Autocar Wraith Review

REPRINTed FROM 21 may 2014 | autocar.co.uk

‘Sublime mix of luxurious heft and near-silent tranquility.

A supreme new benchmark.’

ROAD TEST

Rolls-Royce Wraith

’ e b ld u o sh e yc o -R lls o R ic m a yn ‘Everything that a d

ROAD TEST

No 5166

Rolls-Royce Wraith

Can a more sporting edge to the driving experience work in a Rolls?

MODEL TESTED Wraith

l Price £230,320 l Power 624 bhp / 632 PS l Torque 590ib ft / 800Nm l 0-60mph 4.4sec l 0-100k/h 4.6 secl Fuel economy combined 20.2 mpg / 14 ltr / 100km l CO2 emissions 327g/km l 70-0mph 46.8m l Skidpan 0.94g

T

he Rolls-Royce Wraith is a car of considerable allure and significance. This, in our view, is certainly the most important new model that this blue-blooded British car maker has created since the modern Phantom in 2002.

The Phantom was a watershed, ushering the Goodwood-based firm into a new, successful era. Sure, in 2010 the Ghost brought in fresh buyers – but largely by miniaturising, de-formalising and slightly discounting the Phantom’s concept. There have been plenty of Phantom-based and Ghost-based derivatives, of course. But the Wraith is a

true ground-breaker – not only the most powerful car in Rolls’ history but also the closest thing to a sports car that it has ever attempted to produce.

Rolls-Royce describes this 624bhp, £230k two-door as a debonair gentleman’s GT – highly refined, luxurious and exclusive like its stablemates, but more dramatic and exciting than any of them.

In 110 years, there has never been such a thing as ‘just another RollsRoyce’, but even in that rarefied context, the Wraith promises to be something very special indeed.

AAAAB Developed on the same BMW-derived mechanical platform as the Ghost saloon, the Wraith has an all-steel body. But use of BMW architecture doesn’t make it any less authentic as a Rolls-Royce in our book. Labourintensive processes and special technical solutions that you can’t see combine with the elegant fastback design that you can see to ensure – as with the Ghost – that this is every ◊

History ‘Wraith’ was first used on a RollsRoyce in 1938, but the company’s cars were making a name for themselves as world-beating racing machines decades Rolls won the 1906 Isle of Man TT driving a Light Twenty earlier. Founder Charles Rolls won the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in 1906 in a Light Twenty, for instance, and in 1913 Don Carlos de Salamanca won the first ever Spanish Grand Prix in a Silver Ghost.

The current Ghost saloon — the car from which the Wraith is effectively adapted — was launched in 2010.

WE Don’t LIKE A couple of design touches ■ Thirst if you’re on-throttle a lot

PHOTOGRAPHY stan papior

WE LIKE As refined as a Rolls-Royce ought to be ■ As dynamic as a Rolls-Royce can dare to be

Design and engineering

l Wraith’s version of Rolls-Royce’s ‘pantheon’ radiator grille is made to look more like an air intake and less like the Parthenon itself. It’s recessed by 45mm, with a surround drawn out by 40mm.

AUTOCAR.co.uk 21 MAY 2014

l The Spirit of Ecstasy leans forward 5deg more than her pose on the Ghost and Phantom and she’s also slightly nearer the prow of car.

l A line of brightwork running down the spine of the bonnet is more reserved than the vast chrome hood section of larger Rolls models, but we prefer it.

l Rolls’ rear-hinged doors make for slightly thicker A-pillars than you’d otherwise have, impacting a bit on forward visibility.

l Rolls-Royce calls the Wraith a fastback — a popular style of the 1930s streamlined design era. All of its key character lines slope downwards and move inboard as they flow rearwards.

l The extended rear pillars are the Wraith’s least flattering features.

Most testers agreed that there’s just a bit too much metalwork on show here for a truly graceful look.

l This is as understated as a roof spoiler needs to be on a fast Rolls-Royce. You’d hardly notice it if not for the high-level brake light.

l A wider rear track than the Ghost’s features here. The 24mm extra isn’t a huge difference, but 285-section tyres on 20-inch rims are fitted in place of 255-section 19s on the Ghost.

