Additional Photography courtesy of Rolls-Royce
compare cars It must be strange to exist in a class of one;
to not have contemporaries, to not have benchmarks to measure yourself
against. The owner of a Rolls-Royce must be familiar with this feeling,
and they must be able to console themselves by swaddling their bodies in
quilts stuffed puffy with hundred dollar bills. If you read our
February 2014 issue, you got a glimmer of driving Rolls-Royce's latest
touring coupe, but it was just a drive. The Wraith is a high-performance
fastback packing 624 hp from its 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12. Clearly, we
needed another opportunity with the car at a test track to see what all
that power can do in a 5,328-pound cruiser.
If you're reading the magazine in page order,
you no doubt read Ian Kuah's review of the new Mercedes S63 Coupe. The
latest in space-age German technology can be yours for the very
reasonable sum right around $220,000. I say reasonable because
everything is relative. The Rolls-Royce Wraith starts at $288,600, but
the car we tested had a bottom line of $360,325 with options. Let that
sink in. That's more the than the price of a Boxster S in options alone,
but I digress.
Photo 2/40
| 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith - Tested
Testing the performance of a Rolls-Royce is a
bit of an otherworldly experience. There aren't many people in this
world who get to drive a Rolls and fewer still who are fortunate enough
to drive them at their limits. I do this job for science.
Acceleration runs are obviously fast, yet
strangely effortless. Launching the car can be difficult with 590 lb-ft
of torque being delivered through just the rear tires. The engineers in
Goodwood eschewed the all-wheel-drive trend and stuck with the more
traditional rear-wheel drive. Careful throttle modulation and a bit of
practice allows for a 0-60-mph sprint in just 4.1 seconds. In
comparison, a Bentley Continental GT Speed I tested did the same in 3.8
seconds, but with the added benefit of powering all four corners. If you
keep your Berluti boot planted in the Wraith's thick woolen carpet, the
quarter-mile eclipses in a mere 12.5 seconds with a trap speed of 114
mph. The ZF eight-speed automatic is smooth and efficient. It never
feels as though power is oozing away like some autos, but it certainly
never bangs a shift, either. From inside the car, the engine noise-and
all external sound for that matter-doesn't exist. From outside, the
Wraith sounds like a Spitfire ripping down the runway-it's glorious.
Photo 3/40
| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith Front Seats 09
Coming back down from speed, the Wraith stops in
a relatively short 109 feet from 60 mph. That is 2 feet shorter than
the aforementioned Bentley, which not only enjoys an advantage of wider
front tires but a 150-pound advantage in mass as well. Again, no drama
in the endeavor, just punt the brake pedal toward the floor and the car
dives on the front axle while screeching to a halt.
Our figure-8 testing is where things normally
get interesting for larger, more massive cars. This Roller is no
exception. Braking into the skipad sections is again fantastic, although
you feel every ounce of mass wanting to continue on; the big brakes
scrub speed dutifully. Turn in too quickly and the car returns gentle,
speed scrubbing understeer. The same happens if you try and carry your
braking too late into the turn. The Wraith prefers a more gentle,
patient hand at the wheel. Fast steering inputs create a situation in
which the tires, wheels, and suspension charge eagerly into the turn,
while the body tries to continue straight on. The Rolls certainly does.
The body movement could best be described as nautical. Although the
Wraith is tuned to be more sporting than its chassis-mate Ghost, it is
still far from a sports car. The air suspension is firm but compliant in
most situations but isn't quite designed for snatching at lower-speed,
high-g turns.
Photo 4/40
| 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith - Tested
The Wraith prefers the driver to come almost
completely off the brakes, let the car settle and regain composure, turn
in deliberately but patiently, again, let the body settle its
considerable mass on the outside tires, and then feed in the power. The
Wraith will average 0.82 g around the skidpad section. A quick prod of
the throttle will blast the rear tires free from the constraints of
friction, creating a gluttonous, smoke-pouring drift. Driving a
Rolls-Royce, even one that isn't yours, gives you a glimpse into the
life of the 1%. Powering a Rolls-Royce out of a turn, swinging the back
end around while feeling the tires melt beneath the mountain of torque,
lets you gaze down on the 1% from the life of a fractional.
If you are more concerned with lap times than
with smoke-filled gluttony, you can feed power in slowly, let the rear
end hook up and power out onto the straight, while picking up the front
end like an offshore racer. The Wraith will ultimately lap our figure-8
in 26.6 seconds. The Continental GT does the same lap 0.9 seconds
quicker, again the all-wheel drive is a big advantage exiting turns. The
Bentley won't ever present you with the option of drifting, however.
Photo 5/40
| 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith Interior 10
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