading floor – although, no doubt it uses far more gentrified language as it does so. The Rolls is more of a family wealth manager than some flash-in-the-pan trader. It has heritage in spades and, despite being a thoroughly modern car, upholds many old-school charms.
For instance, the gear selector is an elegant stalk off the steering wheel – not some unsightly knob. The cold light of the central display screen can be shielded from view by a wooden panel at the press of a button. The heating sliders say ‘soft’ not ‘low’. It has heating sliders, for God’s sake. And those are just the things you can see.
Press a button on the front door sill and an umbrella will fire out. Pull down on the leather ring between the rear seats and you’ll find another treat: a two 35cl-bottle champagne fridge. In the rear armrest there’s a hidden drawer: one press for the ashtray, two presses reveals a secret compartment (OK, not that secret now I’ve told you about it).
I was at traffic lights and a tramp gave me a salute – and not even a two-fingered one
There’s a lot of theatre about a Rolls-Royce. The Spirit of Ecstasy, in its perpetual bow, rises from the bonnet as you unlock the car. The elegant statue is lit up at night by a blue halo of light emitted from around its base. The bonnet of the new Ghost even has two channels sculpted into it – designed to emulate a jet stream in the wake of the Spirit’s outstretched wings. As I say, theatrical stuff.
The styling of the Ghost Series II is a little more aggressive than its predecessor. The headlights are new curved LED units with unbroken daytime running lights around the frame. Every panel of the front has been updated – where the Series I looked a little passive, there’s no doubt the Series II has intent. And, fortunately, it’s not all show.
Under that prolific aluminium bonnet is a twin-turbo, 6.6-litre powerplant that takes the Ghost from 0-62 mph in a whisker less than five seconds. No clunky V8 here, thank you very much. This sizeable V12 is more of a purrer than a, er, growler. Foot down and you can hear it – just about – rolling its Rs, a charismatic ‘R-r-r-r-r-Rolls-r-r-r-r-Royce’.
The drive is smoother than silk wrapped in cashmere on a bed of velvet. As my father-in-law put it: “It’s like someone has gone out ahead of you and ironed all the roads.” You just don’t feel bumps anymore. You’re vaguely aware that they’re out there – in the same way you’re aware of, say 4G, or infrared rays – but you’re so anaesthetised from them that they barely make it into your consciousness.
The Ghost Series II is smoother than silk wrapped in cashmere, on a bed of velvet
Despite this, though, you’re not as disconnected from the driving experience as you might expect. It still feels like a precise machine: it darts into corners in a far more eager way than you’d expect for something that weighs the best part of two-and-a-half tonnes. In fact, the Ghost Series II is one of the most driver-focused cars the marque has made. There’s head-up display, so details including your speed (and the limit), sat-nav instructions, proximity and danger warnings float at the bottom of the windscreen.
The ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox is whippet fast, too – and has the latest satellite technology incorporated. This means the car can anticipate a sharp corner before you can even see it. It then changes to the best gear for the job, depending on your driving style. For example, if you’re coming up to a roundabout, it will change down a gear or two, so you don’t have to trouble yourself to brake too hard. Almost like a trusted advisor: “Don’t you worry about this, sir – I’ve got your back.” Of course, you do have to remember to give way. Although, in a car like the Ghost, you feel like everyone should give way to you in principle.
The tech doesn’t end under the bonnet: the car recognises simple voice commands (ensure you adopt the Queen’s English for speech); there’s on-board wifi allowing numerous devices to hook up; and then there’s that sound system. Rather than hiring in an external company to make it, Rolls has done the work in-house. Like a watch manufacture making all its own parts, Rolls believes in authenticity at every level. The music you most love sounds better than you’ve ever heard it. Turn up the volume on the 18-speaker system, and it’s like the O2 arena sound stage has been parcelled up and unleashed in the cabin. It is, like everything else the car does, genuinely special.
It was in no small way thanks to the Ghost Series I that Rolls-Royce’s profits have been as impressive as they have for the past decade. Big things were expected of its successor, and with the Series II, it would seem that the company’s future is in very safe hands.
Check out the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II in action in the company's trailer below:
For more info, visit rolls-roycemotorcars.com
