Rolls-Royce Spectre first drive: a new wave of EV

The Rolls-Royce Spectre has been a long time coming. In fact, it has been in the works since Mr Rolls and Mr Royce started the company. In 1900, Charles Rolls prophesied that the future of cars was with an electric engine, and now in 2023 it really is.

The brand is planning to be completely electric by 2030 but the Spectre is the first full production model to be fully electric. There have been electric concepts produced of the Phantom (102EX) and the Vision Next 100 (103EX), but these were not for sale. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Spectre name has been used on concept ‘EX’ cars for Rolls-Royce as far back as the 1930s, but never on a production model.

While parent company BMW has chosen to make its electric cars an engine choice of existing models, Rolls-Royce has opted to create a completely new model. Aside from the Phantom and the Ghost, models in its range come and go, so introducing another name didn’t seem a problem.

In creating the new car, Rolls-Royce was not prepared to compromise. The mantra was that this car was to be a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second, so beyond anything else, it had to deliver the same experience as the rest of the range. This car promises to deliver a new audience to Rolls-Royce, of younger leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs, current EV owners looking for a more luxury product and of course, existing Rolls-Royce owners, wanting to go electric – and invest in a piece of history.

I had the pleasure of taking the Rolls-Royce Spectre for a drive around the hills of Napa Valley in California to discover just how this ultra-luxury all-electric coupe really drives.

How much is the Rolls-Royce Spectre?

The Rolls-Royce Spectre was first announced in October 2021 and is due to be delivered to customers in the fourth quarter of 2023. However, the current volume of pre-orders means that there is a two-year wait on new orders. In terms of cost, the Spectre starts from ￡350,000 / $413,000. However, as you might expect with an ultra-luxury car, there is room for a huge amount of customisation, which could easily add thousands, if not tens of thousands to that.

Customers can travel to Rolls-Royce’s home of Goodwood to discuss bespoke editions of their cars, or through the network of dealers. Rolls-Royce Private Offices are also opening across the globe to offer the same level of bespoke attention available in Goodwood, with the first now open in Dubai and openings expected in North America and Shanghai in the near future.

Design and features of the Spectre

The Spectre might be a brand new car for Rolls-Royce but it’s not the first two-door coupe. There was a two-door version of the Phantom, so that in many ways is the Spectre’s predecessor. The design of the Spectre conforms to the Rolls-Royce silhouette, which comes from three basic pen strokes, making up the basic shape of the car. It maintains what it calls the upstanding gestures in the flat front grill and is steeped in nautical references.

There’s the cliff-like sheer surfaces, the hull line that extends from the bonnet along the full length of the car – often highlighted by the two-tone divide – and the island in the lake, from which the spirit of ecstasy badge rises on the front of the bonnet.

The result is perhaps a sportier look than previous models but very clearly a Rolls-Royce. The aim here was to cocoon the driver, providing a more intimate cabin and placing the seat lower so the driver sits in the car – rather than riding on it. In fact, that sporty shape manages to deliver a 0.25cd drag coefficient for the car, which is similar to the BMW i4.

Despite being a coupe, this is a big car. It’s almost 5.5 metres in length and weighs just under three tonnes (2890kg). That’s around the same size and weight as the long-wheel-based BMW i7. However, the proportions make it look far smaller at a distance.

The car sits on huge 23-inch alloys, with self-righting centre caps of course, while the body swoops back toward the rear from that imposing grill. The front headlights are split, with the daylight LEDs sitting above the main beams, much as they are on the new BMW i7. Those large coupe doors open forwards, as is common on Rolls-Royce models, and with powered opening and closing. Inset into the frame of each door is also the signature Rolls-Royce umbrella.

Inside the Rolls-Royce Spectre

Inside the Spectre is just as impressive as you would expect from a Rolls-Royce. The Symphony model I was driving featured paintwork described as Morganite on the outside – a dusky bubble-gum pink, while inside the white stitched upholstery was accented with peony pink (almost deep purple) for the piping, stitching and the RR badging on the headrests. Dark Canadel wood features in the door panels and dash.

Unlike with many two-door coupes, the back seats are very much functional and still give the passengers plenty of legroom. It’s not the kind of space you’d expect in the back of a Phantom, but it’s very comfortable back there, complete with moulded armrests in the body and a large padded centre armrest permanently in position.

As has been standard in all Rolls-Royce since 2007, the Spectre features the ‘Starlight headliner’, thousands of LEDs built into the roof of the car that look like a sea of stars above you when inside the vehicle – all placed by hand and programmed to include a random display of shooting stars amongst the astral display. The Spectre extends this celestial effect to the doors of the car, providing a full 360-degree effect.

The Spectre tech

The principle of the Spectre is that it is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second, so while technology is very much present, it’s not as obvious as it is on other EVs. Instead, the dual displays sit within the black panelling of the dash and blend into their surroundings rather than dominate them. Though exact sizes aren’t given, I suspect these are around 13 inches in size per piece, with the centre unit offering touchscreen control.

The instrument control has a brand-new design for Rolls-Royce that looks clean and modern while retaining that sense of style. Three virtual circular dials provide the power, speed and range, with the central speed dial providing a digital value alongside the hand on the numberless white dial.

The infotainment system is known as Spirit and even on the centre screen it looks unique. There are certainly similarities to BMW’s UX here, which is no bad thing at all – as it’s a very capable system. However, Rolls Royce assures me that this system is completely bespoke and not just a reskin. There are lots of options in the menus here, which makes the shortcut keys a helpful addition.

