Rolls-Royce Wraith 2016 Review

Rolls-Royce Wraith
Road Test

At $645,000 (on the road), the Rolls Royce Wraith is one of the most expensive cars in Australia but it delivers the ultimate in quality, refinement and, of course, it has that peerless Rolls-Royce cachet.

There are very few coupes that cost as much as a Rolls-Royce Wraith on the Australian market. In fact, it’s only direct competitor, the Bentley Continental coupe, is $111,000 cheaper. Not that buyers at this price point really quibble over $100,000 and some change.

In fact, few Wraith buyers even opt for the standard $645,000 car. They add a few options, such as the ones fitted to the test car.

These included upper two-tone paint, 21-inch polished wheels, driver assistance package (adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam control, lane-departure warning, heads-up display, infrared night-vision display), bespoke interior, starlight headliner, bespoke audio, comfort entry system (power door opening/closing), instrument panel upper additional top stitch, metal fascia, RR monogram to headrests, polished stainless steel package, ‘Rolls-Royce Goodwood’ tread plates and lambswool floor mats.

These additions boosted the price by an eye-watering $145,450, for a total of $790,450. The pleasing thing to note is that, again, this is the drive-away price so you know exactly what to EFT your local Rolls-Royce dealer.

Rolls-Royce calls its made-to-order options list Bespoke. Under the Bespoke programme, you can, for example, have the starlight headliner (in which 1340 individual fibre-optic lights are hand-woven) replicate the star pattern in your part of the hemisphere.

Until a few years ago, Rolls-Royce did not publish engine output figures or acceleration times; the company would describe power output as ‘sufficient’. Now, however, Roll-Royce is happy to tell you not only engine outputs but also the Wraith’s acceleration time (0-100km/h in 4.7sec).

Rolls-Royce has not caved altogether on this tradition because it would not reveal (to us, at least) the individual cost of the above options. One can only assume that the buyers have ‘sufficient’ cash to pony up for them.

The rear-hinged doors open to reveal a lush cabin. There are very few synthetic materials to be seen here, only a few discreet plastic trims. There’s lots of cow, tree and shiny metal though.

There is no loose stitching, uneven gaps or, god forbid, mis-matched trim colours. The attention to detail is fantastic. As it should be.

Closing the heavy, long doors by hand is easy enough if you haven’t opened them too wide. If you have – and because they’re rear-hinged, you can’t reach the door handle – there’s a button near the A-pillar to close them (or open them) electrically. Even when closed by hand, the door is pulled shut and latched electronically.

The front seats are firm, with good lumbar and lateral support but the seat bases are too short to make them supremely comfortable chairs. While the centre touch screen is not entirely without its quirks (moving from one menu selection to another is not seamless) the rest of the controls and instruments are not difficult to use. The circular air vents, with their centre-pull closing mechanism, are a retro touch that works well, and like all the other controls, they are tactile and feel solid.

The Wraith’s technology is entirely up to the minute but has one quaint feature. The centre console compartment opens to reveal a phone holder that only serves to get in the way when storing stuff. In any case, there are USB ports for those who wish to charge their phones and plonk them in one of the many storage spaces on the centre console.

Getting into the back is not the crouch and stumble affair it can be in a two-plus-two coupe like this. The seats back there are comfortable and supportive and you have plenty of room to stretch out. There’s a centre console with air vents, temperature controls, a storage compartment, drink holders and there are even storage pockets designed to store iPads.

The power-operated boot lid hinges forward and with a large enough aperture to allow you to easily store bulky items in the 470-litre compartment.

The Wraith feels big around town, because it is. At almost 2.0 metres wide and 5.3 metres long, in the narrow inner city alleys it feels as though you’re threading a camel through the eye of a needle. With a three-metre-plus wheelbase and 12.7m turing circle, you soon become well acquainted with the three-point turn. The tall body also makes it harder to see anything in close proximity of the Rolls, too. A boon then is the Top View Camera, which as the name suggests gives you a bird’s-eye view of the immediate surroundings on the centre screen.

As you weave your regal way around town, the Wraith wafts with its magic carpet ride discreetly shielding the occupants from any road disturbance. That is, except for sharp bumps such as potholes, when an unseemly thump and jolt is transferred to the cabin.

When cruising at speed on rough secondary roads, the RR doesn’t so much waft as flounce. It feels as though the dampers are not keeping up with the cushy air springs. Steer clear of such roads, and progress is just as smooth and serene as it is in town.

Put your foot down from a standstill and the nose lifts like the finest Riva speedboat. No tachometer is fitted to the Wraith; instead it has a power reserve gauge. The engine can just be heard as it reaches for its, presumably, ‘sufficient’ redline and the only other indication that you’re going rather fast is the scenery turning to a blur. It’s a dignified way of piling on speed, and it all happens bloody quickly too.

At a steady 110km/h cruise, the engine could just be heard and wind noise was just a very faint ruffling. Which is a surprise, given that with its bluff, tall nose, the Rolls doesn’t so much slice through the air as bludgeon its way through it.

Those brick-like aerodynamics, in part, explain the Wraith’s fuel consumption (2.3 tonnes of body being shifted around by a 6.6-litre V12 might just have a little bit to do with it too). On test, with a mix of about 60 per cent highway and 40 per cent urban driving, the Wraith ingested 23.7L/100km. The NEDC combined figure is 14.0L/100km.

The Wraith had the optional adaptive cruise control (ACC) fitted. The Rolls-Royce system includes a stop-and-go feature for heavy traffic. The stop and go function was conservative when responding in slow traffic, even when the closest following distance was selected. At higher speeds (60-80km/h) it was late to react to vehicles slowing down ahead. It’s not the most intuitive ACC out there.

Although this is the most sporty Rolls-Royce made, it doesn’t have those rather gauche inclusions such as paddle shifters. What the Wraith has instead is a ‘Low’ switch on the gear selector. Engaging Low makes the eight-speed ZF transmission hold onto gears a little longer and downshift more quickly. So, it’s a sport mode, but let’s not call it that.

The transmission is satellite guided, meaning that it ‘knows’ where you are and so, for example, when approaching a corner, will anticipate by holding a lower gear rather than upshifting. It’s a clever system that works well.

The Wraith grips well through corners and body roll is contained, but the steering is light and doesn’t give you the feedback you’d hope that it might.

The lack of suspension control in some conditions and the slow ACC system were disappointing, but the Wraith’s high level of performance and refinement, beautiful presentation inside and out and sheer presence are qualities that, it seems, (a lot of) money can buy.

2016 Rolls-Royce Wraith pricing and specifications:
Price: $645,000 (includes on-road costs)
Engine: 6.6-litre V12 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 465kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.0L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 327g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety Rating: n/a

Also consider:
>> Bentley Continental GT Speed (from $534,000 plus ORCs)