Rolls-Royce Ghost 2010 Review

Rolls-Royce Ghost

What we liked
>> Seamless, apparently endless acceleration
>> Quality of the cabin materials
>> Real chrome door handles

About our ratings

OVERVIEW

The chaps at Rolls-Royce look like geniuses bringing out the GFC edition limousine, but the reality is that the die was cast long before Bernie made-off with millions and the world's economy collapsed. This car was coming, crisis or not. I say good fellow, talk about a smashing stroke of good luck.

Rolls-Royce wanted to plug the price gap between the top end Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Jaguars (and, dare we say it, Bentleys) and its million-dollar-plus limousine. So it came up with a concept that was bigger than a BMW 7 Series and smaller than the Phantom -- but it had to look every bit like a Rolls-Royce.

The German owners of this proud British institution, BMW, decided to use some of the hardware and knowhow from its latest 7 Series... But accuse this car of being a BMW under the skin and you'll be met with a stern tut-tut from the fine folk at Rolls.

And fair cop, too, old mate -- 80 per cent of the Ghost is all-new. And most of the 20 per cent that's borrowed from BMW is stuff you can't see.

Well, we did say most of it. Pesky motoring journos waste no time in spotting some of the similarities between the Ghost and the BMW (the key, the vanity mirrors, the boot closing button, the display screen in the dash, the fin-like roof aerial, the mobile phone holder, the radar cruise control, the heads-up display, the... Er, need we go on?

In reality this is no bad thing. At least the parts are from good stock, old chap. Besides, customers are not likely to ever notice because, in this price sphere, it's probably been a long time since they were in a BMW.

Clearly, it hasn't affected sales either. Demand for the Ghost is strong globally and in Australia. Order a Ghost today and the wait is a minimum of six months -- unless you want to take on someone else's cancelled order.

Rolls-Royce has 34 Ghosts on order in Australia and expects to deliver 22 of those in the last six months of this year -- nine of these are already in production.

While 80 per cent of Ghost buyers globally are expected to be new to the Rolls-Royce brand, eight of the first nine Australian customers will park their Ghost either alongside their Phantom -- or where their Phantom used to be.

Interestingly, Rolls-Royce says the Ghost has not come at the expense of Phantom sales.

"In fact, we've sold two Phantoms since the Ghost came out," says the Sydney-based general manager of Rolls-Royce in Australia, Bevin Clayton.

"Some people have waited to see what the Ghost was like before making a decision and then placed an order for a Phantom."

That's some 30 cent ice cream cone. It's not every day your price-leader is more than half a million dollars. And, as we were to discover, that's only the start.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

Hmmm, let's see, where to start? How much might you expect to pay for a sunroof? No, wrong... How does $11,900 sound? (You know, for $1000 more you can buy a Holden Barina and they'll throw in the sunroof for free!)

Okay, next. How much would you pay for rear "climate control" air-conditioning? No, wrong again. That's a princely $9600. Good thing they don't charge to wind the windows down.

Rear cabin curtains in Oyster (the colour, not the sea creature) are a cool $9600. For that you could re-do your whole house.

We can understand some of the eccentric stuff costing so much, but what about the stuff that is usually standard in the top end Benzes, BMWs and Jaguars, such as stop-start radar cruise control, heads-up display and night vision? The package that combines these jolly features is (cough), $17,100.

Rear DVD screens? $10,600. A TV tuner with that? Another $1900 thanks. The cool, satin-finish silver bonnet that's a signature of the car. That's a $8500 option. Chrome exhaust tips? $5500. That's not the whole exhaust, just the tips.

Rolls-Royce has even taken the fun out of some of the fun stuff. The seven cameras (reverse, front, side and 'birds-eye view) are $5500 extra. And to think you get a rear camera as standard on a Toyota Camry.

But you know what? The Rolls-Royce option list isn't all bad reading. Just like Mazda, Rolls-Royce doesn't charge for metallic paint.

Oh, hang on a minute. But if sir would like body-coloured wheel centres, that'll be another $1200 thanks for asking. Cash or credit?

