2020 Rolls-Royce Ghost review: The appliance of séance

Has Rolls-Royce’s new ‘post-opulent’ direction given us the Ghost with the most? Andrew Frankel takes the spook trail

2020 Rolls Royce Ghost front

Rolls Royce Ghost

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Current page

165

Current page

166

Current page

167

Current page

168

Current page

169

Current page

170

Current page

171

Current page

172

Current page

173

Current page

174

Current page

175

Current page

176

Current page

177

Current page

178

Current page

179

Current page

180

Current page

181

Current page

182

Current page

183

Current page

184

Current page

185

Current page

186

Current page

187

Current page

188

Current page

189

Current page

190

Current page

191

Current page

192

Current page

193

Current page

194

Current page

195

Current page

196

Current page

197

Current page

198

Current page

199

Current page

200

Current page

201

Current page

202

Current page

203

Current page

204

It is strange to think that Rolls-Royces are now made in exactly the same way as almost all other cars, at least at a conceptual level. When BMW first relaunched the brand in 2003, the then-new Phantom had a unique aluminium spaceframe, while the Ghost, which joined it in 2009, came with an adapted monocoque from the 7 Series. Architecturally the two cars had nothing whatsoever to do with each other.

This new Ghost uses the same versatile and modular structure as the Phantom and Cullinan SUV, as will future versions of the Wraith and Dawn. It’s called platform architecture, and less noble companies have been doing it for decades because it allows cars to appear different on the surface while having more than a little in common beneath the skin. An early example was the Type Four platform in the ’80s shared by the Fiat Croma, Alfa 164, Lancia Thema and Saab 9000.

As ever with the new Rolls-Royce, these structures are assembled in Germany before being shipped to Goodwood for fit, finish and liberal applications of the stardust required to turn a hunk of well-engineered metal into a car fit for perhaps what remains the most coveted automotive brand of all.

“Had Rolls kept the analogue dials they would have preserved the illusion of old-school engineering”

So don’t be surprised to learn this new Ghost has the same 6.75-litre V12 motor and eight-speed gearbox as the Phantom and Cullinan, that it too directs its power to all four wheels, all of which are also steered. It has a clever new mass damper on its front suspension to help sponge away secondary interference but it’ll be popping up on its stablemates in short order, sure as Claude Johnson was the hyphen in Rolls-Royce.

This is all good news. While the old Ghost couldn’t escape its BMW origins, this new one is based only on Rolls-Royce componentry so it feels less compromised and more of a Rolls.

The bad news is that while it is a fine-looking car, whose proportions are so svelte it’s almost impossible to believe, it shares its DNA with the ungainly Cullinan so it’s less distinctive than the rather raffish old Ghost, which was the best-looking luxury car seen so far this century.

2020 Rolls Royce Ghost interior

The interior showcases the company’s ethos of design simplicity

When you talk to its designers they leave the impression that this was part of the plan. They talk in terms of this being a ‘post-opulent’ Rolls, one bought by a discreet clientele who value understatement. Those who want a truly extrovert, ostentatious wealth statement on wheels always have the Phantom to fall back on, while if you care more about making a statement than what that statement may actually be, the Cullinan is at your disposal.

While I’d still not call the Ghost subtle, it is simple and elegant inside and out. The controls and information displays are easily operated and understood, while trademark features like the horizontal rotary sliders that control the air conditioning and the power- reserve gauge in place of a rev counter have been preserved. What’s gone are the analogue dials, and that’s a shame. Our three-year-old family Golf has electronic instruments so there’s nothing special about them, and had Rolls kept the analogue dials they would have at least preserved the illusion of old-school mechanical engineering.

The engine is quiet as a crypt when it fires up and those expecting some kind of hybrid assistance will be surprised by its absence. Rolls would now be so late to that party it would risk arriving as last orders were called. It will now progress from internal combustion engines to the phased introduction of all-electric powerplants, starting before the end of this decade without taking that interim step.

Predictably, terrible fuel consumption aside, there is a great deal to be said for the approach. Because its engine is so large and lazy (83bhp per litre is a barely out of bed output for a turbo motor), it offers such thrusting, near-silent torque from idle, it almost could be an electric motor. Only at maximum effort does its slightly characterless voice appear, but who but a motoring hack trying to understand his or her quarry is ever going to drive a Ghost like that?

Ride and refinement are sublime. I’m told the Phantom is quieter and more comfortable but you’d need both side by side to tell the difference. It’s also a satisfying car to drive. I’d not say it even matched, let alone improved upon, the handling of the old Ghost, which always had a surprisingly dynamic side, but Rolls has correctly concluded that such qualities are not what matters most. This Ghost is still a lovely thing to guide down the road thanks to well-weighted, nicely geared and accurate steering and its micro-managed suspension control.

The Ghost is also a car without any rivals. Now that the Bentley Mulsanne has quit the battlefield and with no replacement in sight, there’s only the Flying Spur left, which is a different car at a different price point nearly £100,000 further down the scale. Aston Martin’s revived Lagonda project looked like it might aim to occupy similar territory, but now that’s been put back to sleep for the foreseeable, the Ghost has the turf to itself.

It is less characterful to look at and drive than the old Ghost, but in ways that matter more it’s not just a better car, it’s a better Rolls-Royce. Job done, in other words.

2020 Rolls Royce Ghost rear

2020 Rolls-Royce Ghost statistics

  • Price £208,000 plus local taxes (£250,000 approx)
  • Engine 6.75 litres, 12 cylinders, turbocharged
  • Power 563bhp
  • Weight 2490kg
  • Torque 626lb ft
  • Power to weight 226bhp per tonne
  • Transmission 8-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
  • 0-62mph 4.8sec
  • Top speed 155mph (limited)
  • Economy 18.6mpg
  • CO2 347g/km
  • Verdict Understated to perfection