Rolls-Royce Ghost review

It’s hard to describe a car costing more than £250,000 as “entry-level”, but the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is the most attainable car in the brand’s rarefied portfolio.

The new car 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 that 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 – these being exclusive to Rolls Royce. And if this new Ghost is anything like its megabuck stablemates, then owners and passengers are in for a treat.

Like every current car with a Spirit of Ecstasy on its prow, it’s powered by a whopping great big 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine that delivers 563bhp and 627lb ft of torque, with four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering both standard. But chest-thumping acceleration may not be the first thing you associate with the British marque. Instead, you’ll more likely expect exquisitely serene and tranquil cruising manners, and an interior fit and finish to please even the most pernickety and fastidious of well-heeled patrons.

So does the Ghost deliver? Well, without giving too much away, it certainly does. But, of course, such opulence doesn’t come cheaply, and it needs to justify its intimidating price tag, which overshadows such esteemed luxury car rivals as the Audi A8, Bentley Flying Spur, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class. Can it possibly carry this off? Read on to find out. And if you’d like buying your next car to be as relaxing as cruising in a Roller, our New Car Buying service has your best interests at heart.