Rolls-Royce Ghost

Rolls-Royce Ghost – Overview

A brand known for its iconic presence in the automobile industry, Rolls Royce is a mark of luxury. The British brand has been established as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of German group BMW. Rolls Royce made its name after it offered the new and updated Rolls-Royce Phantom four-door sedan back in 2003.

It was after the success of Phantom that the company decided to venture deep into luxury and expanded its product line to include extended wheelbase, two-door coupé, and convertibles.Following their success in developing a luxurious brand, Rolls Royce also ventured into customization of their offerings. The current owners of the Royce can consider any level of a personal touch on their cars to make it look appealing and present their statement.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur is the official dealer of the vehicles in Malaysia that focuses on providing an exceptional customer experience. The Ghost, is the Rolls model that pushes the technology boundaries, introducing some cool new hardware in the search for the sweet spot that defines a car designed to be driven as much as it is to be inside.

The second-generation Ghost was launched in Malaysia earlier this year and it is available here in two versions. The standard-wheelbase model is priced from RM1.45 million, while the extended-wheelbase model starts from RM1.65 million. These are base prices before taxes and options, and included in the sum is a four-year/unlimited-mileage warranty with the option for an additional two-, three- or five-year ownership packages. 

Rolls-Royce Ghost – Exterior

The new Ghost is obviously very different from the famous Silver Ghost of 1906, but it is also very different from its much more recent Ghost predecessor. While the previous car shared many of its parts with the BMW 7 Series, this Ghost Series II is based on the same aluminium underpinnings as the Cullinan SUV and Phantom saloon.

The way it looks, an evolved aesthetic that is restrained as any car with a grille modelled on the Parthenon surely gives an exclusive appearance. The attention to detail is mesmeric, the body’s familiar form newly reduced in terms of obsessive lines. There were twenty LED’s hidden within the top of the grille offer subtle illumination, in order to reduce any mirrors effect. 

Rolls calls it ‘post-opulent’, ‘limited, intelligent, and unobtrusive’. In terms of size, it is 30mm wider than the old car, a small but not insignificant amount that promotes a better stance; at 5,399mm long and 1,948mm wide it occupies a lot of road space (and weighs 2,490kg).  The car’s hand-welded aluminium structure means that its body has a seamless flow to it and only interrupted by its windows. 

The slightly redesigned headlights (with available laser technology) have a more modern look, while tweaks to the lower front fascia give the car an extra dose of attitude. The sides and rear evolve discreetly, including the wheels, trunk lid and taillights. Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II gets 490 litres of boot space which is quite decent as compared to its rivals in the same price and segment. Such a trunk space guarantees owners carry enough loads without any inconvenience. 

Rolls-Royce Ghost – Interior

The Ghost is an incredible place to spend time in, replete with cherishable details. Rolls-Royce obviously prides itself on its incredible craftspersonship, and the fit and finish is extraordinary. There are power-assisted doors with gyroscopic sensors to detect if the car is on an incline. Rather than lots of distracting detail inside, there are long, straight lines of stitching.

Exquisite materials and expert craftsmanship are exhibited in every millimetre of the Ghost’s interior. Almost everything is wrapped in leather, carved from wood or milled from metal, and there are precious few man-made environments in which feel more special.

Open-pore wood decorates the dashboard, with a glowing Ghost nameplate on the passenger side that uses 152 top-mounted LEDs and 90,000 laser-etched dots across the surface to disperse the light evenly. The air vents are stainless steel, and have a pleasing resonance.

The climate control itself is by rotating red and blue discs, with beautifully damped rotary knobs to control the fan speed. One suspects that capacitive switchgear is never going to be allowed to besmirch a Rolls cabin (although the main dials are now digital). There’s also a crisp and clear instrument display that (although entirely digital), which still carries the classy look of traditional analogue dials.

A bespoke audio system incorporates a resonance chamber into the body’s sills, effectively turning the car into a giant sub-woofer. A big amp controls 18 channels to provide a 1300W output, and the set-up uses magnesium-ceramic speaker cones.

There are even active microphones to detect frequency imbalances which the amplifier automatically compensates for. Meanwhile, a Micro-Environment Purification System has ultra-sensitive impurity sensors to switch the aircond to recirculation if it detects airborne contaminants. Though it may be the smallest car in the Rolls-Royce line-up, but the Ghost is still enormous by most standards. No matter where you’re sitting, whether you’re driving or being driven, it feels very open and spacious.

All models have rear-hinged doors that can be opened and softly closed from the inside at the press of a button. And should you want even more space to stretch out in the rear seats, a longer Extended Wheelbase version is available with an extra 170mm of added between the front and rear axles. 

