Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II First Drive: Polishing Near-Perfection

If the refresh the Cullinan received earlier in 2024 didn't give things away, Rolls-Royce is in the process of updating its lineup. Next on the list is the Ghost Series II, though the new mark from the British marque may not be the kind of overhaul you were expecting. 

Given this is the biggest update Ghost has received since it dumped its original 7-Series underpinnings and went its own way a few years back, it comes as little surprise that Rolls-Royce has approached the process very carefully. Some of the original Ghost's few shortcomings are dealt with, the excessively customizable brand has somehow added more options, and a vehicle that already will open and close its own doors for you has found a few more quality of life features to add. Meanwhile, everything that made the Ghost a favorite of many Rolls-Royce aficionados seems to have been left well enough alone. 

Clearly confident of its handiwork, Rolls-Royce invited SlashGear out to France to get behind the wheel of the new Ghost, and put it through its paces on cruelly narrow village roads, winding country lanes, and the odd breathtakingly pretty coastal road. Because if the car itself stands out against a backdrop like that, the manufacturer must be doing something right. 

If you're a fan of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the words "6.7-liter, twin-turbo V12 capable of pumping out 563 horsepower" should be pretty familiar to you. Well, nothing has changed with the Series II. It's the same engine, same turbos, same eight-speed automatic transmission managing it all.

The feeling when you're driving it is the same too. The 0-60 time is still a pacy 4.6 seconds, though the exact time depends on various circumstances and other outlets have reported times closer to 4.1 or 4.2 seconds on the original Ghost. If you just ignore the stopwatch, it feels quick, especially for something of this size. It's also shockingly well balanced, agile, and grippy for what could still be described as a stately home on four wheels.

So if you've driven a Ghost, you'll know exactly what to expect. If you, admittedly ill-advisedly, blindfolded someone and stuck them behind the wheel of a Ghost and Ghost Series II back to back, I wager they would not be able to tell the difference between the pair. And that's not a bad thing, nor is this a criticism. The Ghost drives very well, and the new edition is exactly the same.

As in other examples of the luxury automaker's fleet, one of the most important controls is also one of the most subtle: the "low" button perched on the transmission stalk. It tinkers with the throttle response and affects how the Rolls shifts gear. So, instead of that hefty V-12 sounding near-silent, you'll get a very distinct roar from under the hood whenever you get your foot down. Acceleration is notably sharper, and you'll find yourself driving the heavy sedan a lot harder than you may have originally intended.

On the "silence" front, the frankly massive — one of the largest displacement engines still in use, in fact — V12 sitting under the hood is likely loud no matter what you do. Rolls-Royce opted to clad the engine bay and other areas of the Ghost II in an almost silly amount of sound-dampening material. It's carefully tuned so you hear just enough of the engine to know it's still there, and running, without it really disturbing you at all. Provided you drive smoothly, in normal mode. If you want a quieter drivetrain, you'll need an all-electric Spectre.

The Ghost II is also good at eliminating outside noises, so you won't hear birds chirping, or other vehicles, or anything short of a siren with the windows rolled up. The door seals and pollen filter are also of high-quality, as you may expect. To put things into context, a Peugeot blew a head gasket right in front of us on the test drive, and despite the plume of burning engine oil affecting our vision somewhat we couldn't smell a thing inside the vehicle.

As with the pre-refresh "Black Badge" Ghost, there's more here than just an aesthetic package. You also get a little extra out of the engine when you opt for this top-level trim: an added 29 horsepower and 37 lb-ft of torque. True, you'd have to concentrate to actually notice a difference though, if you get the lab coats out it's probably there, but the "silver badge" has the same surprising burst of speed when needed, and handles very similarly.

It's like the boost to comfort and handling that the 22" wheels give you on the Black Badge. It's certainly there, the math will check out, but the standard model rides and handles so well you'll need elite level concentration to tell the two apart. 

Where the Black Badge does notably differ, aside from the carbon-fiber touches cladding various interior elements, is in the soundtrack. That roar you get when the "low" mode is active is far throatier and more noticeable on the top trim. If you are a more aggressive driver, or you just like driving something with a darker touch, then the step up is probably worth every penny.