21 MAY 2014 AUTOCAR.co.uk

ON THE INSIDE

l Fascia clock mirrors the shape of the automatic handbrake on the upper dashboard.

l ‘Canadel’ panelling is a stunning new inclusion for the Wraith. Bookmatched for consistency of pattern, it has an open grain and an almost imperceptible lacquer.

l Crystal glass controller is also a pad for fingerprint character input into the multimedia system. So the display screen doesn’t need to be touch-sensitive.

∆ inch the uncompromising automotive aristocrat.

The car’s body panels are brazed by hand, for example, before the joins are sanded to a perfect finish for painting. There are 6394 spot welds on the car, and laser-welded seams in places, too. Rolls-Royce fits a double front bulkhead to keep the cabin extra-quiet. Such things are way beyond the realm of a BMW 7-series.

In the broadest terms, Goodwood has taken a Ghost saloon, lopped off two doors and 183mm of wheelbase, stretched the rear axle track by 24mm and brought the roofline closer to the road by 50mm. That, however, says nothing of the quite exquisite body that it has created for this sporting coupé, which manages to inject just enough dynamism into Rolls’ unmistakable aesthetic to quicken the heart rate – but not enough to raise an eyebrow.

The Wraith uses the same doublewishbone front suspension and multi-link rear as the Ghost, carrying self-levelling, roll-cancelling air suspension and adaptive dampers.

The chassis is retuned for flatter, more agile and more responsive

handling but, says its maker, with reverence for the trademark wafting ride that every Rolls-Royce trades on.

Power for the car comes from an overhauled version of the Ghost’s leviathan 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12, which produces 590lb ft and 624bhp – just over 10 per cent more power than the cheaper, longer four-door.

Enough extra grunt? Under the circumstances, probably just about.

INTERIOR AAAAB A polished steel door handle permits access to the cabin through an extralong, rear-hinged ‘coach’ door that feels surprisingly light as you swing it open, and lighter still as you shut it since closing it can be done by a motor at the press of a button.

You sit slightly lower in here than in a Ghost or a Phantom, as befits a sports coupé, but your backside remains an awfully long way from the ground. Perched upright, you survey a cabin of breathtaking sumptuousness, peerless material richness and excellent quality. The ◊

l Driving position is armchair-upright but doesn’t feel overly high. Seats are supremely comfortable and decorated with piping and stainless steel details.

910mm

920m m

n mi ax mm m m 0 60 40m 9

470 litres

3112mm

1507mm

min x mm ma 850 0mm 113

840m 980m m min m max

how big is it?

Typical rear legroom 880mm

1247mm

5269mm

multimedia system Far from being shy about up-todate in-car technology, RollsRoyce has happily fitted voiceactivated satellite navigation, an optional head-up display and a Rolls-Royce Connect iPhone app to the Wraith, all because they contribute to how discreetly the in-car technology operates overall. Rolls-Royce buyers, the company says, like discreet, unobtrusive technology — as do we.

The voice control system works as well as on any other car within the BMW group, which means perfectly well — and it can be used to control AUTOCAR.co.uk 21 MAY 2014

the navigation, telephone and audio systems. Seldom do you need to repeat a command.

And according to Rolls-Royce, requests like ‘Navigate to Piccadilly’ or ‘Play BBC Radio 4’ work particularly well.

The Bluetooth is easy to pair.

The satellite navigation is also easy to program and uses RTTI (Real Time Traffic Information) to route around jams quite effectively. In addition, you can send a destination for that system to the car from your iPhone in advance, using the Rolls-Royce Connect app, to save yourself time on departure.

l Access to the back isn’t bad, and space in the second row is more than sufficient for two average-sized adults. Headroom is the limiting factor here.

1622mm

1947mm

headlights

Turning circle: 12.7m

Visibility test Large car with large pillars, but straight sides and all-round cameras make it better than expected.

1681mm

Let night become day.

Width 1040mm

Length 1140mm

wheel and pedal alignment Widely spaced pedals, but a straight, true, expansive driving position.

Steering wheel could stretch a touch closer to the driver.

Height 400-840mm 95mm

225mm

l The boot is slightly shorter and narrower than a Ghost’s, but both wider and deeper than that of an Aston Martin Rapide S. There are no folding seatbacks.

