Rolls-Royce’s first electric vehicle sounds like no other

My favourite characteristic of the caller $420,000, all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre isn’t the cosseting thrust value aliases the illuminated stars embedded successful the headliner of the insanely ornate interior. It isn’t the 577 horsepower aliases the 266 miles of range. It’s neither the “yes, that’s the spot” massaging seats nor the curbside beingness of that upright, chromed beforehand grille. It isn’t moreover the aerodynamically refined yet classically styled Spirit of Ecstasy statuette perched atop.

My favourite characteristic of the Spectre is the sound it makes. As an EV, it doesn’t really make immoderate motor sound connected its own. It’s a rolling cocoon made inherently anti-acoustic acknowledgment to the tireless activity of immoderate surely big-eared scientists. So, to inject a small much life into the driving experience, the Spectre plays a small integer reside erstwhile you accelerate.

Yes, astir each modern EV emits immoderate benignant of synthetic whir aliases trill erstwhile you get connected the accelerator — but thing for illustration the Spectre. This car makes the benignant of sound that you would expect to perceive erstwhile an omniscient, all-powerful alien unit swoops done the clouds successful a sci-fi movie, the gut-shaking reside backing the infinitesimal erstwhile everyone realizes that humanity is astir to get served. 

This heavenly chorus is truthful subtle, you almost can’t perceive it, but pinch this Roller being arsenic quiet arsenic a tomb, the consequence is genuinely sublime. And that’s conscionable 1 facet of a wholly refined acquisition that’s connected a level supra immoderate different EV connected the road. 

A hushed destiny

The Rolls-Royce marque has been applied to top-tier machines since 1904, and it feels for illustration the erstwhile 120 years person been starring up to this moment. 

If you’re fortunate capable to spot an early Rolls-Royce waft by, for illustration a Silver Ghost aliases a Phantom, you won’t perceive much. Despite monolithic engines successful excess of 7 liters (50 percent bigger than that of a existent Ford Mustang GT), these early ultra-luxury cars featured exhausts designed to minimize drivetrain noise.

With the Spectre, Rolls-Royce’s first battery-electric EV, the company’s engineers tin yet extremity overengineering ye olde soul combustion to make it soft and silent. The Spectre relies connected 2 electrical motors that make the mixed 577 horsepower mentioned supra and 664 pound-feet of torque. This point weighs a monolithic 6,371 pounds, much than a Cadillac Escalade, yet it tin accelerate to 60mph successful conscionable 4.4 seconds.

Yes, it’s accelerated erstwhile it needs to be, but you’ll spot amended scope erstwhile driven calmly, up to 266 miles connected a complaint from its 102kWh artillery pack. 

Not only is relaxed driving much businesslike but it’s besides overmuch much rewarding. The Spectre has a mostly calm demeanor, for illustration a throttle pedal that requires a heavy exertion to unleash each that power. The brake pedal is arsenic laid back, arsenic is the slow steering, pinch conscionable capable feedback to fto you cognize you are turning the wheels and tires.

All 4 of them, successful fact. Rear-wheel steering makes this astir 18-foot-long ultra-coupe a cinch to navigate done tight parking lots. The 360-degree camera and modular automated parking besides thief to guarantee that you don’t curb 1 of those 23-inch wheels, thing I appreciated during my loan, arsenic replacing immoderate of them would surely person bankrupted me.

On borrowed tech

That 360-degree camera is conscionable immoderate of the tech that Rolls-Royce engineers borrowed from genitor institution BMW, but I wish they’d stolen a spot more, for illustration BMW’s hands-off driver assistance system. 

The touchscreen infotainment is besides reasonably modern, offering integrated navigation and searching for charging stations. It’ll moreover do some Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though, curiously, I couldn’t get the second to work. Perhaps the car considered my last-season Samsung Galaxy S23 excessively passé? And though the media is played done a 16-speaker bespoke audio strategy that is powerful yet beautifully subtle, it sadly lacks Dolby Atmos support. 

So this highest of high-tech Rolls-Royces doesn’t rather connection each the world’s features, but what you get alternatively is an astronomically elaborate interior, level mats of the softest lambswool, and a broad group of polished metallic controls, each designed pinch the cleanable weight and feel.

Mortgage time

While you tin get into a Spectre for $420,000, you’ll ne'er get done the buying process without ticking a fewer boxes. Given options for illustration the chartreuse overgarment you spot present costs $13,100 connected its own, expect to walk a batch more. This car stickered astatine $560,100 aft a $2,750 destination charge. 

A worthwhile expenditure? That’s a difficult point for personification pinch the fund of a specified mortal to say. The Spectre is hardly a bully value, but it is exceptional, made each the much spectacular considering it’s Rolls-Royce’s. But the beingness of That Sound does make it each look worthwhile.

There are much EVs to come, but we’ll person to beryllium patient; an SUV has been promised for 2027, up of the marque becoming all-electric successful 2030. How good those early EVs look and thrust is anyone’s conjecture astatine this point, but if they each sound this good, they’ll beryllium disconnected to a very bully start.