2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a driver's car. You know, the type of driver who is paid to wear a suit, always be early, and smile even on his worst of days. As such, the ride is so supple that you might imagine the massive twenty-inch wheels dancing around potholes rather than just soaking up the impacts. The twin-turbocharged V-12's 563 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque are massaged for gentle yet firm delivery through the eight-speed automatic. The engine never feels aggressive, yet there's always jet-like thrust at the ready.

The small Rolls affords plenty of room for rear-seat passengers, and the trunk could swallow a small Chevy. As you might imagine, the rear seats are just as comfortable as the fronts, and the lambs'-wool carpet under your feet feels like it's three inches thick. I was surprised, though, to see how much equipment was optional, rather than standard on the Ghost. A panoramic sunroof-standard on a $46,355 Acura ZDX-is a $7000 option on top of the $248,700 base price. Passive entry costs $1700 while those iconic wood tray tables cost $2800.

The navigation and entertainment system is borrowed from BMW's iDrive, which means that Rolls doesn't have to curse high-dollar cars with inferior electronics, like so many other niche manufacturers do. The center stack is kept free of clutter by burying a few settings (such as stability control) deep in the iDrive-like system. There's also a neat interactive owners' manual that can be accessed when the vehicle is stopped.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost: A dazzling follow-up

Sir Winston Churchill would undoubtedly roll over in his grave to learn that Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the noblest of British luxury car brands, now belong to German manufacturers. The former is one of the BMW Group’s brands, just like another British icon, the Mini. The latter is part of the large Volkswagen conglomerate.

Purists and jingoists alike have no reason to worry about these ownership changes since Rolls-Royce and Bentley, long-time twins, have been brought back to life and re-launched with vigour and an impressive respect for their traditions. Not to mention that they now benefit from the most advanced technology and German engineering and manufacturing know-how. So much for the often questionable and fuzzy quality and innovation that once undermined the reputation of English cars.

Of these two brands, by far the most prestigious and renowned is Rolls-Royce, which, more than any other, is associated with royalty and great wealth. With a still imposing silhouette and an immense Greek temple-like front grille crowned with the emblem of the Spirit of Ecstasy (a feminine figure with wings outstretched) you’d recognize a Rolls anywhere.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Review

Your butler, Aloysius, may be seriously unimpressed when you bring home the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, with its MSRP of just $245,000. Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder is here to reassure him, though. Rolls-Royce’s “downmarket” sedan still has all the refinement, luxury and driving prowess of a Rolls and doesn’t even come close to dipping into the shantytown, Hoover flags territory of a BMW or Mercedes-Benz. Read Wiesenfelder’s full review to learn more about the slightly less outlandish Ghost.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Rolls-Royce has positioned its "cheap" model, the Ghost sedan, brilliantly, in terms of both its price and its unapologetic pursuit of comfort in a class of wannabe sport sedans.

Side The Ghost is 17 inches shorter than the short-wheelbase Phantom, but it's still plenty long, roughly between the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban full-size SUVs.

In the past few years, ultraluxury brands have been adding models to their lineups that are priced lower than their typical ultrarich cars, but that are still more expensive than the most feature- and power-packed models from mass-market luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In 2004, Bentley introduced its sporty Continental GT coupe at the unprecedented low price of $149,990 and promptly quintupled its sales without damaging the brand, as some had predicted the car might. A four-door Continental Flying Spur followed, currently priced at $177,600, $202,500 for a more powerful Speed version.

At a base price of $245,000, the Ghost comes in above the Spur and the new Aston Martin Rapide ($200,000), and well above the priciest versions of Maserati's Quattroporte ($133,700) and Porsche's new Panamera ($132,600), all of which have four doors.

Yet the Ghost doesn't cost as much as Rolls-Royce's flagship sedan, the Phantom ($380,000), or the 57 ($366,000) from Maybach, a Daimler brand. Though its retired 2009 Arnage was in the same range as the Ghost, Bentley's all-new 2011 Mulsanne flagship starts at $285,000.

Both its character and its price put the Ghost in a position to satisfy buyers and succeed in what's becoming a crowded subset of the luxury market.

First Drive: 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

You feel it the moment you open the door, which is thicker and heavier than in other cars, closes silently behind you at the push of a button, and has a removable Teflon-coated umbrella stashed in its innards in case the weather turns inclement. The handmade interior trim looks like the finely crafted wood you might find on a 1930s-era yacht. The seat leather, the company says, is made from the hides of bulls raised in pastures free of barbed-wire fencing, which might cause surface blemishes.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

That's all to be expected in a Rolls. What sets the Ghost apart from Roll-Royce's other model, the Phantom, is its relatively diminutive size (a mere 212.6 in. long, some 27 in. shorter than the extended-wheel-base version of the Phantom) and relatively low price (starting sticker is just $247,000, $138,000 less than the "base" model Phantom sedan). Of course, optional equipment can easily add $50,000 to the price of either model (and far more if you go a little crazy).

