While a lot of ‘traditional’ manufacturers are wrestling with the process of incorporating their traditional brand values into a new electrified future, one of the oldest and arguably most traditional has just gone and dropped an electric vehicle that makes it look easy.
Let me just get this out of the way right at the very start: the Rolls-Royce Spectre is an utterly magnificent vehicle. You don’t need to read any further if you don’t want to, the Spectre is simply a staggering achievement in luxury, comfort, performance and, but most importantly, sheer refinement.
While it could be argued that this absolutely should be the case for any vehicle starting at $750,000 (and let’s be honest here; almost no Spectres will roll out of the showroom under a tidy million, given the amount of personalisation available), Rolls-Royce has managed to take that even further with its first production EV.
Of course it helps that the key aspects of electrification are all Rolls-Royce hallmarks, while aspects that could be considered a negative for other manufacturers really don’t matter either.
Silent operation, effortless torque and accessible performance are all expected from a Rolls, which is what EVs do very well indeed, while size and weight really don’t matter here.
And as for our old friend range anxiety? Well, it really isn’t an issue up in the rarified atmosphere of Rolls-Royce ownership, and while the Spectre has a more-than-sufficient range of 530km, it doesn’t really matter.
Why? Because when Rolls-Royce consulted with its owners about what kind of range they expected, most simply said around 300 miles (483km) would be more than enough; if they were travelling any further than that they would simply take a helicopter. Or a private jet. Which makes sense, really…
But the single-most staggering achievement Rolls-Royce has realised with the Spectre is its utter silence.
While serene wafting is the expected mode of transport in a Rolls-Royce, part of me did expect to miss the refined purr of twelve cylinders under the extremely long bonnet.
While serene wafting is the expected mode of transport in a Rolls-Royce, part of me did expect to miss the refined purr of twelve cylinders under the extremely long bonnet. However, the absolute silence that the Spectre rocks along in is so utterly unworldly that it makes other luxury vehicles (yes, that is including all other Rolls-Royces) seem almost coarse and unrefined in comparison.
A large part of this is due to the size and sheer density of EV batteries. While this is largely a negative for other manufacturers, Rolls-Royce engineers used it to their advantage. With weight not really mattering to Rolls-Royce buyers, the density of a battery worked perfectly for sound deadening, allowing the company to go all-in with the silence, including a unique double-skinned floor.
While all EVs are, by their very nature, all but silent in their operation, the Spectre adds to this total lack of propulsion noise by all but eliminating road noise, and it’s surprisingly slippery nature (the Spectre is the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever produced, with a drag coefficient of just 0.25) means that wind noise is almost totally absent as well.
With the sound of an engine providing such a significant emotional connection between the act of driving and our weird little monkey brains, driving the Spectre at open road speeds is a truly surreal experience at first.
There is almost nothing in the way of sounds you traditionally expect to hear from a car, even a very quiet luxury one, but you quickly become accustomed to it, and floating imperiously around in absolute silence soon becomes the norm.
Most [Rolls-Royce owners] simply said around 300 miles would be more than enough; if they were travelling any further than that they would simply take a helicopter. Or a private jet.
And quite addictive, I have to say. In fact, going back into a lesser vehicle – either ICE or EV – is a rather jarring experience. Regardless of how refined your car might be, the Spectre is moreso.
In an amusingly pointless nod to both nostalgia and modern expectations, there is a fake ‘engine’ sound, but it is a very subtle, slightly futuristic ‘whoosh’ and everybody will instantly turn it off anyway because the relentless silence is just so much more impressive.
Of course the impressive silence is accompanied by the almost excessive amounts of luxury you would expect from a Rolls, with every surface being made out of – or covered in – vastly high-quality materials.
Those materials are in the colour of your choosing, as with all Rolls-Royces the Spectre is massively personalisable, meaning the interior (and exterior) can be as restrained or wild as you want. You don’t have to have the extremely purple finish of our test car, but you really should because it is awesome…
While it does have meaningful nods to modern nonsense like aerodynamics, the Spectre is still every bit as imposing as any other Rolls-Royce. The fact that it is utterly immense helps (as does the colour), but the sheer presence of the Spectre projects is truly regal.
