Rolls-Royce Wraith review

The Wraith’s rear-hinged doors are obviously a great conversation-starter, but more importantly they make it easier for you to get into and out of the car; except, of course, if you pull up too close to a fuel pump at the petrol station. When the doors are open, you can’t reach the door pulls from inside, but this isn’t a problem because the doors close electrically at the touch of a button.

Inside, quality is just as exceptional as you’d expect. Swathes of the finest grain wood and leather cover nearly every visible surface, and chromed knobs and handles only add to the feeling that no expense has been spared.

True, the infotainment system has been borrowed from BMW, but that’s no bad thing because it’s very easy to use. What’s more, the buttons and dials you use to control it have all been treated to a bespoke look and feel, so at no point do you feel like you’re in a 3 Series.

The driving position is hard to fault, other than the fact that visibility isn’t great. The high window line is the big issue here, because it blocks your view of kerbs and other low-lying obstacles in the road. Reversing into a parking space also requires you to put all your faith in the parking sensors, because the chunky rear pillars block much of your rearward view.