Rolls-Royce electrifies with all-new Spectre fastback coupe

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“Range anxiety is not an issue for our patrons.” So said a Rolls-Royce executive during a pre-drive presentation at the global press launch in Napa Valley of the legendary marque’s first-ever all-electric production motorcar. So, what makes Rolls’ ‘patrons’ — the vernacular the company uses for its clientele — immune to the scourge of the electric vehicle revolution? Well, for starters the typical Rolls-Royce owner has several vehicles at his or her disposal for extended road trips. And possibly a plane, helicopter and submarine. In addition, according to company tracking, a patron drives an average of just 5,150 kilometres a year in their current Rolls-Royce.

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After spending a day spiriting, very silently it must be said, around the rolling lush hills of Northern California wine country in the all-new and all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre, I challenge any of the fortunate future patrons of this exquisite fastback coupe to average just 14 kilometres a day during that first year of ownership. Or any subsequent year.

Is the Rolls-Royce Spectre a good EV?

The Spectre isn’t just one of the best electric vehicles I’ve ever piloted — and I’ve driven most of them — it is arguably the best vehicle I’ve ever had the privilege of driving. ‘Effortless’ is an adjective Rolls-Royce engineers aspire to when it comes to the driving sensation of their vehicles, and the Spectre ticks that box in a big way, with very linear acceleration, firm and sure-handed steering inputs and a comfort dynamic that lives up to the marque’s legendary magic carpet ride, a term derived from the air cushion suspension that is a Rolls-Royce hallmark.

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The all-electric Spectre is an all-wheel-drive two-door coupe that seats four, but despite that coupe designation this is a big vehicle, stretching nearly 10 centimetres longer than the new Cadillac Escalade. It’s also heavy car, tipping the scales unladen at 2,890 kilograms, or 6,371 pounds. That’s 70 kilos heavier than a fully loaded Escalade. For something of that size and weight, the Spectre is a spirited performer.

The Spectre is built on the so-called Architecture of Luxury platform, an all-aluminum spaceframe that is scalable and customizable around four fixed points, one at each corner of the car. That inherent flexibility, according to the company, allows for the adjustment of the bulkhead, floor, crossmembers and sill panels in a way most appropriate to each individual product. It was designed to accommodate internal combustion engines and, in the case of the Spectre, all-electric powertrains. And thanks to the 700-kg (1,543-lb) battery, which is fully integrated into the architecture, the Spectre spaceframe is 30 per cent stiffer than any Rolls-Royce ever made. That certainly plays a role in the substantially planted feel of the vehicle, particularly on twisty roads. In addition, four-wheel steering gives the Spectre a sense of handling that belies its size.

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What are the electric underpinnings of the Rolls-Royce Spectre?

A 102-kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery drives front and rear motors with respective power outputs of 190 kilowatts and 360 kilowatts, which translates to a combined horsepower rating of 584 and a torque rating of 900 newton-metres, or 664 pound-feet. Full-charge range crests 500 kilometres according to the European test standard, which should translate to around the 430-kilometre mark under Canada’s testing protocol. The company expects a charge time from 10 to 80 per cent of 34 minutes using a 195-kilowatt DC fast charger. Provided technical data shows an efficiency rating of 22.2-23.6 kWh/100 km, and during 185 kilometres of driving I achieved a 21.4 figure.

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There is one regenerative braking setting, a one-pedal drive mode that is engaged by pressing a button on the gearshift stalk. When not engaged, there is still noticeable regen occurring when you lift your foot off the accelerator. But in keeping with a premium placed on that patented Rolls-Royce smooth ride, it is subtle enough not to be noticeable, and I only realized it when looking at the power/charge gauge on the driver gauge graphics.

As to pinning the power side of that gauge, Rolls-Royce reports a zero to 100 kilometre an hour sprint of 4.5 seconds. However, that would most likely be a shade quicker if engineers hadn’t dialled in a slight hesitation when the accelerator is pushed to avoid that jerky, head-snap sensation powerful EVs produce upon launch. We’re told that’s not something Spectre owners would want.

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One feature patrons did ask for during the extensive customer-input sessions Rolls-Royce engineers held pertaining to the Spectre was the ability to have an engine-like sound option. Which had me wondering immediately why you would want this in a Rolls-Royce, particularly an electric one. When I tried it out I found it to be only disappointing aspect to the Spectre. Who needs a sound like a muffled jet engine on their magic carpet ride? Not this patron wannabe.

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What is unique about the Rolls-Royce Spectre exterior?

The Spectre’s all-aluminum pillar-less, rear-hinged doors, at almost five feet in length, are the largest ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce, and are also the first to automatically close when the driver touches the brake pedal. Those massive 23-inch wheels are the largest to be fitted on a production Rolls-Royce in nearly a century, the Pantheon grille is the widest ever sported by a Roller, and the overhangs front and back are the shortest ever. And that iconic Spirit of Ecstasy retractable hood ornament is unique to Spectre, with more swept back wings that reflects the vehicle’s impressive drag coefficient of 0.25cd, making it the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever.

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Rolls-Royce designers are said to have been inspired by racing yachts when penning the well-proportioned body style and that is most noticeable on the so-called ‘waft’ line along the side of the Spectre, and in the boattail rear end.

What is unique about the Rolls-Royce interior?

A guiding principle of Rolls-Royce cabin is that you sit in the car, not on it, and that is certainly the case in the Spectre. The front seats, as you’d expect, offer incredible comfort but with enough firmness to keep you in place when you unleash that big battery, but it is the rear seats that surprised me the most. While it does take a bit of bending and crouching to get back there, once you are in the ‘lounge’ rear seats there is a surprising amount of room. So much so that six-footers have legroom to spare, and clever sculpted arm rests provide a very comfortable seating position.

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Another highlight of the cabin is the all-new driver digital gauge, which is spectacular in its simple yet oh-so-elegant and sophisticated design, providing just the basics the driver needs. There is, of course, the starlight headliner and door feature, the Rolls-Royce branded umbrella in the driver-side door and all-manner of handcrafted materials, ones that are selected by the patron during the ordering process. And to underscore that no stone was left unturned on this clean-sheet design, there is even a new blinker sound when you engage the turn signal.

Final thoughts

The Rolls-Royce Spectre starts at $495,000, and pre-orders are underway with models spoken for up until the beginning of 2025. Deliveries will begin by the end of this year.

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Rolls-Royce has committed to making their entire fleet all-electric by 2030, and if the Spectre is a glimpse into that zero-emission future, this storied marque will continue to define the epitome of super-luxury motorcars.

Four years before he first met Henry Royce, in 1900, Charles Rolls was quoted in a magazine prophesying that “(t)he electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.” More than a century later, the remarkable automaker those two gentlemen founded has produced an electric vehicle wholly worthy of the storied brand. And most importantly, the Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric vehicle second.