{"id":92565,"date":"2014-02-28T18:24:20","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T17:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gtspirit.com\/?p=92565"},"modified":"2014-10-09T15:18:14","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T13:18:14","slug":"2014-rolls-royce-ghost-ewb-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtspirit.com\/2014\/02\/28\/2014-rolls-royce-ghost-ewb-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2014 Rolls-Royce Ghost & Ghost EWB Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n Last year, we were lucky enough to get behind the wheel of Rolls-Royce\u2019s gloriously decadent Phantom Series II, the facelifted version of the model that has spearheaded the revitalisation of Rolls-Royce under BMW. Now, a year on, we\u2019ve managed to get behind the wheel of one of the products of that revitalisation: the Ghost, here in full-fat extended-wheelbase form. The question is, does it feel like a cheaper version of the real thing, or is the cost saving and extra performance enough to sway you away from the Phantom? We\u2019re about to find out!<\/p>\n Engine<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Under the bonnet of the 2014 Rolls-Royce Ghost sits Rolls-Royce\u2019s 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12. It\u2019s derived from BMW\u2019s N74 engine, which powers the current 7 Series, and it delivers a huge 570PS, not to mention a whopping 780Nm slug of torque. That gives the Ghost a 110PS advantage over the larger, pricier Phantom, which results in it hitting 100km\/h almost a second faster, in exactly five seconds dead. Top speed, as you\u2019d expect, is pegged back to 250km\/h.<\/p>\n Gearbox and Drivetrain<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Once again, there are few surprises here. That enormous engine drives the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox \u2013 ZF\u2019s excellent 8HP unit, to be precise. Here it\u2019s been tuned for softness and ultimate luxury, though, so you won\u2019t find the ability to control it manually. Instead, you simply select park, reverse, neutral or drive from a selector mounted on the column, and then leave the car to do the work. Because after all, a paddle shift in a Rolls would be rather unseemly\u2026 <\/p>\n Like the Wraith we drove a few months ago, this version of the 8HP uses GPS positioning to work out where you are on the road and find the right gear accordingly, sometimes in anticipation of the road ahead. So for example, if the gearbox realises you\u2019re about to hit an incline, it might change down in preparation; or on a winding road, it might hold off on shifting up when it realises you\u2019re approaching a corner. All very clever, and all aimed at making the driving experience as stress-free and as seamless as possible.<\/p>\n Suspension & Chassis<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The towering flanks of the Ghost actually sit upon a rather more plebeian foundation, though only just: like the engine, the floorpan can trace its roots back to the BMW 7 Series. Here, of course, it\u2019s been extended by 170mm in order to provide that all-important rear legroom. However, suspension is now provided by a four-corner air system, as opposed to the 7 Series\u2019 rear-only setup, which supposedly adjusts itself every 2.5 milliseconds according to the driving conditions. The suspension also offers \u2018lift and kneel\u2019 functionality, allowing the whole car to be dropped slightly to aid entry, or raised to cover rough terrain. <\/p>\n As you\u2019d expect, the Ghost also comes fitted with a plethora of electronic aids, including dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control and dynamic brake control. And in order to keep body roll in check, active anti-roll bars have been fitted on both axles.<\/p>\n Design<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Rolls-Royce would like you to think that the Ghost is the sporting option, and while its design is certainly more rakish than the starchy Phantom, it\u2019s far from a razor-edged supercar. Rather, the Ghost looks to all intents and purposes like a Phantom that\u2019s been under a heater for a couple of minutes \u2013 its edges softened off, its roof-line lower and its lines more flowing. <\/p>\n If that sounds like it\u2019s doing the Ghost\u2019s aesthetics a disservice, it shouldn\u2019t. Rolls-Royce\u2019s design team have done an outstanding job here. It\u2019s imposing, grand and stylish \u2013 every inch a Rolls-Royce, in other words \u2013 and yet that softness gives it a more universal appeal than the Phantom. Don\u2019t think of the Ghost as a Rolls Lite; rather, it\u2019s a fine Saint-Emilion to the Phantom\u2019s vintage port.<\/p>\n Even more impressive is that the Extended Wheelbase\u2019s alterations are almost impossible to discern unless it\u2019s parked next to a stock Ghost. In fact, after a few days, the EWB begins to look like the car the Ghost always should have been, its extra length giving the standard car\u2019s smooth shape added gravitas. With so many long wheelbase versions looking so obviously stretched, that\u2019s quite an achievement. <\/p>\n Interior<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> As with any Rolls, inside is where the Ghost appeals most of all. Climb in, and the first thing you notice is your feet sinking into a pillow-soft layer of carpet; the second is that every surface, even the headlining, is covered in leather \u2013 and what isn\u2019t is either swathed in wood or chrome. Switchgear is beautifully crafted from translucent plastic that gives the effect of crystal, and a large chunk of wood in the centre of the dash slides away at the touch of the button to reveal the infotainment display.<\/p>\n Here, though, is one of the rare areas where the Ghost\u2019s BMW bloodline shows through. Though the software\u2019s been re-skinned with Rolls-Royce graphics, the basic system is very obviously BMW\u2019s latest iDrive setup. That\u2019s no bad thing; with the exception of some frustrating sat nav lagginess, the system works well and is easy to get to grips with. But if you\u2019ve spent a lot of time in BMWs, this might be one area that feels a little too familiar.