Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge 2018 Review

King of the kids

It takes a lot to top a Rolls-Royce on the school run.

A Ferrari or Lamborghini has more immediate impact, from their look-at-me styling to their raunchy exhaust notes, but everyone in the nine-year-old’s class knows the Silver Lady.

Except this one is black. It’s front-and-centre on the first Black Badge version of the open-air Dawn convertible to reach Australia and it’s doing family duties on a Monday morning at the start of a Down Under display run.

The kids are clearly happy and intrigued, even if -- as yet -- none of them can hope to park the car in their garage.

But they are one of the target audiences for a brand which is looking for younger buyers and a more youthful following among the kids who might choose to put a picture on their laptop — no bedroom walls for this group — as a motoring dream.

Any Rolls-Royce is a dream machine and it’s best to get the big question out of the way. The price.

“How much does it cost? It is priced from $850,000 and this car is $975,000 on the road,” says Hal Serudin, the regional PR chief of Rolls-Royce who has flown down from Singapore to keep an eye on the car.

The big-ticket item that drives up the price is a very special two-tone colour scheme, with black over a deep purple — called Belladonna — that changes colour depending on the light.

There are plenty of other subtle tweaks, from the dash trim to the seat stitching, but that’s no surprise.

“Every Rolls-Royce these days has some level of bespoke treatment. They are all built to a customer order.”

But that has not stopped a rush for this car. A firm order has arrived just hours after it is washed and detailed for our test drive, and Serudin is negotiating — even with the tantalising prospect of a deal at close to $1 million — for the car to continue on its tour before the eager buyer takes delivery.

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Black attack

When Rolls-Royce began its Black Badge range it was looking to cut the buyer profile from the wrinklies in God’s waiting room.

It has obviously worked, and not just in showrooms.

“Wow. I really want one of those. One day,” says Claudine, who is doing the school run in her racer-red HSV GTS-R.

She likes cars, she likes to drive, and she knows all about the Dawn.

“It’s big, isn’t it. And I love the cabin, it’s so luxurious,” she says, as Serudin invites her to take a seat. But not a drive.

Rolls-Royce was responding to an existing need among its owners with the Black Badge package, which is mostly visual but includes a few tweaks to sharpen the driving experience.

“We noticed more and more people were blacking out their cars. They were doing it themselves. But what was missing was the age-old craftsmanship,” says Serudin.

“At first we didn’t see the requirement. But the noise grew louder.

“We decided it was high time for us to do it. And more and more younger people were getting into the brand, with millenials among them.

“It’s a great way to rejuvenate the brand. We’ve always wanted to reach out to younger, but also newer, customers.”

The first Black Badge models were the Ghost and two-door Wraith in 2016.

“The story for Australia is that the Dawn, in standard form, got so popular that customers were hankering for a Black Badge. So here we are,” he says.

And has the youth movement worked?

“The average age for a Phantom buyer has dropped to around 50. But the average across the brand, globally, is now 39.

“These are new entrepreneurs with a lot of money. They are assertive, and they want something bold."

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In the box

The basics of the Dawn are unchanged, from the twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 and eight-speed automatic to the four-adult cabin, a seven-layer folding cloth top and the sort of hand-built craftsmanship that gives Rolls-Royce it’s unique selling point.

Dawn Black Badge was rolled out at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, appropriate as the event is run across the road — literally — from the Rolls-Royce factory.

But there are important mechanical changes, as the engine’s output is bumped to a rousing 442kW — although there is still no tachometer in the dash — with an 840Nm waterfall of torque from just above idle.

That’s an extra 22kW and 20Nm, although it’s not a lot in a car that weighs 2560kg.

Perhaps more importantly, the throttle mapping is recalibrated for what R-R describes as “an enhanced feeling of urgency”, just as the suspension is a little firmer — no real details are provided — and the steering is sharper.

The brakes also get a little work, with an extra inch in their diameter, and the transmission also gives slightly earlier downshifts to provide more engine braking.

There is an all-new exhaust system for the car, including a ‘low’ button to deliver a sound that R-R describes as “authority rather than hysteria”.

Visually, the obvious change is the high-gloss black on the bonnet mascot. The dark treatment extends to the grille surround, boot lid trim and exhaust outlets. This car also has dark carbon-fibre alloys.

Inside, the big change is the absence of wood in the dash. Instead, tiny 0.3mm aluminium threads have been woven tougher and then bonded into carbon-fibre and polished for a more youthful look.

At the rear of the cabin there is an ‘Infinity’ symbol — nothing to do with Sydney — embroided into the leather.

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On the road

It’s a bit chilly on this winter’s morning, but the school run has to be done top-down.

The change from coupe to convertible is quick and easy, and so is dribbling along with the traffic at 60km/h.

The heating is great, the view over the Spirit of Ecstasy is glorious, and the soft yellow light adds to the visual impact.

But not for long.

“Dad, it’s blowy back here,” says the nine-year-old, and the top goes up, with only a short drop below the trigger speed of 50km/h.

Now the car is taut and relaxed, although that’s not the feeling behind the wheel of something this costly.

But the Black Badge has more immediacy than I remember, with slightly more feel from the wheel and a little more response to the accelerator.

The exhaust has more bass, but it’s not remotely shouty and there are no childish artificial pops or bangs.

With the kids safely in school there is time, and reason, for a long loop out into the country.

This is where the Black Badge excels, as the tweaking removes the floaty feel that is so typical of a R-R without compromising comfort.

It’s never going to be a sports car, but it’s easier to get the Dawn gliding through a corner and there is better wheel control over bumps and corrugations without upsetting the occupants.

The brakes might be better but it’s hard to tell in something this chunky. And it’s not a car to stomp and throw at a corner.

But the engine response is epic, as I discover on a long uphill climb where the car positively romps up a section where even a sporty V8 requires a couple of downshifts.

I ask, and it delivers. And then some.

There is no need to push the 1800-Watt sound system as, like so much of the R-R experience, it’s enough to know it’s there and on call.

As I stop for a snack, the arrival of the Black Badge triggers pictures and chat, although nothing so gauche as selfies by the slightly-older crowd around the car.

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Thanks for coming

It’s impossible to get below the skin of the Black Badge in a brief preview drive, but the reaction from ‘spectators’ proves that it has the essential impact.

And it works with people who are far below pension age.

As a drive, it’s far less remote than other Rolls-Royces and has a touch more urgency. It’s not a sports car, but that’s not the idea.

It shows what Rolls-Royce can do, and is doing, as the Black Badge becomes one bookend for a company that will soon have the Cullinan – its first SUV, named after the world’s biggest diamond -- on the other side.

Fulfilling its brief perfectly, it’s been a memorable drive in the Black Badge and there’s no double Australia has enough sunshine, warmth and wealth to welcome the newest Dawn.

How much does the 2018 Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge cost?
Price: $850,000 (drive-away)
Engine: 6.6-litre twelve-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 442kW/840Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 337g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A