What It's Like To Drive A $370,000 Rolls-Royce Through The Arizona Desert [PHOTOS]
The Wraith coupe is designed for those who want to drive, not be driven. Rolls-Royce disdains the word "sporty," but Director of Global Communications Richard Carter says "it's a car for crossing continents."
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The "radical" fastback-style roof is reminiscent of a 1960s Mustang, but with a classy touch. The car looks fantastic in profile.
To evoke the speed of the Wraith, Rolls-Royce tilted the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament forward by four degrees.
Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 engine that produces 624 brake horsepower, enough to send all 5,380 pounds of Wraith from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
That power is not noisy. You don't hear any wind until you near three-digit speeds, and the engine only roars when you really push it.
The drive quality is incredibly smooth, thanks to the Wraith's Satellite Aided Transmission. The car uses GPS to see what roads are ahead and select the right gear ahead of time. "You are simply always in the right gear," Carter said.
We were surprised to find there's no way to manually control gears. Rolls designer Alex Innes said the team didn't include the option to make the car feel more luxurious. That's fair, but it also makes the Wraith less fun to drive. Same goes for the lack of noise.
And while we're nitpicking, I really dislike the side view mirrors. A car this sleek shouldn't have anything shaped like a Smart car stuck to it. Innes says it wasn't a voluntary choice: European regulations demanded a mirror along these lines due to the Wraith's size.
I don't like the triangular shape of the brake lights, either.
And I was disappointed to find the "RR" on the headlights don't work like the Bat-Signal.
Other than that, it was all great. The Wraith's infotainment system is both sophisticated and simple, a rare combination in cars today.
The Wraith is chock full of impressive features. What's this you see when you open the door?
It's a Teflon-coated umbrella! There's one in each door, and they come standard.
Also standard are buttons to close the doors. Reaching out with your arm is for chumps.
To prevent theft, the Spirit of Ecstasy can retract into the hood of the car.
In keeping with its style, Rolls-Royce put coach (aka suicide) doors on the Wraith. The wood on the door is one piece and comes as an option.
Options like the Starlight Headliner, which mimics a night sky with fiber optic lights, and the "RR" monograms on the headrests pushed our car's price from a base of $284,900 to a total of $372,324.
The lambswool mats were wonderfully soft. I spent my time as a passenger with my shoes off.
Lots of room in the trunk, especially for a coupe. It measures 16.6 cubic feet.
The stainless steel treadplates remind you that your Wraith was hand-built by humans. At the Rolls-Royce factory, workers actually push the cars down the assembly line.
Overall, the Wraith is glorious. It's packed with luxury and delivers top-of-the-line performance — without your help. If you want to engage with a super luxury car, try the Bentley GT Speed. If you want to be in the driver's seat but also sit back and enjoy the ride, take the Wraith.
Now see a sportier ride in the super luxury department.
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