Rolls-Royce’s new ‘entry-level’ limo will still cost you S$1.5 million
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Rolls-Royce's new 'entry-level' limo will still toll you Due south$i.5 million
Oddly enough, despite its impressive size and toll tag, it's a remarkably restrained and relatively low-cardinal.
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended. (Photo: Rolls-Royce)
13 Jun 2022 06:56AM (Updated: 05 Jul 2022 02:10AM)
I of the principle guiding lights behind the development of the new Ghost limousine, Rolls-Royce says, is the thought of "post-opulence". Modesty and minimalism being the designers' watchwords with the 2nd-generation "baby" of the Rolls-Royce family unit.
While the carmaker is naturally loathe to acknowledge it, for all sorts of obvious reasons, the new motorcar is the inferior counterpart to the Phantom, and the entry indicate to the Rolls-Royce saloon lineup. Officially, the Ghost isn't an entry-level Rolls-Royce, merely merely one that is a flake less formal, a chip less buttoned-up and perfect for either being driven or existence driven effectually in.
Of course, the words "entry-level" and "minimal" seem a scrap strange to use when referring to information technology, because the new Ghost still costs well over a million dollars, measures over 5m long and if yous have the financial wherewithal, could significantly add to that aforementioned price tag by getting its customisation division Bespoke to whip up some pick $.25 unique to your auto.
Only to give you some thought of what we're talking nearly, the test unit we were handed the keys to was an example of a Ghost Extended, the moniker referring to its 170mm longer wheelbase, all to the do good of rear seat passengers, giving it "the most rear legroom in its segment".
That particular car measures a petty under 5.8m long, and with a judicious smattering of options (including folding tables for the rear seats, monogrammed headrests and a Bespoke dashboard clock), its on-the-road toll is effectually S$1.viii million, some S$400,000 over its base price of Southward$1.4 1000000.
It'due south worth noting that the optional extras alone on this item Ghost Extended could almost have bought you a flagship 7 Serial saloon from Rolls-Royce'south sis brand BMW.
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The point we're trying to make hither is that everything is relative. Context, as you'll know, is for kings. The Ghost's bigger brother, the Phantom Extended, retails for non a penny less than S$2 one thousand thousand, though realistically, if you're in the market for one, you'd best exist prepared to set aside roughly South$2.5 million of your hard-earned dollars.
Anyway, the Ghost Extended, and by extension (pun intended) its smaller sibling the standard-wheelbase Ghost, are fabulous representations of luxury... and also fabulous representations of value.
Yes, really. Value. You come across, the Ghost and pretty much any other Rolls-Royce is worth more than coin than what some people will earn in a lifetime, but there's few who would argue that the cars to come out of Goodwood, England don't experience like a million bucks… which they incidentally do.
For starters, the level of particular lavished on the new Ghost borders on the ridiculous. The leather upholstery and wood trim are impeccable, of course, but it's the little things that are fifty-fifty more than worthy of mention.
The opening/closing of the air-conditioning vents are washed via quaint "organ stop" plungers whose action can best be described as silken with merely the right amount of resistance. And how each door has its own set of gyroscopes and servos to ensure the self-opening function has a consequent swing force/speed, no thing the incline the car is parked on.
Another i of the new Ghost's subconscious features is a modest break damper mounted on the upper part of the interruption'southward wishbone, a pocket-sized just integral part of the car'south Planar Suspension system.
According to Jon Simms, the new Ghost's engineering lead, the ride quality of a mod Rolls-Royce is now able to about eliminate medium- to large-sized impacts, simply that left the high-frequency buzz when rolling over anything other than marble-shine roads even more apparent.
The upshot is that the new Ghost positively glides. To exist clear, in that location'south no wallow in the new Ghost's treatment. There's roll and pitch, though that's to exist expected when the car's remit is primarily biased toward comfort, merely mostly considering it besides weighs close to 2.5 tonnes.
It'due south the sum total of these modest, seemingly insignificant things that makes driving the Ghost, and of course, riding around in ane, such a tranquil experience. Against any other modern luxury car, in that location'due south a refreshing lack of buttons, levers and other things to fiddle with.
There are no selectable driving modes (no sport way, because that's probably a dirty give-and-take in Goodwood); no way of selecting the adaptive dampers' firmness; and there aren't even any paddles for you to manually riff through the gears.
That's taken intendance of by an electronic butler of sorts, with the former utilising cameras that scan the surface alee to set up the break to quell bumps, and the latter using data from the sat-nav organisation to automatically select the best gear for the road ahead.
Of form, some would bemoan the lack of control in the Ghost, merely when you're a captain of industry/oligarch/potentate, you're probably used to having someone accept care of the little things for you already.
Or, if y'all're the chauffeur of said helm of industry/oligarch/potentate, the final thing you'd want is to accidentally stick the auto in Sport and crusade your employer'southward head to be wedged firmly into the headrests. This is not peculiarly desirable, especially not when your employer also has the power to see you blindfolded in forepart of a wall riddled with bullet holes.
Simply should the demand to hustle arise for whatever reason (rushing to the opera, escaping the proletariat, etc) y'all'll find that the Ghost is also supremely adept in that section.
Power comes from a half-dozen.75-litre V12 with a mighty 563hp/850Nm output, though despite those sports car numbers, the Ghost's performance is more regal than explosive. Button the throttle pedal deep into the deep-pile lambswool carpet and there's a noticeable lack of noise, vibrations or other such drama.
It's not entirely dissimilar existence borne on a gust of current of air, and if you want to get a little more automotive about things, non entirely unlike being in an electric machine… which incidentally is something that Rolls-Royce will somewhen have in their lineup.
If all that sounds similar the Ghost, particularly in Extended grade, is seriously encroaching on territory currently occupied by Rolls-Royce'south flagship product, the Phantom, you wouldn't exist too far off the marker.
Against other "regular" flagship saloons (say, a BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes-Benz S-Class), the Ghost is in a league of its ain, but against the Phantom, it just seems that much more subdued.
Where the Phantom is upright and slab-sided, the Ghost is sleeker and its nose is canted backwards. In isolation, the Ghost is yet an imperious affair, only seen in context of the Phantom, it's far less ostentatious.
Suffice it to say, if your neighbourhood was populated with far less elevated vehicles, the new Ghost would still stand out, if nothing else, by virtue of its sheer majority. However, if the opposite were true, you lot might merely pass the new Ghost past without even registering its presence.
See? Context and relativity.
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