Matt Hubbard reviews the Rolls Royce Wraith
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
You don't drive a Rolls Royce, instead the car allows you to drive it. This is how it should be and how it feels to enter the Wraith; door opening the 'wrong' way and closing at the touch of a button, feet sinking into the thick lambswool carpet and fingers wrapping round the surprisingly thin steering wheel.
Of preconceived notions mine were initially conceived in the early 1980s via Car Magazine and stats that merely read 'adequate'. Rolls Royces were mysterious, elegant, unattainable but I would see them hammering along the A556 from my home town in Mid-Cheshire, via Knutsford and on to the spiritual home of Rolls Royce. Charles met Henry at the Midland Hotel in Manchester in 1904. Rolls said to Royce 'you build them and I'll sell them'. A partnership was sealed and a new car company created.
110 years later I drove my first Rolls Royce. A car is a car but a Rolls Royce is a Rolls Royce - different animal. My preconceived notions of quietness, luxury, a deftness of touch, of unflappability and speed were all confirmed within half a mile of setting off.
But by god the Wraith's speed took me aback. It is properly bloody quick. 0-60 in 4.4 seconds shouldn't be possible, the Wraith is huge and weighs 2.4 tonnes but it does have the advantage of being powered by the leviathan 6.6 litre V12 from the Ghost II, which has been engineered to produce a mighty 624bhp and 590b ft of torque.
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It's not a pretty car but it is handsome and has oodles of presence. It looks great in certain colour schemes and slightly unsettling in others. The trick is to visit the factory and check out the paint samples in the flesh, same goes for the leather and wood (or carbon fibre or aluminium) trim.
The signature Rolls Royce grille and Spirit of Ecstasy (which you can order in solid silver, gold plate or illuminated) are present and correct as is the elegant and unfussy bodywork.
The Wraith is a two door and the doors open back to front, inviting you in. Sit inside and press the door close button instead of pulling on it yourself.
The interior can be whatever you want it to be in terms of colours, leathers (or non-leather for the vegan multi-millionaires out there) and trim. Wraith has lowered the age of Rolls Royce' customer base by 20 years and the younger buyers tend to prefer carbon fibre, brushed aluminium or piano black over wood veneer.
Having seen it in the flesh the open grain extended Canadel Panelling veneer looks fabulous. Of course most of these choices add to the list price but who's quibbling when the starting price is over a quarter of a million pounds?
The interior is elegantly and simply laid out. The Wraith has all the tech you could want but it is subtly integrated. The controls all feel light to the touch. Some parts may be sourced from BMW but somehow they feel more Rolls Royce than Beemer.
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
Start the engine and its presence is felt more by a shimmer than anything else. Balanced and quiet it never shrieks or howls.
The dials ahead of you are classic, understated and the indicator (and wipers - it rained the entire test) are lightly damped. The indicator, though, can be a faff to turn off if the turn is not sharp enough to cancel it automatically.
The steering is fingertip light. The Wraith might weigh more than two VW Polos but the driving experience is effortless. As long as you take into account its size you can happily swoosh around all day without breaking a bead of sweat.
Push the throttle into the carpet and it picks itself up and takes off in a linear fashion and at a mighty rate. The gearbox (using the GPS in the satnav) reads the road in front of you and is prepared for whatever lies ahead. Jerky kickdown is not something needed in the Wraith.
Engage a corner and you can feel the heft of the machine but only through movement of the body. The steering remains light and precise, although without a great deal in the way of feedback. This is a grand tourer rather than a sports car.
The ride is sublime. England's terrible roads are damped in typical Rolls Royce style. On the road exterior noise is barely heard behind the twin bulkhead and thick glass.
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
Visibility is fine all round when driving, although the rear window appears quite small in the rear view mirror - best to rely on the parking sensors and camera when reversing. The mirrors obstruct visibility when manoeuvring at low speeds and when parking, a result of their placement on the doors.
I've admired the brand for as long as I can remember. My experience with a Wraith delivered on my expectations, and then some. If you're extremely rich and like to drive, rather than be driven, the Rolls Royce Wraith is the one to have.
Stats
Price - £229,128
Engine - 6.6 litre V12, twin turbo, petrol
Transmission - 8 speed ZF gearbox, RWD
Power - 624bhp
Torque - 590lb ft / 800Nm
0-60mph - 4.4 seconds
Top speed - 155mph (limited)
Economy - 20.2mpg
CO2 - 327g/km
Kerb weight - 2,435kg
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |
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| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith |