Luxury Brite eerily quiet - and colorful on request

With the Spectre, which translates as ghost, Rolls-Royce is introducing the first battery-electric vehicle in the brand's history. Can it work? It is certainly eerily quiet.

Rolls-Royce and electric drives - do they go together? Of course, the heart immediately says no as an impulse reaction. A traditional manufacturer like that shouldn't build cars that have been robbed of their fine heart, should it? After all, distinguished mechanical engineering is part of German automotive engineering. Of course, Rolls-Royce is still somehow British - but the basic structure of its noble twelve-cylinder engines originates from the development department of the BMW parent company.

It's hard to believe, but the two-door is 5.48 meters long, making it one of the world's largest coupés.

But enough philosophy about the art of propulsion. Under the lavish sheet metal of the discreetly futuristic Spectre are now two electric engines based on a BMW design. These are two units of the synchronous motor type, in which the magnetic rotor field is generated by the flow of electricity, meaning that there is no need for permanent magnets (which is more environmentally friendly). As far as system performance is concerned, the manufacturer would previously have used the adjective "sufficient". Which is certainly true given the 585 horsepower and 900 Newton meters of total torque. Rolls-Royce has never aimed for maximum performance, but always for maximum sovereignty. And in this sense, the brand's models have never caused a stir with their engines. At least not acoustically. Rather, the engineers have always endeavored to ensure that the drivetrain makes as little noise as possible.

Even getting into the Rolls-Royce is special

The Spectre's huge portals open at the front, which doesn't always make it easy to get in. On the other hand, the long doors swing open and closed electrically.

In this respect, the electrically powered Rolls-Royce is perfect, isn't it? Hop in and try it out. But wait a minute! Exquisite vehicles confront their passengers with extraordinary solutions. One of them is that the doors of the sleek coupé are hinged on the B-pillar and open accordingly at the front. Admittedly, this looks really fancy, but it is not always practical for getting in.

However, once you are seated in the luxury car with its lambswool carpeting, the memory of this minor shortcoming is quickly forgotten. And Rolls-Royce simply compensates for other shortcomings caused by the vehicle concept with electric assistants. Closing the door with physical force? Doesn't work, because an average arm's length is simply not enough to reach the wide-open portals. No matter, just press a button and the door swings shut using an electric motor. And can also be opened electrically.

The elegant coupé has a modern look with its striking LED tail lights.

Electric is the key word. Time to finally drive off. And right from the first few meters, the heavy Briton with its wonderfully smooth indirect steering feels (as intended) like a real Rolls-Royce. There is something majestic about the way the gentle giant (the two-door car measures 5.45 meters!), which rests on air suspension bellows, stretches its front end including the sublime Spirit of Ecstasy - the name of the radiator grille - towards the sky as it accelerates. So this silent electric drive is not at all inappropriate. Let's put it this way, you can do it. It's okay and somehow does the brand justice. However, if you drive a model with a classic twelve-cylinder engine in direct comparison, you will feel that emotionality is ultimately lost.

The gently purring high-tech turbo gives the Rolls-Royce editions a noblesse that the electrically powered version simply lacks. And the engineers at Goodwood need to check the absolute silence again - in the upper speed range, the Briton draws attention with slight wind noise from the side window. On the other hand, it is a frameless door design, which makes things challenging.

The three-tonner is an athlete

The level of material quality in the Rolls-Royce Spectre is beyond reproach. Lush wood and metal are pleasing to the eye. There is also a good portion of infotainment.

Speaking of speed: the Spectre pulls tightly through up to 250 km/h - quite remarkable for a car weighing almost three tons. And the luxury coupé also accelerates powerfully from a standstill, taking barely more than five seconds to reach country road speed. That is even more than "enough" to pass the ball back to Rolls-Royce. Traveling instead of racing is the motto of this coupé, which costs just under 400,000 euros.

And if there's one car where you can even begin to understand why it costs so much money, it's this Rolls-Royce. In any case, the manufacturer goes to great lengths. These sumptuous upholstery, these almost lavish wood inlays. Soon it will no longer be veneer, but solid wood. The air vents also feel like solid metal. And then there are stars everywhere in the roof sky - even shooting stars.

The second row also offers first-class travel in individual seats.

Why stars, actually? What did the marketing department come up with? The starry sky in the Rolls-Royce is well-known and never fails to impress - but in both directions. Some people think it's kitsch. I at least find it somehow remarkable. But Rolls-Royce certainly has a way with stars. Little stars even twinkle around the rising virtual speedometer needle, as if Rolls-Royce wanted to enchant its passengers. And that's a bit true.

Not the most charge-friendly car

Of course, the Rolls-Royce charges direct current via CCS connection. But it could do it a little faster.

Finally, let's talk about charging. Sorry, it has to be for a battery-electric vehicle. Rolls-Royce has decided to leave it at a peak charging capacity of 195 kilowatts, similar to BMW technology. This also means that the 400-volt on-board electrical system will be retained. Is that an upset? You could see it either way. The manufacturer may think that Spectre customers will charge at home anyway. In fact, it can be assumed that buyers in this price region tend to live in homes with garages - but who knows. In any case, anyone taking the Coupé on long journeys should know that they are not driving the most charging-friendly car. As a rule, the top charging performance does not last longer than ten minutes.

In addition, the weighty two-door car draws a lot of power from the 102 kWh storage system. After all, you can assume that most homeowners in these price spheres now rely on photovoltaics. From this point of view, it is not a bad thing if the energy requirement here is somewhat higher. After all, it is provided by the sun. So the circle with the stars is complete.