One of the new features on the Ghost Series II is Duality Twill, a rayon-fabric made from bamboo and available as an upholstery option. Bamboo is an extremely sustainable and versatile material, and the new cloth doesn't look out of place in the interior of the Ghost at all. At a glance, you're likely to confuse it with silk, both in terms of styling and feel. With this being Rolls-Royce, you aren't limited to the Duality Twill. You can basically ask for your interior to be clad in anything not currently on the endangered species list–though some materials come with a premium. But the new rayon-fabric does not fall short in the slightest, and the fact it's actually worth considering in a world of almost unlimited choices is testament to just how good it is.

A lot of effort does go into the twill, along with 11 miles of thread. That effort takes the form of around 2.2 million stitches. A new perforation style is also available for the vehicle's seats, should that pattern appeal to you.

Dave McQuilling/SlashGear

Other little touches include a small Spirit of Ecstasy under the clock on the dash. This has slight "ornament on Grandma's mantle" vibes, but mostly plays into the overall Rolls-Royce feeling shockingly well, with an odd timeless elegance to it. Certainly, you can go in the opposite direction. You could ask for a candy-cane colored interior with a hot pink dashboard and paint the outside lime green if you really want. But there's a solid argument that, if you're doing the whole Rolls-Royce thing properly, you should really feel like you're in the lobby of an upmarket Victorian hotel. 

One of the standouts on the new Ghost is the improved infotainment system and digital experience. Again, it's not totally novel — all of this debuted on the Spectre. But now you have access to things like Android Auto and Apple Car Play, alongside increased integration with Rolls-Royce's owners-only Whispers app.

The "Spirit" digital interface also aids navigation through the vehicle's many features. You can go beyond simply launching Spotify, and instead customize things like the color of the vehicle's dials through it. The app and vehicle work seamlessly together, allowing you to do things like book services, lock the car, or send travel destinations directly to your navigation system. Again, none of this is unique to Rolls-Royce, but it's a definite improvement for the Ghost Series II. The Series I often felt like it was lagging behind on the technological front at times, and modern app-based conveniences do make life a lot easier.

Any media you play will be pumped through Rolls-Royce's proprietary 18-speaker audio system. The marque has opted to keep the audio in-house, rather than outsource to an audio company like Bowers & Wilkins as its parent company BMW does.

Among the subtle changes is a re-shaped body. Which sort of turns this into the Ghost Sports Edition as much as it does the Ghost Series II. The vehicle's lines have been taken in, and look a touch more aggressive.

On the whole the vehicle appears a touch smaller than its predecessor. It isn't, it's exactly the same size, but the redrawn lines leave it seeming sleeker, lower down, and more aggressive. The new tail light configuration is also a nice touch.

Despite the newfound edge, there's still that overall Rolls-Royce feel to it. The front is flat and square, with things not truly beginning to sweep backwards until you pass the windscreen. It really fits the weird duality you encounter in the vehicle's performance. It's an elegant evening gown, and a designer tracksuit, all at the same time.

Overall, there isn't that much of a difference between the Ghost Series II and its predecessor. There are some very nice aesthetic touches, and the "Low" button injects a bit of fun into what can be a very serious vehicle in certain circumstances. But day to day, you'll struggle to find too much distinction between the new vehicle and the Ghost that came before it.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. As with many people, the Ghost was my favorite drive in the Rolls-Royce lineup. It felt wonderfully agile for its size, surprisingly punchy when needed, and kept that classic Phantom-inspired styling while adding a sliver of modernity. If Rolls-Royce was to rip all of that up and go in a drastically different direction, that would be a tragic thing indeed.

Instead, you have a focused refresh, centered around subtle improvements which add polish while keeping the core elements exactly where they need to be. It's not a reason to run to the dealer, trade in your two-year-old Ghost, and slap your name down on the pre-order list. Then again, that's not really how Rolls-Royce owners choose their cars, and if you happen to be in the market for a new Ghost anyway, the little tweaks and new options keep this appealing sedan feeling fresh.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II starts at $355,000, and the Ghost Black Badge Series II starts at $420,000. That said, the sky really is the limit on both options, and the subsequent bill.