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n That said, it\u2019s commendably the only area that suffers in that regard. Every other part here feels truly befitting of a Rolls. The steering wheel and column stalks, both spindly and delicate to use, evoke past Rolls models \u2013 the company\u2019s resisted the current trend for thicker rims and smaller diameters in favour of retaining that link to its past. And there are some distinctly satisfying touches elsewhere, too \u2013 for instance, the stiff, chunky chrome sliders that activate the air vents, and the trip computer display, which looms through a seemingly opaque piece of black trim. <\/p>\n In the back, things only become more lavish. A frankly gratuitous 1,245mm of legroom is available back here, allowing even the tallest of passengers to stretch out in comfort. There are three rear seats, though foldable armrest can turn the bench into two individual armchairs, both individually adjustable and heated electrically. There\u2019s more ankle-deep carpet, and the C-pillars are positioned with the aim of obscuring the passengers\u2019 heads from prying eyes \u2013 not that they\u2019d be able to see much through the tinted glass, mind.<\/p>\n Driving Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> Picture in your mind what you imagine driving a Rolls-Royce to feel like. Is it cosseting? Smooth? Effortless? If so, you\u2019ve pretty much got an idea of the Ghost experience already. <\/p>\n The first thing that strikes you when you grasp that thin-rimmed wheel and pull away is the steering. Where many prestige car makers are aiming for quicker racks, more feel and a darting, lively front end, Rolls-Royce is standing its ground. The Ghost doesn\u2019t quite have the same sense of a battleship going about as the Phantom does, but it\u2019s far from sporting. You still need to twirl the wheel further than you\u2019d expect to elicit a reaction, the nose easing around slowly but purposefully when you do. <\/p>\n But that\u2019s OK. In fact, it\u2019s all OK, because you don\u2019t want or expect a car like this to feel like a sports car. You want it to feel dignified and deliberate, rather than light and nervy. And that\u2019s exactly what it does. The wheel\u2019s beautifully weighted, too; despite the size and weight of the car, it never feel heavy or sluggish; rather, there\u2019s a silken resistance to the wheel\u2019s action, as though you\u2019re stirring a pot of double cream.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Try bowling the Ghost along a twisting road, and it soon becomes even more evident that this isn\u2019t a sports saloon, but rather, a luxury cruiser. Nevertheless, it can deal surprisingly competently with being manhandled along a tight country road. Grip levels are high, and in combination with the driver aids, they mean this heavyweight can actually hit some remarkably high cornering speeds. And while the Ghost rolls (no pun intended), it never wallows. Instead, it seems to have a limit to which it\u2019ll sway, before the active roll bars kick in and hold it there. But as capable as it may be, there\u2019s an underlying sense that the Ghost isn\u2019t really at ease with being hustled along like this. Which, again, is probably just as it should be \u2013 such uncouth behaviour is simply below it. <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the Ghost\u2019s natural stomping ground, after all. For that, you have to look to fast, open stretches of tarmac, where it can settle into providing you with the smooth, cosseting driving experience it\u2019s so clearly been designed to offer. Rolls-Royce talks of a magic carpet ride, and it\u2019s pretty close, though the occasional thump over a sudden expansion joint denies the Ghost the ultimate seamlessness of the Phantom. The gearbox, too, is impressive. Where it can get a little flustered on a back road, here it fades admirably into the background. Changes are undetectable; the surge of power when you squeeze the right pedal is unblemished, and the only sign the gearbox is doing anything is perhaps a momentary delay while it chooses the right ratio to serve up, like a butler selecting the correct knife to lay for the fish course. <\/p>\n <\/a> Once it\u2019s done so, though, boy do you know about it. The back end squats, the bonnet rises, and you\u2019re thrust forward on the back of a constant and unending chunk of torque. The way the Ghost shifts for a car of its size is truly astonishing. Even in the comparative isolation of its double-glazed cabin, the sense of power and unstoppability is enough to widen the eyes. Being overtaken by it must be spectacular, like being passed by a small office block travelling at supersonic pace. There\u2019s simply no let-up; just an unending, crushing display of superiority that\u2019d worry even a few junior supercars. And yet, there\u2019s no fuss or bother. Just a faint trace of a snarl from the twelve cylinders up front, perhaps a lick of wind noise around the tops of the doors, and before you know it, you\u2019re doing license-losing speeds. In this environment, bolting along a motorway or along a fast, sweeping A-road, the Ghost is utterly wonderful. And while it won\u2019t keep the faster, 630PS Wraith honest, at the same time you never feel short of power. There\u2019s little to want for, in fact. <\/p>\n What to spec<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n As you might expect, the Ghost comes pretty richly-endowed as standard, but there are a selection of options you an add, and some are worth having.<\/p>\n Camera system:<\/strong> Provides side, rear, and top-down views of the car\u2019s surroundings. The Thanks to its falling bonnet line and slim rear screen, the Ghost\u2019s farthest corners can be a little difficult to spot from the driver\u2019s seat, so this will help with parking manoeuvres. <\/p>\n Driver Assistance Systems Three:<\/strong> The most expensive of three packages for driver assistance comes with Active Cruise Control \u2013 a must for making long-distance trips in the Ghost as hassle-free as they should be.<\/p>\n Rear Theatre Configuration:<\/strong> Features a screen mounted on the rear of each front seat with headphone jacks for each. Well, if you\u2019re going to buy the Extended Wheelbase, you obviously want to put someone important in the back \u2013 so why not give them something to watch while they\u2019re there?<\/p>\n TV Tuner:<\/strong> Available separately to the rear seat theatre, this option adds digital TV capability, meaning there\u2019s always something to watch \u2013 even if you don\u2019t happen to have any DVDs on you!<\/p>\n Single-tone Paint:<\/strong> The same two-tone paint that\u2019s available on the Wraith and Phantom is available for the Ghost too. However, we reckon the Ghost Extended Wheelbase looks at its best in a single shade. Choose a dark colour \u2013 perhaps a deep red or blue \u2013 for a regal look. <\/p>\n What about the competition?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a>
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