Centre

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Start/finish

ON THE ROAD Track notes

T3

Dry Circuit

T6

Rolls-Royce Wraith 1min 18.2sec Aston Martin Rapide S 1min 17.9sec The ESC system has the kind of boundaries that you’d hope for in a luxury car — even one with a mild sporting bent. It allows you to go up to the car’s limits and then reins things in when it should.

T2 T5

T7

T1

T4

Start/finish

l A tendency to oversteer is apparent in high-speed corners, where it will roll into a slide slowly.

l The brakes stand up to abuse pretty well.

Fade won’t be an issue on the road.

Wet circuit l T7 shows its natural handling Rolls-Royce Wraith balance. Apply throttle at all and it T5 1min 21.7sec falls into a big, easily held slide.

Aston Martin Rapide S T3 1min 17.6sec The Wraith performs T4 securely in the wet, finding decent grip. Handling balance is dialled towards T2 letting the rear slide, but T1 Start/finish ESC keeps it under control.

T6 T7

T8

l Braking is straight and true at the end of the main straight.

The ABS is excellent.

Acceleration 11deg C, dry Rolls-Royce Wraith Standing quarter mile 13.0sec atT3115.4mph, standing km 23.0sec at 148.5mph, 30-70mph 3.5sec, 30-70mph in fourth na 30 40 50 60

70

2.2s 2.9 3.7s 4.6 5.7s 6.9s 0

90 100mph 110mph

80

8.3s

10.0s

5s

11.7s

120mph

130mph

14.0s

10s

140mph

16.6s

150mph

T6 23.6s

19.6s

T2 20sT5

15s

Aston Martin Rapide S Standing quarter mile 13.8sec at 109.5mph, standing km 23.8sec T4 at 144.9mph, 30-70mph 4.3sec, 30-70mph in fourth 8.7sec 30 40

50

60

2.3s 3.2s 4.3s 5.3s 0

70 6.6s

80 8.1s

5s

90 100mph

11.3s

9.6s

T7

T1 Start/finish

110mph

120mph

130mph

140mph

150mph

13.8s

16.0s

18.3s

21.6s

26.2s

10s

15s

20s

25s

braking 60-0mph: 2.87sec DRY 0

30mph-0 8.9m

50mph-0 23.9m 10m

WET

70mph-0 46.8m

20m

10.4m 30mph-0

30m

40m

29.0m 50mph-0

50m 54.0m 70mph-0

∆ leathers, claims Rolls-Royce, are the softest in the business – and they feel just that. The equally tactile, bookmatched ‘Canadel’ wood panelling running throughout the fascia and doors would grace a multi-million-pound superyacht. In continuation of the theme, the Wraith’s classic instruments, with arrow-straight orange-tipped needles, look almost naval.

But most impressive of all is how cleverly the Wraith’s 21st century in-car technology is integrated into a cabin so endearingly 20th century in its styling idiom – and very early 20th century at that. The 10.3in high-definition multimedia display is revealed from behind a sliding wood panel, and the fingertip-sensitive iDrive-style rotary controller that masters it is made from crystal cut glass and decorated with a tribute to the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine on the prow of the car.

Some of the classic Rolls-Royce quirks take a bit of getting used to. There is no manual override for the eight-speed automatic transmission at all, and no tachometer for the engine. In a driver’s car, a revcounter and gearchange paddles would seem to us to be important inclusions.

Cabin space in the car is generous up front and generous enough in the rear for all but the largest of adults.

PERFORMANCE AAAAB It has been a little while since Rolls-Royce disclosed only that a model’s power and performance were “adequate”. These days, it is confident to suggest that the Wraith’s 624bhp is sufficient to propel it to 60mph in 4.4sec,

On the limit

despite a kerb weight of 2435kg.

(We’ll have to trust the weight claim until MIRA’s weighbridge is recalibrated, but it seems unlikely that Rolls is trying to tug wool across our gaze.)

Our performance tests are stricter than most – completed two up and with plenty of fuel aboard – so there is no shame in the fact that, in our hands, the Wraith wanted 4.6sec to reach 60mph. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Despite having no launch control (unseemly), this is a car that reaches 60mph just 0.2sec after an Audi RS4 and has pulled 0.3sec ahead of the Audi before 100mph, a yardstick that it dispatches in 10 seconds dead. That it does so is mildly surprising. That it does so with so little drama – a Bentley Continental GT is almost identically fast but makes a deal more racket proving it – is the Wraith’s calling card.