The rear-wheel-drive Ghost also is the most powerful Rolls ever, with a turbocharged V12 engine under its hood similar to the one in the BMW 760Li—only tweaked to make it even more powerful. In the Ghost, the engine is rated at 6.6 liters (vs. 6.0 liters in the BMW), 563 horsepower (vs. 535 in the BMW), and 575 ft.-lb. of torque (up from the BMW's 550).

As a result, the Ghost not only has the ultrasmooth and quiet ride you expect from a Rolls but also goes like a bat out of hell when you punch the gas. The company says the Ghost will accelerate from zero to 60 in a blazingly fast 4.8 seconds, slightly quicker than a Chevy Corvette Grand Sport and about one second quicker than the Phantom. That's an amazing stat for a big luxury sedan that weighs 5,445 lb. Top speed is 155 miles per hour.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Review

The 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is the latest model to come from this storied manufacturer, and it's positioned as the brand's entry-level vehicle. At a quarter-million dollars worth of starting price, that's quite a misnomer. But considering its Phantom sibling will set you back $380,000 and its namesake forebears -- the 1906-'26 Silver Ghosts – are typically valued in the millions, perhaps the new Ghost is a relative bargain.

The 2010 Ghost is all but guaranteed to embody class-leading performance and comfort. True, it is based on a BMW 760Li (BMW owns Rolls-Royce), but Rolls says the Ghost only shares about 20 percent of its construction with the big BMW. Rolls-Royce is also quick to point out that everything you see and touch is all-new and exclusive to the brand. As with all Rolls-Royce vehicles, the new Ghost surrounds occupants in top-notch luxury and unmistakable style. Attention to detail and craftsmanship border on the obsessive.

Back in the old days, Rolls-Royce didn't quote engine output but rather stated that it was "sufficient." Under the Ghost's long hood lies a larger version of BMW's new twin-turbo V12. This potent yet silky-smooth power plant produces a "sufficient" 563 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque. Equally impressive is the fact that all of that torque is available at only 1,500 rpm, which makes this substantial automobile feel light on its tires. An eight-speed automatic transmission -- also sourced from BMW -- provides quick, smooth and nearly imperceptible gearchanges.

Though it will be Rolls-Royce's volume leader, the Ghost will still be a relatively rare sight. The company bills the Ghost as a Rolls-Royce that's ideal for daily driver duty, whereas the massive Phantom is more a car for special occasions or one to be chauffeured around in. To put it into terms its clientele will readily relate to, think of the Ghost as the power suit to the Phantom's tuxedo. Overall we're quite impressed, finding it more desirable than a Maybach 57 and a keen alternative to the older Bentley Continental Flying Spur. However, we wonder if it's really worth the added cost over a Mercedes-Benz S600 or Jaguar XJL Supersport. Still, for shoppers with the financial means, the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is an intriguing choice.

Rolls-Royce May Revive Camargue And Corniche Names For New Ghost Family

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost sedan is expected to spawn its own two-door variants. The legacy started with cars like the Camargue and Corniche, both of which were based on the Silver Shadow, which itself is the forebear to the new Ghost.

The car’s lead exterior designer, Andreas Thurner, has previously revealed that there would be a family of models based on the Ghost platform and now a report is claiming that there will be concept versions of the new additions, or as Rolls-Royce likes to call them, “Experimental Cars.”

Rolls-Royce from Mansory

Kourosh Mansory loves modifying the most aristocratic British brands – which are all ironically foreign owned these days. We can’t wait to see the official images of his latest work next week at Geneva.

The word ostentatious does not reside in Kourosh Mansory’s vocabulary. The legendary Iranian tuner is nearly ready tol offer an embellished (is that actually possible?) version of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Although BMW would like you to believe the new ‘baby’ Rolls is an apt answer to plutocratic demands for classic Rolls-Royce luxury in a slightly less grandiose package, Mansory doesn’t really buy into this line of thinking. In his mind brazen is better – always.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Unveiled at Frankfurt

Roughly a week ago, the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show wrapped up an exciting ten or so days of new cars being paraded around for industry insiders. A few days ago I presented a video clip in this blog documenting what Edmunds.com believed to be highlights of the Frankfurt festivities. One of the new cars coming out that caught my attention was the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. So I spent this evening doing some digging around on what this latest Rolls-Royce production model was all about, and this video is the best synopsis of this classy ride.

This video produced by CarAndDriver.com goes through all the neat interior and exterior features of the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. This new Ghost is nothing like the car of the same name made in Britain in the early 1900's - the technology within is beyond state of the art and genuinely clever (check out the back doors that close themselves with the press of a button!). This new Rolls has a retractable hood ornament (thieves be damned!) and a beautiful V12 engine that can go 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. Some critics claim that the 2010 Ghost, while bearing some internal and external similarities to the Rolls Phantom, is perhaps a more modest, "everyday driver", at least as far as Rolls-Royce goes. But you better be an everyday baller if you wanna get one of these - estimated U.S. cost is rumored to be around $250K.