After a good few days wafting around in the Rolls-Royce Wraith it occurred to me I knew absolutely nothing about its mechanical fittings or other technicalities. I was vaguely aware it had a BMW-sourced turbocharged V12 and underpinnings based on the 7 Series. It was obvious the infotainment screen and interface came from the same donor too.
Other than that? Complete ignorance. Blissful ignorance in fact. Flex right foot through inch-thick lambswool carpet and the Wraith goes faster. Spin the low-geared wheel between outstretched fingertips in the desired direction and it obsequiously obeys. Sink back into the opulent white leather as the rest of the world battles away outside. Generally feel pretty good about yourself.
I'd never considered myself a Rolls-Royce kind of chap. The bottom line on my bank statement will ensure I return to that state. But this brief taste, my first of a Rolls in fact, was something of a revelation. In another life I might actually be a Rolls-Royce kind of chap. It may never have crossed your mind but you might be too.
Social climber
Does it matter that the BMW parentage is so much more obvious in the Ghost family? Perhaps a little but the only people really able to look down on you are Phantom owners. And there aren't enough of them around for it really to be a problem. 7 Series in a posh frock it may be but the Ghost and this Wraith derivative really do feel from a different class.
Once the Wraith had departed I actually got around to doing some reading up on the vulgar stuff like stats and the mechanical parts Rolls-Royce has worked so hard to isolate you from. And I was somewhat astonished to see a power output of 632hp and torque of 590lb ft staring out at me. That, unequivocally, is more than adequate.
The only vehicle you might seriously compare the Wraith to is the Bentley Continental GT Speed, which has recently been upgraded to 635hp and 627lb ft and seems almost undignified in its overt desire to live up to its name. This may be the most sporty and powerful of Rolls-Royces in the current line-up but the Wraith is a very different beast, whatever superficial on-paper similarities may be thrown up by comparisons with the Bentley.
Es are good
Rationally the Wraith is a ridiculous vehicle in which to find yourself. It may be 183mm shorter in the wheelbase than a Ghost and the Spirit of Ecstasy reclined by five degrees to a more louche posture but it's still outrageously imposing around other cars. Other changes include 25mm extra in the rear track and 'pantheon' grille bars recessed by 45mm compared with the Ghost to accentuate the jet intake look. The rather new money Salamanca Blue of our test car probably didn't help but there's nothing tactful in the way the Wraith broadcasts its status. Not that this matters one jot from inside.
The real success with the Wraith is in avoiding attempts to go chasing the Bentley. Driving it really is unlike anything else and the fact you're kept deliberately aloof from all but the most basic interaction with the mechanical components is a deliberate step away from the current fashion for endless modes and configurable settings most insist on.
The steering is one example. Low geared and light to the touch there's nonetheless momentum to the slim-rimmed wheel that means you simply flick it to spin it round and catch it at the point you want it to stop, whether winding lock on or off. It's a graceful, measured driving style that feels entirely appropriate to the character of the Wraith, which for all its bulk and monumental thrust is actually a thing of real subtlety to drive.
Blissfully ignorant
Apparently there's an eight-speed automatic down there but once you've moved the column shifter into D you really don't even think about it. Shifter paddles? Don't be absurd. It even talks to the sat-nav to pre-empt gear changes according to the gradients and corners ahead and, frankly, you're completely unaware of what it's doing. Let's just ignore the fact that's actually commercial vehicle tech and live the dream.
In those rare moments you command acceleration that sees the power reserve dip below 80 per cent you may detect a slight whirr from behind the double-skinned, hand brazed bulkhead but that'll likely be drowned out by the soft creak of leather as the G forces squeeze you into the armchair-like seats. The speed with which the outside world is reduced to a blur may well have you uttering language most unbecoming of a Rolls-Royce occupant too, though the air-sprung suspension and its active anti-roll gizmos do a good job of both isolating you from the road surface while containing the SUV-esque bulk. The primary ride really does have that pillowy softness about it to match the lush carpeting within; only secondary thumps and bumps occasionally penetrate the sense of inner calm.
Deadly serious
The way the Wraith is deadly serious about being really rather silly helps you ignore small matters like not being able to park it or, even if you do, finding space to open those coach doors (no need for suicide here) sufficiently to wriggle out. Certain details inside looks a little tacky; some of the chromed plastic looks a little cheap and, indeed, one piece of it under the nearside quarterlight actually came away in our hands. But you soon forget that and instead enjoy the neat Gill Sans script on the switchgear, chuckle at the fact Rolls-Royce uses a rebranded touchpad iDrive rather than touchscreen so as to prevent 'unsightly fingerprints' in your line of sight and appreciate the way even a fully optioned 21st century luxury car still feels a little retro.
A curious thing then and perhaps a most un-PH car in so many ways. With its donated parts and vaguely more attainable price point it is, perhaps, slightly more the social climber than the more blue-blooded Phantom. But it's still a rather wonderful device.
SPECIFICATION | ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH
Engine: 6,592cc V12, twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 632@5,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 590@1,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.6 sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: 2,360kg (DIN, unladen)
MPG: 20.2mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 327g/km
Price: £189,000 (base rrp; £219,480 as tested including Driver Assistance Package 3 with high beam assist, lane departure warning, active cruise control, head-up display, night vision; Comfort Entry System; Adaptive Headlights; diamond turned finish to wheels; Rolls-Royce Bespoke Audio; Starlight Headliner; parking cameras; front massage seats; illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy emblem and Crème Light seat piping - individual option prices not disclosed)
