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Modest?
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost is definitely not, despite a certain reluctance
Photo: Enes Kucevic / Rolls-Royce
The first impression:
decadent!
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost is insane.
The radiator grille, inspired by a temple facade, is also very bulging - it is indirectly illuminated by 20 LEDs.
What the manufacturer says:
Even if not everyone notices it at first - Rolls-Royce wants to show restraint with the new Ghost.
Fewer contours in the sheet metal should make the design appear shadowy.
"He doesn't yell, he whispers," says Rolls-Royce boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös about the Ghost.
Market research experts have identified the trend towards "post-opulence" among the super-rich.
The message says that anyone who has made it into a Rolls-Royce does not have to prove their status to anyone and therefore does not want to be extra thick.
That's why the designers rubbed one line after the other, says Henry Cloke from the manufacturer's styling team.
Almost 20,000 copies of the previous, first generation of the Ghost were built in eleven years - more than any other vehicle in the company's history to date.
The fact that the second generation should now be more discreet can also be seen from the rather simple headlights and taillights.
Nevertheless, a decadent overall impression remains: Although already oversized, the new Ghost has grown in length and width.
And the car has also become heavier.
We noticed:
Small screens in the cockpit and above the center console, next to it the analog clock without digits on the deep black sheet - the Ghost struggles to be restrained inside too.
But only in order to then - just like with the radiator grille - attract even more attention with individual, particularly opulent details.
It starts with the rear doors that are hinged in opposite directions.
They close electrically and can be opened by servomotors.
It continues with the LED firmament in the ceiling panel, through which shooting stars are now buzzing.
The luxury culminates in the dashboard, the paneling of which is said to have spent 10,000 development hours: after ignition, a ghost lettering shines, surrounded by 850 stars.
Together with the letters, they are illuminated by 152 LEDs via a light guide.
Thanks to more than 90,000 laser-etched points, the dazzle shines pretty perfectly.
Obsessed with details, the British also like to rant about the 20 so-called half-skins with which they cover the 338 panels in the interior, or about the length of the seams.
In addition, the Ghost is still a vehicle and ready to cover great distances.
But you don't notice much of it inside - thanks to more than 100 kilos of insulation material in the roof, doors and wheel arches, foamed tires and double-glazed windows.
The Ghost is considered a self-drive car.
The steering wheel is therefore not quite as steep as on the Phantom (which is more of a chauffeur car) and is a little more grippy.
Behind it, the driver sits less stiffly.
Above all, the British have done a lot so that less experienced drivers can move the Ghost gracefully.
The first all-wheel drive in a Rolls-Royce sedan increases safety in bad weather.
Thanks to the rear-axle steering used for the first time, the Ghost goes around the corner well despite 5.55 meters in length and 3.30 meters in wheelbase.
You have to know that:
Just like the Phantom, the Ghost uses a special Rolls-Royce architecture and only takes over individual components from the parent company BMW - such as the infotainment system or some assistants.
The British have hardly adopted anything unchanged from the previous model: only the "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament and the umbrellas in the doors.
Under the hood of the body made entirely of aluminum is a V12 engine with a displacement of 6.75 liters.
Thanks to 571 hp and, above all, 850 Nm torque, it has an easy time with only 1600 tours with a three-ton car.
The Ghost accelerates from standstill to 100 km / h in 4.8 seconds and effortlessly manages 250 km / h. However, it swallows 15.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers - according to the norm.
In practice it will be significantly more.
Because of post-opulence.
The drive is old-fashioned and there is no question of hybrid or electric at Rolls-Royce.
Nevertheless, the Ghost offers technically groundbreaking things.
It's about "waftability," that effortless, magic carpet-like form of locomotion that Rolls-Royce proclaims.
The control electronics of the automatic system use the data from the navigation system for imperceptible gear changes.
The chassis also lets you look ahead (with cameras) and adjusts the dampers for unevenness before they are reached.
To refine this effect, the British developed the Planar system.
In this case, the dampers - to put it simply - are once again connected to the body via special dampers.
The result is a feeling that is closer to flying than driving.
This is how EU fans can endure Brexit.
The prices are also lifted.
The bill for the standard Ghost is at least 290,000 euros.
For the long version with 17 centimeters more wheelbase there is an additional 36,000 euros.
And when choosing an interior, it is easy to increase this sum tenfold.
We won't forget that:
the options for ambient lighting.
Where other manufacturers offer millions of colors, there are only two alternatives in the Ghost: warm white and cold white.
Then there it is again, that strange minimalism in the midst of abundance.
Icon: The mirror
