2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre | UK Review
A silent spin on the roads at Rolls' doorstep - is this the EV luxury benchmark?
While the advent of EVs has presented the makers of supercars with numerous challenges, for Rolls-Royce it must've seemed like a golden opportunity. After all, the effortlessness and serenity that characterise its most memorable cars are the default properties of virtually silent electric motors. There’s an undeniable majesty and prestige to a mighty V12, but for the minimum fuss and maximum refinement, nothing’s going to beat a battery-powered luxury model.
Which Charles Rolls was all too aware of as long ago as the 19th century. The original EV tech bro knew what was up more than 120 years ahead of the Spectre’s debut; he rolled around town in something called The Columbia Electric Carriage as a 20-year-old student in 1898. It was imported from the States by Paris Singer, no less, heir to the Singer sewing machine empire. Perhaps he also knew Jay Gatsby. Anyway, after two years of use, Rolls had this to say in 1900: “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.” Preach, Charlie.
Even with a 102kWh battery providing the power rather than some internal combustion powerhouse, there’s no doubt that the Spectre is a Rolls-Royce. It might even be a bit too familiar for its own good, the design more evolutionary than the transformation underneath - yet even without a Spirit of Ecstasy the powerful stance, exquisite details and sheer size (almost 5.5m long, on 23-inch wheels) mean its origins are never in doubt. This look is deliberate, of course; the Spectre could have a V12 in it, with its prominent grille and Wraith-like silhouette. Clearly the point is to make the EV transition as seamless as possible for customers. Perhaps the opportunity to do something dramatic will come next.
The same goes for inside, which could hardly feel more traditionally Rolls-Royce. Again, it’s hard not to feel like this would be the perfect time to break with the old ways, but if this is the kind of electric car customers have said they will buy, Rolls-Royce is rather compelled to make it. And there’s no faulting anything, from the luxuriant carpets to its beautiful dials, flawless veneers and wonderful hides. It smells so expensive and everything operates with the sort of perfect weight and travel that only the Goodwood-built cars manage. But anyone wowed by Hyperscreens and other EV theatrics won’t find much to get excited by. The Spectre is still a Rolls-Royce: it’s about restraint and (relative) understatement, which is cooler than trying too hard. Just this one makes even less noise than before when it’s started.
This is sort of how it drives, too. Which is to say pretty fabulously, because even with the recognisable attributes battery power brings, there’s a very distinct style to how the Spectre gets down a road. It’s eerily refined for one thing, so subdued that you wonder if a red carpet hasn’t been rolled out for you to drive down. Even by EV standards, it is a model of hushed calm. That all the controls take a little bit of effort is welcome, too, the steering light but low geared, the throttle long in its travel and beautifully linear, building gradually yet undeniably to the full 585hp and 660lb ft. To travel briskly requires a concerted effort, and that feels very Rolls Royce, too; this isn’t a car where the throttle is brushed and you’re doing 80mph. Similarly, the brakes and regen have been beautifully calibrated, the details sweated so that one pedal driving is fantastically smooth; if there’s a need for more stopping power, it can be metered out easily and effectively. If your chauffeur is driving jerkily, it’s 100 per cent them and not the gloriously smooth car.
Without obvious driving modes or settings, it would be fair to say that the giant wheels aren’t at their happiest when going slowly on iffy roads. More thumps and bumps disturb the peace than is absolutely ideal, in addition to the anxiety of damaging such beautiful rims. The easiest solution to this conundrum is more speed, the Spectre loping along supremely at grand touring pace. Whether customers will want to use a Spectre for continent crushing remains to be seen - the range is officially 328, and that will rapidly deplete at a steady 85mph or so - though there can be little doubt that nothing feels quite so authoritative or soothing at pace as a Spectre. There always seems to be ample power in reserve, of course, and the dial remains on the left of the driver’s screen as a reminder of the fact. Just perhaps get some 22s if it’s sticking around town; three tonnes is a lot of weight to contain, so anything that can be saved off the unsprung mass will be welcome.
Despite the inevitable weight gain (over a 2.5-tonne predecessor), the benefits of the powertrain transition are felt in the Spectre’s athleticism; no ICE R-R was surely ever this keen or willing to change direction. It’s a really satisfying car to maintain momentum in, trying to ensure that you and car expend minimum effort and achieve maximum efficiency as the road bends. Even without an engine, the Rolls-Royce feel comes coursing through: it’s relaxed and reserved but never stops hinting at a greater potency. Put it this way, a Spectre Black Badge sounds great already given the foundations its maker has to work with.
This wasn’t the opportunity to properly test charging or efficiency, but suffice it to say that a very large, very heavy, very powerful luxury car is never going to be a paragon of parsimony, whatever it’s fuelled by. Having such a whopper of a battery (120kWh gross, 102kWh usable) means it’ll need a hefty amount of charge, though when even a Taycan offers 97kWh perhaps it’s not so bad. And buying a Rolls-Royce was never done for the benefit of one’s finances. Even if it's not the most efficient EV out there, a Spectre will surely cost less to run than any V12.
So the authentic R-R feel is never in doubt: here’s a car that’s the pinnacle of opulence, good grace and decorum, albeit powered by electricity. If easy battery replenishment could be guaranteed when out and about, it’s hard to think of anything better for charging (sorry) through the miles - fundamentally, the Spectre is an epic ground coverer. The doubt that lingers about whether a relatively simple battery and motor setup can justify the same outlay as the hundreds of hours and thousands of parts that go into a flagship V12 is surely only the concern of someone with a regularly exercised overdraft; actual customers will likely be too enamoured with the regal tranquillity of their new Rolls-Royce to pay it any mind at all.
Specification | 2024 Rolls Royce Spectre
Engine: Dual motors (258hp front, 489hp rear) 102kWh (usable) battery
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 585
Torque (lb ft): 660
0-62mph: 4.5 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 2,890kg
MPG: 329 miles range (2.6-2.8mi/kWh efficiency)
CO2: 0g/km driving
Price: from £332,055
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