Things are more vocal here than in a Phantom – especially if you push the Low button on the gearlever, effectively doing what Sport would do on most auto shifts, and selecting a lower gear. Even so, though, it’s no more or less audible than you’d expect any Rolls-Royce engine to be. Rolls has pitched the Wraith right where it should be.

We suspect that you’d spend even more time in Low were it not for a novel feature of the eightspeed ZF auto, which monitors the sat-nav’s reading of the road ahead and selects an appropriate gear to cater for it. So if you’re headed for a corner and lift off, the auto knows that the corner is coming and holds a gear for you, rather than shifting up as it otherwise might. Likewise, it recognises motorway slip roads and leaves you in the correct gear for accelerating.

Not that you necessarily detect any of this going on, but although

Brisk acceleration is never more than a flex of the ankle away

the twin-turbo V12 has ample torque anyway, it saves the jolt of kicking down and retains a pleasing, linear response to the throttle. The Wraith just feels quick, any time, anywhere.

Entirely adequate, in fact.

RIDE and HANDLING AAAAC Although Rolls-Royces found some motorsport successes in the early years, ‘handling’ has never since been particularly high on the list of the company’s priorities.

Until now? Of a fashion. The Wraith is the most dynamic Rolls yet but retains most of the qualities of the Ghost – which means that it rides and glides, albeit with a little less isolation into the cabin than the saloon on which it’s based.

It still feels like a Rolls-Royce, though, so it steers with fingertip lightness, and a sense of imperious detachment is all-pervading.

How much less detached than a Phantom? Enough to feel different, close enough to feel like a Rolls.

At times the steering wheel elicits a small shimmy, if you hit a midcorner bump, to remind you that you’re in a more dynamic car, but

don’t mistake a slight openness to corruption as anything like a prelude to feel. The steering offers consistency and linearity, but no more.

This is meant to be a car that is extremely easy to drive quickly.

To an extent, that is the case. On motorways, it’s extremely stable and effortlessly responsive. On smaller roads, there is more body movement and settling time than you’d want for truly quick driving, but keep its size and girth in the back of your mind and satisfyingly brisk progress comes naturally.

BUYING and OWNING AAAAC The Wraith is a predictably expensive machine. A typical buyer would be expected to add several tens of thousands of pounds worth of options to the £230,320 list price, and already there are nearly new cars on the secondhand market with prices north of £275k in reflection of that.

With rival offerings from Bentley and Aston Martin available for little more than half as much, the Wraith certainly looks like a committed purchase. Owners would expect nothing less, of

AUTOCAR.co.uk 21 MAY 2014

l The 6.6-litre V12 uses two turbos to help generate 624bhp and 590lb ft

Under the skin gears controlled by sat-nav

l Satellite Aided Transmission is even more important in a car where you can’t select the gear yourself.

Most BMWs have a disabling button for the stability control positioned front row centre, so it tells you quite a lot that here it is buried within the iDrive system. With the DSC on, the Wraith delivers fairly steady emergency or on-limit handling.

course; perhaps that’s the price of such distinguished exclusivity.

There’s more heartening news on depreciation. The oldest related Ghost saloons have given up only about £80,000 of their afteroptions showroom value in three years, and the rarer Wraith can be expected to do better still. Strong value retention over that kind of timeframe means that you’ll lose no more money owning a Wraith than you would a much cheaper Aston Martin Rapide S, for instance.

Fuel economy is respectable.

Our touring economy test proves that you can get better than 27mpg from a Wraith on a steady extraurban run, should you ever want or need to. Exercise the right pedal and it’s less convincing.

We averaged 15.2mpg. ◊

There’s considerable dive under braking or hard cornering, of course, and rapid lane changes are best thought about rather than hooked in an emergency.

But ultimately it’s a reliable, trustworthy companion.

Switch the DSC off — and there’s

a chance that owners might for a giggle — and the Wraith reveals a slightly different character.

Once you heave it into a turn (and trailing the brakes on the way in is an advantage to keep the nose planted), the inherent handling balance is towards oversteer.

Around our dry handling circuit, the nose goes where it’s pointed, while the rear attempts to dutifully follow but sometimes can’t quite manage it and lapses into a lazy, easily caught slide. It’s an unexpected (but more hilarious than we imagined) handling trait.

l This system has migrated from parent company BMW, which uses it to improve cruising efficiency.