Still not shocked? Get this: in Australia most Ghost customers add about $90,000 worth of options to their cars, pushing the average retail price closer to $730K.

MECHANICAL

This is the fastest Rolls-Royce limousine ever built. The company doesn't usually go for boy-racer numbers, but it is proud of this little effort: 0 to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds -- one full second quicker than the Phantom. That'll comfortably see off Australia's fastest turbo and V8 sports sedans -- and is not too far off your garden variety Porsche. But you can bet they won't be travelling at warp speed in this much comfort.

At the heart of the matter is a twin-turbo 6.5-litre V12. With 420kW and 780Nm it makes light work of the Ghost's 2360kg frame. Little wonder: it's also more powerful than the Phantom's non-turbo 6.75-litre V12 (338kW and 720Nm).

Matched to an eight-speed transmission, it makes for super-smooth acceleration.

Consumption's not too bad in the circumstances either. The average fuel rating is 13.6L/100km -- no worse than your average HSV.

Of course, these numbers go out the window once you explore the engine's potential. And believe me, you'll want to.

PACKAGING

There are some BMW suspension components, but the car itself is uniquely Rolls-Royce to the core. It was even designed in England.

At 5399mm in length it's not much longer than a Holden Caprice. Although it looks like it could take up a whole lane, at 1948mm wide it's (slightly) narrower than a Hummer H3.

But she is a cumbersome beast. With a wheelbase of 3295mm -- almost 30cm longer than a Holden Caprice -- U-turns are best done by your chauffeur. Better still, get him to drive around the block. The turning circle is a massive 13.4 metres -- bigger than the biggest 4WD on sale today.

But for that you get acres of space, up front or out back. You can even get aircraft style captain's chairs. But, you guessed it, they're an option: $10,200 no less.

SAFETY

But you can be fairly certain that the Ghost would achieve a five-star score or higher (if such a score existed).

In addition to having weight on its side, it is equipped with eight airbags (two front, two side curtains, and chest protection airbags in four seats).

Stability control is standard, while heads-up display (which reflects speed and other important information in the driver's line of sight in the windscreen) radar cruise control with stop-start, and cornering lights are optional.

COMPETITORS

At $645,000, it sits at least $200,000 or more above the top-end Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Jaguars -- and even the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Only the new Bentley Musanne comes close, at $695,000 plus on-road costs, and the inevitable options.

Of course, the biggest enemy is the bank manager. And the Reserve.

At first the steering feels too light and vague. All the ingredients are there, it's just that it seems Rolls-Royce has tried to make everything feel as gentle as possible.

The closest way to describe the steering is a yacht or a large cruising boat. That's not trying to be unkind, it's my way of saying it takes a little planning before the steering action takes affect at the tyre tread. For the Rolls-Royce made for drivers, this was a little surprising.

But as the kilometres rolled on and the Ghost and I got to know each other, we started to get in sync. Before long it felt normal.

As you'd expect the ride is quiet and the suspension feels like it's floating on air --because it is. Air suspension is standard. You can adjust the height when getting in and out but there's no adjustment for sport or comfort modes. It's comfort all the way.

Indeed, the air suspension feels fantastic on smooth roads or on surfaces with subtle ripples and bumps. But as with many cars with air suspension, it doesn't like expansion joins or hiccups in the road. Sharp edges are met with a noisy thud. Presumably the driveways of luxury hotels and golf clubs will not have such rough terrain.

For me the single most impressive aspect of the Ghost was the acceleration. Frankly, you don't expect something so opulent to be so wickedly quick.

And it's not just that. The smoothness of acceleration gives new meaning to the term "seamless surge". It feels like it will never run out of puff.

The super-quick Mercedes and Jaguar limousines will give you a decent shove in the back, but they are far more brutal in their dash to 100km/h. It cannot be understated how effective and deceivingly quick the Ghost is. Indeed, it's quite addictive. So engaging was this car to drive that at no point was I keen to ride in the back (in the interests of investigative journalism I sat in the back before we set off).

And so, I guess, it's true. Finally, Rolls-Royce has built a car that's more fun for the front-seat driver. Good thing there's plenty of space for a big wallet.

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