Five things we love about the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre

The all-new 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre has made its Australian debut at a special preview event in Sydney, ahead of first customer deliveries in the first quarter of next year.

Rolls-Royce won’t reveal how many Australian orders it has received for its first electric vehicle, other than confirming a “very pleasing” amount of local interest, but says new orders will take more than a year to fill – longer for bespoke commissions.

Naturally, the first Rolls-Royce EV, which is about to be rolled out globally, will also be expensive at $770,000 – $60K more than the V12 Wraith coupe it effectively replaces, and excluding on-road costs and options, which could easily bring the total to over $1 million.

But the British ultra-luxury marque’s big new electric mega-coupe is not only a bell-weather for the BMW-owned brand’s all-EV future post-2030, but nothing short of incredible thanks to its striking design and new technologies yet to be seen in a Rolls-Royce.

Here are five things we love about the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre.

In an effort to improve airflow, Rolls-Royce redesigned its hallowed Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet mascot to be more aerodynamic for the Spectre.

Set to feature on all future Rolls-Royce models, the new emblem crouches almost 20mm lower and now stands at just over 82mm tall overall (previously 100mm), with robes (or wings) that now flow more rearwards than upwards.

It’s a small but noticeable change that resulted from an extensive design process and a development testing program that encompasses more than 2.5 million kilometres.

Arguably one of the most recognisable features of a Rolls-Royce is the Starlight Headliner inside the cabin. In more recent times, the British car-maker has even made it possible to display your favourite constellation of stars and embed more stars into a digital screen within the dash.

Now, for the first time on a Rolls-Royce, you can add Starlight Doors to your Spectre, which as you might’ve guessed extends the glittering light show right down to the door trims.

Said to be even more beautiful at night, the pricey option is just another way you can customise your Spectre.

Despite the fact it’s bigger and much heavier than the Wraith coupe (and the Phantom Coupe it’s said to be the spiritual successor for), the Spectre doesn’t lose out when it comes to driving dynamics and performance, says Rolls-Royce.

Tipping the scales at almost three tonnes (2890kg kerb weight), the Spectre is large and in charge at 5475mm long and 2017mm wide. It rides on an enormous 3210mm wheelbase and shares the same fundamental aluminium spaceframe ‘Architecture of Luxury’ chassis with other current Rollers like the Cullinan SUV and the Ghost and Phantom sedans.

But its BMW-developed dual-motor powertrain – good for 430kW of power and a massive 900Nm of torque – is claimed to send the Spectre from zero to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, making it quicker than a hot hatch. Yet its driving range is a decent 520km range (WLTP).

When Rolls-Royce introduced the second-generation Ghost limousine in 2020, it found one major flaw: it was too quiet.

It might sound like a good problem to have, but Rolls-Royce admits that even with a big V12 engine under the bonnet, the silent performance made passengers ill.

Well, the same thing has happened with Spectre. Its huge 102kWh lithium-ion battery alone weighs about 700kg and doubles as sound-deadening, essentially making a quiet car even quieter.

To combat the ‘unnatural’ silence onboard, Rolls-Royce engineered sound back into the car.

Apart from the British car maker's first fully-digital instrument cluster, another new bit of kit inside the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre comes in the form of connectivity.

Owners are now able to use the WHISPERS smartphone app to access vehicle information (vehicle range, for example) remotely, as well as pre-condition the climate control or set a destination in the navigation before hopping in.

You even get your own intelligent assistant – Eleanor – to help switch on your massage seats or find the closest charging station, all without lifting a finger.