You don’t have to have the extremely purple finish of our test car, but you really should because it is awesome…
For example, that massive grille serves no purpose in the way of cooling anything, and while it does contribute to channelling air flow, its main purpose is to simply be majestic.
And ‘majestic’ is the best way to describe how the Spectre gets along as well. It wafts effortlessly at any speed across any road surface, totally unconcerned by silly things like road surface or weather conditions, keeping its occupants isolated from the outside world and its silly problems.
The 102kWh battery and two electric motors pump out 430kW and 900Nm, propelling the 2975kg coupe to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, with that big torque figure being the key player in the Spectre’s drivability – it is simply everywhere.
The ride is, of course, equally majestic, with Rolls-Royce clearly having experience in suspending hefty cars in a proficient fashion, and while the Spectre does have to haul around that massive battery, it is actually only around 100-150kg heavier than any other Rolls in the range, making the overall penalty for electrification largely negligible.
The Spectre rides on the same all-aluminium platform as the Cullinan and Phantom (the appropriately, if slightly pretentiously named ‘Architecture of Luxury’) and uses BMW electric motors, which means it shares more than just its slim headlight styling with the BMW i7.
It also handles much like the biggest BMW EV in that it is surprisingly agile for such a massive luxury vehicle. Yes, it is a huge, heavy car and you are always aware of that, but the chassis never feels overwhelmed by it and remains impressively responsive on a winding road.
But being the ultimate driving machine is not what Rolls-Royce is about anyway, even if its parent company is. No, what Rolls-Royce has always excelled in is exactly what the Spectre has actually managed to improve upon with its transition to electricity – effortless performance, extreme luxury and refined silence.
Or in the case of the Spectre, utter, unmitigated and absolute refined silence.
What are the key statistics for the Rolls-Royce Spectre?
The Spectre uses a 102kWh battery and dual electric motors for AWD and a 0 to 100 time of just 4.5 seconds, despite weighing almost three tonnes. It has 430kW of power and a colossal 900Nm of torque on call, and it has a claimed WLTP range of 530km, but this doesn’t matter because if you are going any further than that you’ll probably take the helicopter.
Is the Rolls-Royce Spectre efficient?
Rolls-Royce claims 21.5kWh/100km for the Spectre, which seems about right, but again, doesn’t really matter just like fuel economy is never really an issue for ICE-powered Rolls-Royces. This is a massive, opulent – even profligate – luxury car after all. I mean, hell, it’s a three tonne car with two doors – there’s nothing even remotely efficient about any of that anyway…
Is the Rolls-Royce Spectre good to drive?
Hard to say, because you don’t really “drive” a Rolls-Royce. You pilot it, or guide it. Or, at a stretch, even helm it. And, of course, it is exceptional at all of those. While it is also surprisingly agile, its sheer size means it isn’t exactly something you will take out for a fun thrash on a back road.
Is the Rolls-Royce Spectre practical?
I mean, if by ‘practical’ you mean roomy with an enormous boot, then yes, absolutely the Spectre is very practical indeed. If your definition of practicality means making the most of all that space with plenty of seats and handy storage options, then… no. It’s all about luxury, after all, so while it is immense, it is only a four-seater and revels in the sheer impracticality of being utterly enormous.
What do we like about the Rolls-Royce Spectre?
It’s the ultimate in luxury, it’s eerily silent and it is surprisingly quick.
What don’t we like about the Rolls-Royce Spectre?
Well, I’ll never be able afford one, obviously. Oh, and the speed limit monitoring lowers the volume of the stereo to politely warn you when you have exceed the posted limit. I don’t like anything that messes with my music, but fortunately this can be turned off. And, importantly, it stays off too.
What kind of person would the Rolls-Royce suit?
Let’s face it: anyone who can afford one and wants one. In the days of the classic Silver Shadow, a Rolls would be deservingly considered a car almost exclusively for wealthy old men, but modern vehicles like the Spectre are literally for anyone who can pony up the cash – and can be as wildly ostentatious (and, yes, even tasteless) or as soberly conservative as you want.
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