How do you make an eight-speed automatic transmission operate in a suitably sporting mode in a car that has no revcounter and offers its driver no way of selecting a lower gear himself or herself in advance of a corner or a hill other than by accelerator position? Rolls-Royce’s answer is to integrate a system called Satellite Aided Transmission into the Wraith — and it works both subtly and brilliantly.

The technology isn’t new or exclusive to Rolls-Royce, but it does seem a perfect fit for the company’s philosophy on discreet, effortless powertrain control. It uses data from the GPS-fed navigation system to allow the ZF eight-speed gearbox to read the road ahead and, for example, to hold on to a lower ratio on a long descent when you lift off the pedal before a corner, or to kick down an extra gear on the way out of a notably tight hairpin.

21 MAY 2014 AUTOCAR.co.uk

No 5166

ROAD TEST

Rolls-Royce Wraith

TESTERS’ NOTES MATT PRIOR All-round camera system makes lining up the Wraith in car parks a cinch. Despite its perceived size, you’ll also find that it fits into most spaces.

AUTOCAR VERDICT AAAAB

Everything that a dynamic Rolls-Royce should be

MATT SAUNDERS Just as on the Ghost, there’s an option buried in the iDrive system to retract the Spirit of Ecstacy from the grille. Alternatively, just jiggle it a bit and it will retract out of sight and away from light fingers.

Spec advice

O

ne method of deciding on a star rating for our road tests is to consider, if we had carte blanche, what we’d change about the car we’re testing. In the Wraith’s case, considering who makes it and what it’s supposed to do, we end up with a list notable for its brevity. We suspect some owners (and us, too) would like the option of being more involved in the driving process, but apart from that there’s precious little here that we’d want different next time – apart from the obvious caveats of less weight and more efficiency that underpin all future cars.

Otherwise, the Wraith is as hushed as a car manufactured in Goodwood ought to be, yet as dynamically rewarding as any car with a near 2.5-tonne kerb weight and such an isolated ride has any right to be.

In its interior and ambience, it is almost perfectly judged. The Wraith is a hit, in other words, capable of both enchanting and involving all who drive it.

The star-lit roof is everpopular and is bound to be come resale time.

Although Rolls-Royce can do any colour you want, we’d exercise some caution. Other than that, fill your boots.

JOBS FOR THE FACELIFT l Lavish a manual gear override and a revcounter on the car — at least as an option. Keen drivers will appreciate both. l Remove a little weight. l Precious little else.

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Rolls-Royce Wraith £230,320 624bhp at 5600rpm 590lb ft at 1500-5500rpm 4.4sec 155mph (limited) 20.2mpg 2360 (unladen) 327g/km, 35 per cent

Aston Martin Rapide S £146,035 550bh p at 6750rpm 457lb ft at 5500rpm 5.3sec 190mph 19.9mpg 1990kg 332g/km, 35 per cent

Bentley Continental GT Speed £152,600 616bhp at 6000rpm 590lb ft at 2000rpm 4.2sec (claimed, to 62mph) 205mph 19.5mpg 2320kg 338g/km, 35 per cent

Ferrari FF £227,142 651bhp at 8000rpm 503lb ft at 6000rpm 3.7sec (claimed, to 62mph) 208mph 15.4mpg 1880kg 360g/km, 35 per cent

MERCEDES-Benz CL65 AMG £164,840 621bhp at 4600rpm 738lb ft at 2300rpm 4.4sec (claimed, to 62mph) 155mph (limited) 19.8mpg 2245kg 334g/km, 35 per cent

Sublime mix of luxurious heft and near-silent tranquility.

A supreme new benchmark.

Ten times the driver’s car, but not 10 times the product.

Prettier, though.

Vastly silly pace keeps the fettled GT’s chin up at this level — just.

Too noisy for Rolls buyers, but a quarter of a million buys you a lot of Ferrari.

Lacks the high-born charm of the Brit pack, but rare V12 model is almost as exclusive.

★★★★B

★★★★C

★★★★C

★★★★C

★★★BC

TOP 5 Make Model Price Power Torque 0-60mph Top speed (claimed) Fuel economy (combined) Kerb weight (claimed) CO2/tax band

For more information visit www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/wraith