OPINION: I daily drove a £300,000 Rolls-Royce – and now I understand the hype

What’s the perfect car for a road trip to the North of England and a glamorous stay in a Premier Inn? Well, I was lucky enough that when the need arose, my answer was ‘a Rolls-Royce Ghost’.

Okay, luck didn’t factor in too much – I’d very carefully planned the Rolls-Royce loan to coincide with my weekend away, which involved a trip up to Hull with three passengers in tow to attend a competition with my male voice choir. But I was apprehensive – whether the Ghost would be worth the effort it took. Would it feel as special as I hoped a Rolls-Royce was going to – or would it be, as some cynical people suggest, just a big BMW with some shiny veneer?

First impressions are the most important

From the moment the Ghost arrived it garnered attention – passers-by complimented it even as it was being unloaded from the delivery lorry. I have to admit Rolls-Royce got the spec just right on this particular Ghost – it was finished in Iguazu Blue, with plenty of chrome trim and a silver Spirit of Ecstasy on the nose.

Inside, it was a symphony of leather – cream, mostly, but with flashes of baby blue, met with walnut veneer. On my imaginary turn through the Rolls-Royce configurator I might have selected slightly smaller wheels than the mammoth 22-inch alloys, but there’s no denying that it’s a very classy combination – especially given the monstrosities it’s possible to create with a brand that allows you to do anything.

It definitely got the desired effect from my passengers. First stop was from Peterborough to Cheltenham, where my mother – unknown to her – was about to get picked up from work in front of all of her friends in a Rolls-Royce and taken out to afternoon tea. The right term would probably be a ‘squeal’ of delight. The Ghost certainly felt at home cruising through Cheltenham and looked just right parked up outside the schmancy Ellenborough Park Hotel.

A similar reaction came from my passengers the next day, who until I arrived to pick them up had been informed that we were going to Hull in a Subaru.

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams

The inside of a Rolls is what counts, and here the Ghost didn’t disappoint. I was expecting it to feel plush – what I wasn’t expecting was for it to be so obviously a cut above the likes of Bentley or Mercedes.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail on display is staggering. Everything you touch feels dense, solid and luxurious, even the inconsequential stuff. The air vents are machined from one solid lump of metal, and you turn the off or on via mechanical organ stops that feel utterly gorgeous to operate. The doors are motorised – they close at the touch of a button, of course, but it also means that they stay at any spot you open them, rather than one of a few pre-assigned stopping points.

Of course, it’s loaded with goodies. The champagne fridge between the rear seats (stocked with Co-Op prosecco by yours truly) also contains two crystal champagne flutes. Each passenger also gets a picnic table and rear screen, through which they can control their heated, ventilated and massaging seats.

At night, the party piece is the Starlight headliner. Featuring over 1,000 individual fibre optics, it looks spectacular – and even includes shooting stars. Or if the headliner doesn’t grab you, what about the inch-deep lambswool floor mats?

The Ghost is the ‘baby’ Rolls-Royce – it’s the car that owners drive themselves in, rather than being a chauffeur experience. As a result the rear seats aren’t particularly palatial, even considering the car’s substantial 5.5m length. But they’re so comfortable that you won’t mind – my passengers certainly didn’t.

It’s also surprisingly handy for day-to-day clutter. Up front, you get a wireless phone charger neatly concealed under the armrest, big cupholders and door bins, and a useful smaller storage slot which can hold the (very heavy) key. There are even USB-C ports and a handy 507-litre boot that easily took four people’s luggage for our weekend away.

What’s it like to drive?

This was the part that worried me. Obviously the Ghost is sumptuous inside, but would it feel like Blenheim Palace to drive – heavy, ponderous, and like trying to thread an ocean liner through the Kennet and Avon canal?

I needn’t have worried. Yes, the Ghost is big – but it’s also shockingly easy to drive. Rolls hasn’t even considered making it ‘sporty’ and as a result the steering is feather-light and pinpoint accurate. The corners of the car are easy to see, and the engine and gearbox are so smooth that you really have to concentrate to try and catch them out.

Under the Ghost’s bonnet sits a 6.75-litre V12 engine that’s so quiet at idle you can forget it’s on at all. Even at a 70mph cruise, the Ghost is so refined you can whisper to your rear-seat passengers. Put your foot down and she will pick up her petticoats – but it’s much more satisfying to try and be as smooth as possible. You don’t drive in a Rolls-Royce – you proceed.

The suspension is the real highlight. It’s incredibly absorbent, making speed bumps and potholes virtually disappear – but that doesn’t equate into a flobbery car that bounces around after a hump in the road, or one that leans like a ship in the bends.

After a whole weekend of multistorey car parks, baffling inner-city roundabouts, and maybe even a drive-through McDonalds, I can confidently say that you can drive a Rolls-Royce as your everyday car.

But should you?

Well, there are downsides. Fuel consumption of 20mpg – on a long run – isn’t particularly easy to stomach. However, if you can afford the circa-£300,000 price tag in the first place, you probably don’t care.

Naturally, this isn’t an experience for the masses. The Rolls certainly looked a bit out of place parked outside my two-bedroom flat in Peterborough, and judging by the stares from my neighbours they thought so too.

The truth is, if I could afford to, I’d definitely have one. My few days and several hundred miles in the Ghost never stopped feeling special – unlike a Merc or a Bentley, which despite their lux status do tend to start blending into the background after a few trips out.

So if some kind benefactor is listening – you can make mine Jubilee Silver over Midnight Blue, and don’t skimp on the lambswool.

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