Review: The Rolls-Royce Spectre Is The Ultimate EV Right Now

Few cars roll around with the brand presence and weight of the Rolls-Royce Spectre. Both literally and figuratively this is a huge car for the marquee. It’s the very first Rolls-Royce EV, it has the same 126-inch (3,200 mm) wheelbase as a BMW 7-Series, and it literally weighs 6,559 pounds (2,975 kg). It’s embarking on new territory and it’s doing so with a price tag north of $422,000. 

That didn’t stop it from being a sales success before customers saw it though. Rolls had 300 reservations for this land yacht before it was unveiled. Each of those customers gets a car that makes 577 hp (430 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque. 

It’ll transport its three-plus-ton heft from 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. But it’s normal to have huge expectations since it costs more than the average price of a new home in America. 

Read: Rolls-Royce To Sell Electric Flight Unit To Focus On Jet Engine Business

To find out what kind of car one can get for house money we tested it in the rolling hills and busy city streets of Greenville, South Carolina. It turns out that indeed $400,000 worth of car is quite good but what’s more impressive is just how exquisite the very first all-electric Rolls-Royce is. And it wouldn’t be quite as special if not for the powertrain. 

Quick Facts

The Spectre comes with one powertrain regardless of how much one might spend on it. Beneath the sleek sheet metal and the aluminum space frame is a pair of electric motors, one on each axle. They’re motivated by a 102 kWh battery pack. It’s capable of charging at up to 195 kW provided that it’s hooked up to an appropriate fast charger. At that type of speed, the Spectre can add about 62 miles (100 km) of range in about 9 minutes.

Of course, there’s an important factor to consider for a car like the Spectre. Sure, it might only have an EPA-estimated range of 266 miles but let’s be honest. How many Spectre owners are going to drive this car anywhere near that range in a single day? Those who sincerely need to travel that sort of distance are likely to leave their Spectre in the garage and instead take their private jet or helicopter. 

Photos BMW USA

The jet in question could even have a Rolls Royce engine itself but the Spectre is different. It uses electricity alone to make its power and the 577 hp output mentioned above is vital in a car like this because the battery alone tips the scales at some 1,542 lbs (700 kg).

That’s heavier than an entire Cessna 150 airplane. That said, the Spectre also benefits from the additional chassis stiffness brought on by the battery pack. It also gets a full suite of suspension technology to provide the best ride possible for a car of this size and weight. 

That includes active roll bars that are disconnected during normal driving. Once a bend in the road comes up they reconnect and balance out body roll. Four-wheel steering and active dampers also play a role in keeping bumps that hit the 23-inch wheels from making their way into the cabin. 

Luxury To Touch And Feel

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

This exotic luxury barge could have 2,000 horsepower but it still wouldn’t be a Rolls Royce without an interior experience that exceeded every expectation. To that end, the automaker has undeniably hit the nail on the head. 

It went to the trouble of testing things like the door closing sound to find the “perfect level of positive noise.” It considered the global range of sunlight exposure to ensure consistent color quality in the infotainment system, puddle lights, and interior ambient lighting. 

All of that sounds great but experiencing it first-hand is a bit different. It immediately feels very much like an old-money sort of car. The carpeting, for example, is thick like 1970s shag. The seating isn’t super-futuristic but is instead softly cushioned with gentle bolsters. That’s true of the rear seats too but we’ll come back to those shortly. 

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

From the front chairs, it’s easier to catch on to some of the details rarely spoken about in a car of this ilk. Take, for instance, the real wood trim staring back from the dash and steering wheel. Note that not only does it match in terms of wood type and color, but it also matches in terms of grain and direction.

To that end, the wood trim in each Spectre comes from one specific tree and is then laid out in a way so that it continues its grain flow throughout the vehicle. Grab one of the climate control vent knobs and it’s clear that this is metal, not plastic, that one is touching. The action of opening and closing the vent is a satisfying push/pull with tactile feedback the whole way. 

In fact, all of the climate controls are physical. That goes for the entirety of what one could call the six-zone system. It includes a separate zone for each rear-seat passenger and two different zones for each front-seat passenger. That’s right, the front passengers can go for warm feet and a cool face or vice versa. 

All of it is operated through physical dials, knobs, and switches. In the age of touchscreen-only climate controls, we’ve finally figured out what it would cost to have physical controls back and it’s north of $400,000. It’s worth noting that the infotainment system is smooth, fast, and logically laid out too. Somehow though, despite being very good overall, it’s perhaps the least special part of this car.

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

That said let’s move back to the rear seat space which comes complete with heating and ventilation, more real wood trim, and cup holders that happily accept champagne flutes too. Surprisingly, the rear seats also feature impressive headroom and legroom. It’s in those back seats where the only noticeably cheap piece rests. Look up toward the starliner headliner and one will see the flip-down coat hanger which is chrome-painted plastic.

What makes that even more shocking is that the trunk is positively gargantuan. It’s so big in fact that my brand new Google Pixel 8, a phone with an objectively good camera package, struggled to get it in focus properly. It was simply so deep that the phone couldn’t manage both the overall depth and the shallow edges at one time. 

Drive Impressions

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

Piloting a house, or at least, a car worth as much as one is actually easier than it might seem. Rolls Royce did a fabulous job of making this 214.7-inch (5453 mm) behemoth feel much smaller. To put that size into perspective, the Spectre is a full 2.8 inches longer than a Cadillac Escalade.

Despite that, it is surprisingly easy to navigate dense urban traffic. Perhaps it’s the excellent visibility that helps or the rear-wheel steering, or the fact that most people stop in their cars and stare as you go by.

To its own credit, the Spectre provides positive feedback both through its steering wheel and pedals. The braking system feels linear and easy to modulate which isn’t always easy to achieve. The accelerator responds appropriately and the suspension is sublime. No, this isn’t a sporty vehicle by any means but it’s not meant to be. Instead, it should be a two-to-four-person private jet for the road and it hits that target on the bullseye. 

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

It’s quieter than an opera house between acts. It’s smoother than butter on a non-stick pan. It sounds like being in a see-through bank vault that just so happens to be in the middle of a street. And somehow, it’s also capable of feeling taut and sporty too. 

In the hills of South Carolina, the Spectre felt responsive and about as playful as a car of this size and weight possibly could. No, it’ll never be a sports car but it’s far more flexible than probably any other Rolls Royce ever. What we have here then is a car that’s quiet, comfortable, classy, and objectively competent when pushed harder than normal. 

Final thoughts

Perhaps no other car in history has leveraged modern technology to the great pinnacle of automotive greatness the way that the Spectre has. Sure, some use tech to reach speeds in excess of 300 mph and others focus on building a car with mind-blowing fuel efficiency or range. Those sorts of cars will continue to be improved on and new records will come.

On the other hand, combining a Rolls-Royce of any kind with a fully electric drivetrain is a match made in heaven that might not get much better at its aim. Don’t get us wrong. Would a gas-powered Spectre be any less special? No, and it would also be almost as opulent as this car too. But it wouldn’t be perfect because the reality of an electric drivetrain plays into the strengths of a Rolls-Royce. It’s quiet, it’s powerful, it’s luxuriant, and it’s trendy too. A match made in automotive heaven, then.

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops