Rolls Royce Ghost Review

Rolls Royce is synonymous with luxury at its best with an old world charm. This company was established in 1904. Not many know that the company even manufactures aeroplane engines. After been taken over by Bavarian bosses, BMW, Rolls Royce have been given a fresh new lease of life. However BMW did well not to strangulate the Rolls Royce values and instead built upon them with a modern approach while retaining the classic feel to this luxo barge. The cars are still hand made with the finest quality of leather befitting a Himalayan yak however masked with all the modern technology available. The company’s factory is still based in the Queen’s land, England. To be precise, the factory is in located in Goodwood in West Sussex. Their entry level model is the Rolls Royce Ghost and when Rolls Royce invited me for a test drive of their luxo yacht on the road, I was delighted beyond imagination. It is a well known fact that Rolls Royce haven’t rolled out a single new model in 40 years and the BMW annexation has actually landed Rolls Royce with their first all new model for the year 2010.

Rolls Royce Ghost Looks

The Rolls Royce Ghost 2010 model is one of stately looking cars from the manufacturer. That long hood complete with the Spirit of Ecstasy on top of the gleaming horizontal chrome grille is a relevation in itself. As chief engineer of British origin, Ian Cameron rightly points out that, the Rolls Royce Ghost differs from its bigger brother Phantom. They both might look the same however there are some subtle differences. Like the grille is slightly reworked than the Rolls Royce Phantom’s, head lamps are slightly smaller as well. The head lamps are purely a LED unit made up of 80 smaller LEDs. The air dam is also slightly lower and less gaping than the one on the Rolls Royce Phantom. There are two creases running on the bonnet and both look chunky enough.

The side profile shows an elongated wheelbase of 129.7 inches and the car looks huge by any measure. Calling it as the baby Rolls Royce is just an under statement. Those 20 inch wheels are huge by any standard and fill the wheel arches completely. The alloys look more like wheel covers and this might look like a drawback. However lest I forget, the buyers in this class are looking for typical high quality but with traditional cues and in those aspect, the Rolls Royce Ghost doesn’t disappoint. A typical Rolls Royce trait is present and that is both the door handles meet at the same point. The rear door is hinged to the C pillar and not to the B one as is the norm. The doors are called “suicide doors” in reference to the pattern in which they open.

The rear shows a small stubby boot and the side crease ends into the triangular tail light. The rear glass is very small and has the radio antenna just above it. The rear lights are highlighted in chrome. Remove the badge and the rear looks almost similar to the BMW 7 series. The twin organic tail pipes add more to that look. They are huge by a big margin.

Rolls Royce Ghost Interiors

Swing open the hinged doors and you would be greeted by acres of space. Probably only the Rolls Royce Phantom could be more accommodating as far as space is concerned. There is that classic maple wood finished dashboard. Considering the modern aspect, metallic accents are also introduced and this one stays throughout the cabin. The passenger been the king, is seated in the finest of leathers. Even the carpeting is done from the best bull’s hide. You can even opt for a sheep wool mat as a $1000 option and one which would make every occupant remove their shoes to soak in the feeling. It may have acres of space however the lower priced Mercedes Benz S-class or even the Jaguar XJ are similarly spaced and not so big on the outside as well.

Novelty factor on the inside remains for the fact that there is a hidden multi display screen. Due to this the dashboard looks pretty uncluttered and clean. The analogue dials look pretty retro and are outlined by chrome rings. Don’t be fooled by the Rolls Royce Ghost’s simplicity. There are many features, some which may be visible and some not visible. There is a Driver Assistance System package which is actually hidden but has automatic high beams for the head lamps upon detection of darkness to a certain level, night vision camera, lane departure warning and the heads up display. Standard features abound in the form of a sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, an active air suspension, 20-inch alloy wheels, power-closing rear doors, automatic xenon headlights, rain-sensing automatic wipers, umbrella stowage for 2 in the front, four-zone automatic climate control, 16-speaker premium audio system supported by a 12.5GB hard drive, SB/auxiliary audio inputs, satellite radio, Bluetooth phone integration separate for front and rear passengers and satellite radio.

The 3 rimmed steering wheel seems old school but is nice to grip. It has audio mounts on it and is adjustable for rake and reach. The leather seats at the front are 12 way powered with memory functions. Moving on to the rear seat passengers, the chauffer opening the door wouldn’t have to close it as a button on the inside electrically closes the doors. There is a small refrigerator in between the front seats. The rear seats unfortunately don’t split 60:40. Not that it is necessary for Rolls Royce Ghost buyers but it is an added convenience. The interiors are fully customizable and dependent on the buyers deep pocket and imagination. Some of those thinkables from the inexhaustible list are individual "lounge" seating for the rear, wooden drop-down picnic tables , individual telecom units and cooler embedded massaging seats.

Boot space for such an ultra large car is surprisingly very small and stands only at 14 cubic feet. It is accessible from the inside and the high loading lip may create problems while loading in luggage. There is leather felt though lined inside and this makes the boot special as well.

Rolls Royce Ghost Handling and ride quality

Been based on the same platform as the BMW 7 series, the Rolls Royce Ghost claims to share only 20% of its components. The steering wheel may look archaic however it has some of the 20% components borrowed from the BMW 7 series filtering in. This makes it quite direct. It may be a tad heavier at parking speeds but on the highway it has that perfect feel that one would expect. So much that it wouldn’t make your chauffer realize the girth of the car that he is driving. It never feels ponderous as well. The ride is actually world class and better than BMW’s 7 series or even the Mercedes S class. The air suspension makes mincemeat of the ruts and pot holes. It would give one of the feeling that they are traveling in a luxury cruise or yacht without the bobbing of the water beneath.

The same air suspension toughens up to provide good handling to the car as well. All this is done in utter silence and the occasional sound that you can hear might be some wind noise. Due to its size, the Rolls Royce does roll around corners but not so much that occupants would want to puke away their lunch.

Rolls Royce Ghost Engine, Performance and Fuel Efficiency

The Rolls Royce Ghost uses a unique 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 derived from the BMW stables. This engine makes 563 Hp @ 5,400 rpm and about 580 Lb-ft of torque @ 1,500 rpm. This is enough to propel the 5,455 pounds car from 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Mighty impressive is what I would say on this. The Rolls Royce Ghost is rear wheel driven however a low ratio differential is available through the 4 th generation Idrive module up front. The transmission is 8 speed automatic one. This is from the ZF family and is one of the sleekest shifting units in the world. The top speed is electronically restricted to 155 mph.

The Rolls Royce Ghost covers ground rapidly with a slight prod on the accelerator pedal. The throttle modulation is very smooth as well. You would expect lurch from the pedal on half throttle however you would be disappointed and delighted to know that the Rolls Royce Ghost doesn’t exhibit it. Keep the accelerator pinned and the whole world would be in a blur with the Ghost eager to meet its redline. The engine is pretty tractable as well with well spaced out gear ratios.

Braking is handled by 4 wheel disc brakes supported by ABS, Electronic Stability Control {ESC}, Electronic Stability Program {ESP}, traction control and skid control. This makes braking a very safe affair on the Rolls Royce Ghost.

Safety is taken care by active front head restraints with anti-whiplash properties, radar-based cruise control, 3 point seat belts for all occupants and 8 airbags which include curtain as well as side ones.

Fuel efficiency would be the last thing for buyers of this class of vehicles. The Rolls Royce Ghost however surprises every one with its EPA estimated 15 mpg in the city cycle and about 21 mpg on the highway front. This is amplified by the 21.8 gallons fuel tank.

Verdict

The Rolls Royce Ghost is as Rolls Royce puts it, “small car”. Well, the Ghost is not small by any chance and is just a smaller iteration of the Rolls Royce Phantom. However it still is bigger than other super luxury cars and one which would require a big garage or parking lot. It is for those well heeled people who want to announce big time that they have arrived in life. It has paramount luxury, stately looks, flawless interiors, super car like performance and optimum fuel efficiency. Moreover it saves you approximately a $8000 more than the Rolls Royce Phantom. The reason for the introduction of the Rolls Royce Ghost was to compete with Bentley for volumes production. Bentley with its smaller Flying Spur has been on a production roll and is set to take the market share away from Rolls Royce. The Rolls Royce Ghost is priced at $285,000. If you want to flaunt your wealth and in good measure, there is nothing better than a Rolls Royce to show it.

Technical Specifications of the Rolls Royce Ghost