Sir Henry Royce once said, “Accept nothing that is nearly
right or good enough.” Rolls-Royce customers agree with that sentiment. Buyers
are persnickety with their millions and their opinions, which is why, when they
want a fresh look to their 5-year-old Ghosts, they get it. Whatever you do,
however, don’t call it a face-lift.
The profile of the Rolls owner is changing, too. The age of the average Rolls-Royce buyer has dropped by 10 years, thanks in large part to the Wraith. Additionally, past buyers were often royalty, celebrities, and heirs. Today, Rolls says, customers are entrepreneurs and “captains of industry.” “Ghost is the car to celebrate making money,” Carter said. “It is the ultimate business tool, and our customers wanted a more approachable but only slightly restyled Ghost.”
Climbing into the nearly 17-foot, 9-inch-long car (that’s 9
inches longer than your 2015 Cadillac Escalade) at first is intimidating. It’s
big, pristine, and expensive. Powered by Rolls-Royce’s 6.6-liter
twin-turbocharged V-12, with 563 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, the Ghost
II feels amply powerful, making you forget its size at times. Throttle is
direct and immediate, and steering adapts to speed to give you a greater feel
of control. The Ghost II doesn’t just drive, it proceeds, doing 0-60 mph
two-tenths of a second faster than its predecessor, according to Rolls-Royce.
It does the run in just 4.8 seconds.
If you, or perhaps your driver, want a more spirited drive,
Rolls-Royce offers the Dynamic Driving Package, which includes different front
and rear struts, adjusted damper settings, and a tweaked steering system that,
according to Rolls, increases the car’s cornering ability and delivers
“enhanced feedback” to the driver. We weren’t able to test that package on this
drive. Suffice it to say, cruising on the highway in the base model, you glance
at the head-up display and realize you’re moving much faster than you’d
expected. Lucky for you, those big ventilated brakes take you down to more
common speeds quickly and quietly. Though there aren’t any great, swoopy
backr
oads in the Dallas area where we drove the car, the Ghost II felt heavy but surprisingly agile on the few occasions we were able to push it.
oads in the Dallas area where we drove the car, the Ghost II felt heavy but surprisingly agile on the few occasions we were able to push it.
If you’ve never been driven in a Rolls-Royce, you’ve never
felt what it’s like to float above it all. The term “wafting” is simultaneously
insipidly infuriating and dead accurate. There is really no other way to
describe being shuttled along in the Ghost II. The new, slightly retuned
suspension system, including new hydraulic rear-axle bearings, increases
stability and reduces noise and vibrations inside the near silent car. With the
included “lounge seat” configuration in Ghost II, seats angle toward each
other, closing the space between passengers to “create a more intimate
setting.” The traditional seats are also available. There’s more than enough
room to stretch out and snooze or use the massaging seats. Or, if work must be
done, you have more than enough space to pull out a laptop.
While the upgrades to the 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II
are mainly subtle upgrades to the looks and technology in the car, the “don’t
call it a face-lift” adjustments do give the car a new life, and one that, so
far, appears to be very popular with buyers. Deliveries of the $280,000-plus
car have begun, and it is currently backordered until March.
