Rolls-Royce Spectre (2023 - ) Electric review

Did we mention it’s expensive? Once options have been added and Spectre has been personalised, the average price tag is expected to rise from about £330,000 to nearer £450,000. It also weighs almost three tonnes so you’re highly unlikely to see that 329-mile quoted range. On the other hand, Spectre does at least get one point for using electricity, which is far cheaper than petrol at home and work, where all owners will charge. After all, can you imagine a billionaire queueing for a public charger? Not that any Spectre owner will worry about running costs, given this electric car will likely join a stable of automotive assets in garages around the world. True, a Rolls-Royce is sometimes a car but, just as often, simply a luxury purchase enjoyed alongside artworks, yachts, horses and jewellery. So, all financial frames of reference are out the window.

As meaningless a category as running costs for the ultra-high net worthers out there, really. If something does go wrong either the owner’s domestic staff or Rolls-Royce will deal with it, with minimum fuss. But the brand is owned by BMW Group, with tried and tested parts from the group, and each car is painstakingly assembled at the Goodwood plant in West Sussex, so we’d be surprised if any issues arose. Rolls-Royce has been tinkering with the electric powertrain in extremes of cold and hot weather conditions for years now as well so it's all been thoroughly tested. There’ll be a warranty and blah but, really, whatever.

BMW Group’s systems are all on board, with the usual blind-spot warning, cameras, sensors, lane-departure warning and so on. Plus, you get all-wheel drive for extra traction in slippery conditions and a suitably lofty driving position with good visibility down the road. There’s a load of bodywork around you providing crumple zones as well, albeit expensive ones. There’s probably a little butler who pops up to throw himself between you and an oncoming car in the event of an impending crash. We’re being facetious, of course, but basically you feel invincible, which is most of the challenge.

This car is the pinnacle of electric comfort, and Rolls-Royce is beyond compare when it comes to the ride in its cars. We met the chief engineer on the launch; a softly spoken, intelligent man who exists in another dimension and creates magic. The Spectre is heavy, at nearly three tonnes, but travels down the road like a baby held aloft on a cushion, suspended a gnat’s whisker above the Tarmac, caressing the undulations and bumps. Life is extremely pleasant in the front and rear, with deep lambswool carpets for your feet, cushions for your head, soft leather, smooth open-grain wood and leather-lined arm rests on the doors. Children might struggle slightly in the rear because the windows are high, impeding the view out. And there isn’t as much space in the boot as we’d thought - it’s deep, but not very wide. But that’s it, in terms of niggles.

The Spirit of Ecstasy looks different for the first time, given her wings are splayed flat against the bodywork to reduce drag for improved electric range. She still rises and falls into the bodywork at the touch of a button. Spectre has a more spartan interior than the Phantom, partly because it’s half the size, so no massive whisky decanters and tumblers in mirror-lined fridges in the more compact rear. But it’s just as beautiful a space in which to relax, with myriad colour options and mix and match palettes for the leather. New for the Spectre is the option of starlit doors alongside the existing starlit ceiling. Have both, and the starlit dashboard, and you have an overwhelmingly sparkly interior. Also new is the ability to close the driver door by pushing the brake pedal rather than prosaically pulling it shut manually; it’s a smart, invisible touch for what is a heavy, rear-hinged door. The BMW-derived sat-nav isn’t great, with ours not tracking traffic and sending us on long routes. Most drivers will either use their smartphone on the screen or leave it to their driver to sort it out. There’s a new digital display for the driver, including range of course, the colour of which can be matched to your choice. It’s a lovely, art-deco inspired design. Rolls-Royce’s CEO is fond of the rear windows, which are frameless and disappear fully into the body. There’s a great bespoke sound system, massaging and heat functions for the seats, and so on. And, of course, there’s a smartly designed home-charging wallbox on offer for clients charging at home and work.

It’s fast. All 900Nm of torque and 584 horsepower imperceptibly send an incredible boost to the rear end, which squats as the car accelerates up in total silence to hit 60mph in 4.4 seconds - a feat for such a heavy beast. The brakes are equally impressive, thankfully. Range, of course, diminishes in tandem with increased power, the best case a quoted 329 miles miles. Don’t expect to achieve anywhere near it if you want to appreciate this car at its finest. The large, thin steering wheel directs four, gigantic, 23-inch wheels with minute choreography, like they’re fleet-footed ballet dancers. And the whole thing is just a joy. To misquote a Hollywood actor, “Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a Spectre to drive right up close to it.”