Rolls-Royce Ghost – Features

The Ghost surely continues to utilise a version of BMW’s iDrive system with twin instrument and infotainment screens, featuring all the latest technologies, including a WIFI hotspot, a 360-degree camera system, a 7×3 head-up display and parking assist. There’s nearly 100 kg of acoustic insulation fitted all around the car, and it rolls in with an 18-channel, 18-speaker, 1,300-watt audiophile-grade sound system as standard.

There’s also a plenty range of position adjustment for both the seat and steering wheel, which improve the forward visibility. The driver’s over-the-shoulder view is rather hampered by the bulky rear pillars, but a 360-degree camera comes as standard for guidance in close-quarters manoeuvring.

As with every other Rolls-Royce, the Ghost has air suspension as standard. Careful calibration ensures that it irons out most surface imperfections and deals with bigger bumps efficiently enough to make it one of the comfiest cars around, demolishing long journeys like a private jet.

Safety-wise, the 2021 Ghost comes with reform in safety features and driver-assistive technology. Unlike the 2020 make, the 2021 Ghost will have a lot more offered on the safety front. Also, 8 airbags further increase the safety quotient in the sedan. 

Amongst other ultra-luxury sedans out there, Rolls-Royce has a mission to achieve perfection. With over a century of experience, this carmaker has evolved to provide bespoke engineering, design, and craftsmanship on every front and that includes safety as well.

The 2021 Ghost is equipped with the most advanced safety features and Driver Assistance systems that keep the driver and other occupants safe. Some of the note-worthy safety features are mentioned below:

• Forward Collision Warning

• Blind Spot Detection system

• Active Tire Pressure Monitoring

• Lane Departure Assist

• Electronic Stability Control

• Night Vision

The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost aims at providing a safe ride to its occupants, equipped with good driver assistance systems and other advanced safety features the car is a complete and safe luxury suite. This hand-crafted luxury is fitted with all the safety it needs and much more, even the body structure of the car is a rugged and robust one. Despite having a tight competition, the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost performs pretty well in terms of safety.

Rolls-Royce Ghost - Powertrain

Built on a new bespoke platform, the Ghost packs the automaker’s longstanding 6.75 litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine that’s taken from the Phantom. It serves up 571 PS and 850 Nm of torque, and is paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. This 5.7-metre-long car will do the century sprint in 4.8 seconds helped by assured traction from the standard four-wheel drive system.

That enormous V12 petrol engine is silent yet savage heart of the Ghost. It pulls effortlessly from low revs, with almost imperceptible gearshifts, ensuring drivers simply glide through cities, along country roads and on motorways. Built on aluminium-spaceframe architecture, the Ghost is equipped with all-wheel drive. 

The latest iteration of the Rolls-Royce Ghost is approximately 5.0-inches longer; 8.0-inches wider; and slightly heavier than the car it replaces. According to the manufacturer, it has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost's suspension received a complete redesign to implement its new Planar Suspension System. The setup is "named after a geometric plane, which is completely flat and level. 

The system is the result of 10 collective years of testing and development to create a sense of flight on land never before achieved by a motor car," according to Rolls-Royce. With an upper-wishbone damper unit, and a "Flagbearer" camera system that reads the road ahead together with a satellite-aided transmission, the Planar system helps the new Ghost adapt to harsh road surfaces and adjusts the suspension proactively.

Rolls-Royce Ghost - Fuel Economy

Being a large sedan segment, the 6.75 litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine in Ghost delivers a combined mileage of 19.6 L/100km (city driving) and 12.38 L/100km (highway driving).

Rolls-Royce Ghost - Driving Performance

The Ghost can retain an impressive pace when the road gets bendy; while the Ghost leans noticeably in corners, there’s masses of grip. The steering impresses too, as it’s helpfully light when you’re sweeping around town but weights up just enough as you go faster to help you place the Ghost accurately with confidence.

And, as all four wheels steer as standard, the Ghost surprisingly easy to manoeuvre (at low speeds) for such a long, big, heavy car. When you accelerate hard enough to unleash the V12’s tuneful bass soundtrack, that’s pretty much the only exterior noise that can penetrate the Ghost’s hefty sound-deadening.

When exercising more restraint, the engine is so smooth, hushed and free of vibration that you really will sometimes wonder if it’s running at all. Wind and road noise is exceptionally well suppressed, harmonising with perfectly weighted pedals that make smooth stops and starts an entirely effortless business.

Rolls-Royce Ghost - Conclusion

In conclusion, Rolls-Royce’s latest car is certainly a highly accomplished product. And while the Ghost is possibly not forging a path to post-opulence - this is after all, a rather exclusive product and by its very nature a lavish purchase.
It does wear its luxury lightly and is therefore a fine illustration of a more subtle and discreet luxury landscape. Overall, the new Ghost is a sublimely engineered, hugely charismatic motor car.