Eight buttons that sit below the steel vents in the centre column can be preset to any of the commands on the Spirit infotainment system. The car I drove had these set up for navigation points, lowering (or raising) the Spirit of Ecstasy figure and a few vehicle settings.

There is a head-up display here too, with controls to adjust the brightness, position and rotation of the display to suit you – which is very handy indeed. The beauty of head-up displays is that they are invisible to everyone but the driver, allowing the rest of the dash to remain dignified.

You can still override the Spirit infotainment by connecting your phone wirelessly and using either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which I’m sure the majority of users will. However, you will lose part of the charm of this system by doing so.

Then there’s the sound system. This is described as Rolls Royce bespoke audio, rather than tied to any audio manufacturer. There are circular metal speaker grills in the doors and rear, and clearly, more speakers in the dash to deliver the sound, which is as good as any premium sound system I’ve heard in a car, with maybe two exceptions.

There are no driving modes on the Spectre – the way it’s set up to drive has been extensively tested – so there’s no need to swap between comfort and sports models. There is the option to turn on the braking regeneration with the small B button on the drive stick. This allows you to drive one-footed in most cases with it on, while without it the car glides unhindered, as a combustion-engined Rolls-Royce would.

Rolls-Royce cars are notably silent inside – thanks in part to the considerable effort taken to soundproof the cabin. In fact, it’s even more soundproof on the Spectre as it uses that battery weight as part of the soundproofing. However, there is still an option on the Spectre to add a synthesised engine noise, if that cabin is now just too quiet. The sound is actually quite a convincing rendition of a rather muffled V12, as heard through the sealed bodywork. Very subtle but reassuring for those that need it.

Rolls-Royce’s app, known as Whispers, is exclusively for owners and has offered a range of features for some time. These include a personal concierge service, editorial features and community pages where owners can interact. For the Spectre, the app will also provide connected vehicle features, such as charging information, current range, location, remote climate control, locking and battery pre-conditioning.

What's the Spectre like to drive?

The Spectre has four-wheel steering and four-wheel driving, thanks to its dual motors. A smaller 190kW front motor is paired with a larger 360kW at the rear to deliver 584hp (430kW) and 900Nm of torque. While Rolls-Royce doesn’t like to talk about timings, the Spectre will do 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds (0-62mph in 4.5 seconds), which is pretty punchy for a car of this size.

The Spectre sits on the company’s largest air suspension unit, so while this may be a coupe, it’s designed to travel smoothly and gracefully along the road. The term waft was used regularly by the engineers, as was the idea of the car offering a magic carpet ride, and you can see what they mean when you drive it.

There is a certain level of disconnect between the surface and driver that adds a sense of calm to any drive. Even pulling hard through the corners you can’t help but feel relaxed inside the Spectre. This isn’t a car designed to be driven hard but it will hold the road exceptionally well if you do.

The interior space does a good job of enveloping you in the car, and you soon forget the sheer size and weight of it – though not completely. Despite the power and response, that air suspension is working hard to keep things level, but it does.

Electric cars deliver instant power to the throttle but the Spectre has actually built-in a slight delay in delivering that power. The result feels more organic, it’s that delay – that millisecond where you feel the engine take a breath – that I often miss in electric cars, and it’s nice to see that consideration here.

It might be a two-door coupe, but the Spectre is no sports car, it’s too refined for that. It’s a car designed to get from point A to point B in luxury, feeling calm and relaxed when you arrived, and it does that beautifully. The cabin is pin-drop silent and serene. It’s almost a shame to put music on and spoil it, except that that sound system is so good.

Powering the Spectre is a 102kWh battery, which is one of the biggest batteries in an electric car (if you ignore the pickup trucks). This delivers a range of up to 329 miles (WLTP rated), which is certainly more than enough for any Rolls Royce driver.

Rolls-Royce believes that most drivers will want to charge at home rather than at a public fast charger, though the Spectre is still capable of charging at up to 190kW should you wish to call in and top up, giving you 10-80% in just 34 minutes at full speed. For home charging it supports the faster 22kW charging that can deliver a full 0-100% in 5 hours 30 minutes, meaning an easy overnight or workday charge in the office is possible.

Should I buy a Rolls Royce Spectre?

An ultra-luxury all-electric Rolls-Royce coupe isn’t going to be the car for everyone, it’s never meant to be. This is a statement piece, both for those that buy it and for Rolls-Royce. For the buyer, it says success, but also shows forward-thinking and an embrace of the future. For the company, it's showing that you can build a Rolls-Royce without a combustion engine. That the car isn’t defined by the source of power, but more by the design and comfort it produces. This is a sign of models to come.

The one major point here is proven, the Spectre is a Rolls-Royce before it’s an electric car. It has that familiar feel like the other models in the range, from the Ghost to the Cullinan, the feeling of pure luxury and yet bags of power. It’s actually easy to forget you’re in an electric car here, especially as the interior feels in many ways quite traditional.

I’d have loved to see some kind of choice given to the driver between a sporty and a comfortable drive. I’d also like to have seen that central screen extend out onto the passenger side, providing an ultra-wide display, like a subtler version of the BMW screens. And while the starlight headliner is impressive, it’s not to everyone's taste.

That said, this is, without a doubt, the finest electric car made to date. It goes above and beyond any other model on the market making it the ultimate EV. Being the first Rolls-Royce electric model, also makes this a collectors item. If you were to be driven in any car, a Rolls-Royce is a natural choice. If you want to drive the finest EV, the Spectre is the one to choose.