GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Rolls-Royce Ghost II
Subtle facelift marks introduction of Benz-beating techFive years after it wafted into the automotive world, the Ghost arrived at the Geneva Motor Show with a few design tweaks to the body, some upgrades inside and a raft of new technologies underneath.
Yes, the most indulgent luxury car of its era has had what plenty of indulgent people get two-thirds of the way into their lives: a facelift.
You have to look very closely to see them, because even Rolls-Royce admits its external fiddles have been, err, moderate, but they are there.
First up, the shallow headlights lose their rectangular shape and now have actual curves, then there’s a small channel carved in to the bonnet behind the Spirit of Ecstasy and there are small changes to the bumper bars, too. In short, to see the changes, you’ll have to squint so hard and for so long that you’ll likely need a facelift of your own before you can identify if it’s a new one or a superseded one.
“As a design statement, Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II continues to transcend time,” Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce’s Direct of Design somewhat modestly purred.
“This is ensured by the deft treatment of features such as the new headlights, the new wake channel on the bonnet and surfacing that lends the car a more dynamic, purposeful stance and hint at the cutting-edge technology inside.
“I am very pleased with the overall sense of design harmony.”
That “cutting-edge technology inside” doesn’t stretch to the powertrain in any way, and it retains the short- and long-wheelbased stretched 7-Series architecture and the 6.6-litre, twin-turbo V12 powerplant. Neither Rolls-Royce nor parent company, BMW, will admit to any changes in the car’s power and torque outputs.
Instead, the “cutting-edge technology” referred to is in the cabin, where Rolls is trying to pre-empt the arrival of Mercedes-Benz’s long-wheelbase Maybach version of the new S-Class
, which is trying to reach up to the Rolls-Royce price segment.
It will carry on-board WiFi system, plus the Wraith’s Satellite Aided Transmission to select the right gear for the upcoming terrain in an effort to avoid unwanted gearshift timing and to keep the cabin smooth.
The seats are all new, though they maintain a very distinct Rolls-Royce visual family theme, and they now have electronic thigh-support adjustment. I know, hard to believe it wasn’t always there, right?
Rolls-Royce has invented what it calls a Lounge Configuration in the rear, where the two plush seats are angled in towards each other to create slightly more legroom.
There are some additional wood trims and some leather fiddles, but the biggest difference, technically, is the adoption of a 10.25-inch multi-media screen, which will be hard for the chauffeured to see from the back seat.
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