Hi there
Some of you may remember that two years ago I bought an Aston Martin V12 Vantage to replace my BMW M5 V10 (see thread here: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/my-new-car.18880013/). The Aston is a great car and captures a real analogue feeling to driving - proper manual transmission, no special modes or adjustable suspension. Just a nicely set up, balanced, sports car, powered by a fantastic sounding V12 wrapped in a beautiful design with a high-end interior.
I'd come to love the car but found it was a bit too much of a compromise. It's a bit firm for day-to-day use around London, and obviously has no rear seats. I'm keen to do some trips with friends and my parents and it just doesn't work for that. I considered trading it for something like a Bentley Continental GT Speed, but found they didn't feel as exciting or special as the Aston, and while they were very nice they didn't make me go "wow". It was also not the biggest in the back for having four adults on a long trip. I looked at the DB11 which was more exciting, but even smaller in the back!
I test drove various cars as potential replacements, but I faced the dilemma of loving the involvement and fun of driving the Aston, but not being able to find a car that delivers the same but also with proper comfortable touring. I realised I needed a second car.
After some more test driving I found myself eyeing up a current gen Range Rover Autobiography 5L Supercharged. Nice and comfortable, plenty of tech, practical, great driving position. Just a bit boring, and most cars seemed to be in spec that I didn't want e.g. black black black and big wheels. They also have horrific insurance costs in London as they are constantly getting nicked. I also found myself on Auto Trader looking at an entirely different kind of car.
So, to go with the Aston, a few weeks ago I picked up my Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's a beautiful specification, painted in a sort of rose champagne gold, with cream leather interior and brown contrast piping. It's trimmed with a lovely walnut wood and has the cashmere blend headlining with panoramic roof, and of course the deep pile lamb’s wool matts Rolls-Royce are famous for. At just over 22k miles it's in great condition.
I've always wanted a Rolls-Royce and have loved the brand since I was a kid. It really does feel particularly special to drive despite being the "baby Rolls-Royce" and sharing 18% of its parts with the 7 Series it has a common platform with. What is most remarkable is the way it drives - extremely smooth engine and transmission (specially tuned for comfort, not performance), and the best ride quality and most comfortable seats of any car I've driven. Makes an L405 Range Rover seem rough and harsh by comparison. Absolutely serene. It has wonderfully light steering and of course the 'flying lady' leading the way ahead. I also love the design approach Rolls-Royce take, with a focus on simplicity and of things being "just so". For example, you just have a D, R, N for the gearbox - with a "Low" mode in case you are driving on mountain roads and need to hold lower gears longer. The climate control is just a little dial with hot and cold, but with an upper and lower split in classic RR style. The navigation screen can be hidden behind the wood veneer. This is all complemented by lovely switchgear and beautifully soft and supple leather for the upholstery.
Performance wise it's astonishing. The 6.6 L V12 twin turbo has 570hp and 780Nm of torque, and together with the 8-speed gearbox accelerate the car quicker than you'd ever need. The active air suspension and dynamic anti-roll bars mean that despite the 2.4 tons of mass you can carry significant pace in a bend, but in a composed way.
Ultimately I wanted this as a day-to-day comfortable car that is brilliantly capable on a big trip with four adults. It does this and much more, and short of a Phantom is arguably the best luxury car in the world. Together with the Aston I think they make a good fleet. Very happy, would recommend
I will take and upload some proper photos at some stage, but here's a couple from the dealer to give you an idea!
Some of you may remember that two years ago I bought an Aston Martin V12 Vantage to replace my BMW M5 V10 (see thread here: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/my-new-car.18880013/). The Aston is a great car and captures a real analogue feeling to driving - proper manual transmission, no special modes or adjustable suspension. Just a nicely set up, balanced, sports car, powered by a fantastic sounding V12 wrapped in a beautiful design with a high-end interior.
I'd come to love the car but found it was a bit too much of a compromise. It's a bit firm for day-to-day use around London, and obviously has no rear seats. I'm keen to do some trips with friends and my parents and it just doesn't work for that. I considered trading it for something like a Bentley Continental GT Speed, but found they didn't feel as exciting or special as the Aston, and while they were very nice they didn't make me go "wow". It was also not the biggest in the back for having four adults on a long trip. I looked at the DB11 which was more exciting, but even smaller in the back!
I test drove various cars as potential replacements, but I faced the dilemma of loving the involvement and fun of driving the Aston, but not being able to find a car that delivers the same but also with proper comfortable touring. I realised I needed a second car.
After some more test driving I found myself eyeing up a current gen Range Rover Autobiography 5L Supercharged. Nice and comfortable, plenty of tech, practical, great driving position. Just a bit boring, and most cars seemed to be in spec that I didn't want e.g. black black black and big wheels. They also have horrific insurance costs in London as they are constantly getting nicked. I also found myself on Auto Trader looking at an entirely different kind of car.
So, to go with the Aston, a few weeks ago I picked up my Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's a beautiful specification, painted in a sort of rose champagne gold, with cream leather interior and brown contrast piping. It's trimmed with a lovely walnut wood and has the cashmere blend headlining with panoramic roof, and of course the deep pile lamb’s wool matts Rolls-Royce are famous for. At just over 22k miles it's in great condition.
I've always wanted a Rolls-Royce and have loved the brand since I was a kid. It really does feel particularly special to drive despite being the "baby Rolls-Royce" and sharing 18% of its parts with the 7 Series it has a common platform with. What is most remarkable is the way it drives - extremely smooth engine and transmission (specially tuned for comfort, not performance), and the best ride quality and most comfortable seats of any car I've driven. Makes an L405 Range Rover seem rough and harsh by comparison. Absolutely serene. It has wonderfully light steering and of course the 'flying lady' leading the way ahead. I also love the design approach Rolls-Royce take, with a focus on simplicity and of things being "just so". For example, you just have a D, R, N for the gearbox - with a "Low" mode in case you are driving on mountain roads and need to hold lower gears longer. The climate control is just a little dial with hot and cold, but with an upper and lower split in classic RR style. The navigation screen can be hidden behind the wood veneer. This is all complemented by lovely switchgear and beautifully soft and supple leather for the upholstery.
Performance wise it's astonishing. The 6.6 L V12 twin turbo has 570hp and 780Nm of torque, and together with the 8-speed gearbox accelerate the car quicker than you'd ever need. The active air suspension and dynamic anti-roll bars mean that despite the 2.4 tons of mass you can carry significant pace in a bend, but in a composed way.
Ultimately I wanted this as a day-to-day comfortable car that is brilliantly capable on a big trip with four adults. It does this and much more, and short of a Phantom is arguably the best luxury car in the world. Together with the Aston I think they make a good fleet. Very happy, would recommend
I will take and upload some proper photos at some stage, but here's a couple from the dealer to give you an idea!
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
You just put it in D with the steering column shifter and that's it. You can raise the suspension for clearance and lower it for entry, but there's no changing the stiffness of the chassis, weight of the steering, throttle response or anything like that. It's set up as Rolls-Royce believe a Rolls-Royce should behave.
