Every automotive brand on earth wants what Rolls-Royce has. While other manufacturers can create spectacular vehicles with cutting-edge technology, powerful engines, and screens as big as the TV in your living room, they’re in a constant race against time.
There’s only a short window for brands to produce the best vehicle possible, and when all things fall into place, the result is an outstanding product that achieves its goals and becomes a sales success. However, somewhere along the way, there’s been a sacrifice to achieve this goal. Some hide this better than others, but every brand is the same, except for Rolls-Royce.
With cars like the Phantom, Spectre, Cullinan Series II, and now Ghost Series II, they’ve proven that time is always on their side. While other brands are busy updating cars every two or three years, Rolls-Royce marches to the beat of its own drum, and the results speak for themselves. We headed to Provence, France, to get behind the wheel of their latest model, the 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II.
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How Much is the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II?
The 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is priced from AUD$680,000 plus on-road costs (indicative price), but that may change once they officially land in our market.
- 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II – from AUD$680,000 plus on-road costs.
- 2025 Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost Series II – from AUD$800,000 plus on-road costs.
- 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Extended – from AUD$777,000 plus on-road costs.
Most Rolls-Royce clients won’t consider buying anything else, but for argument’s sake, the Bentley Flying Spur could be deemed a competitor to the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, and it’s priced from $598,700 before on-road costs. That makes it considerably cheaper, but we’re in the big leagues here, and most Rolls-Royce owners will spend at least 10 per cent of the purchase price customising their cars through Bespoke.
What is the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II?
Since it was first released over a decade ago, the Ghost has been the car you buy if you want to drive your Rolls-Royce.
Series II introduces the most technologically advanced and driver-focused V12 Rolls-Royce ever created, which Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars says is “a side of Ghost’s character that our clients increasingly and enthusiastically embrace,” as well.
Having spent time in both Phantom and Ghost Series II, the Ghost hasn’t sacrificed much in the comfort department. However, fundamentally it’s a more driver-focused vehicle. This is a theme that will continue as the brand’s audience gets younger, and the average age of a Rolls-Royce owner has dropped from 56 in 2010 to 43 in 2024. Like the Cullinan Series II, the brand has been challenged to adjust to this new audience, and the new Ghost Series II is their answer.
Overall, there are three things that you need to know about the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II before we get into the full review.
- It’s still powered by the 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine
- There are suspension changes that include Planar, Flagbearer, and a Satellite Aided Transmission
- The updated design hasn’t shrunk the car, and this is still a large, imposing vehicle
| Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Dimensions | |
| Length | 5,546 mm (218.3 inches) |
| Width | 2,148 mm (84.6 inches) |
| Height | 1,571 mm (61.9 inches) |
How Luxurious is the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II?
Next to the top-of-the-range Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Ghost Series II is the most luxurious vehicle in the world.
It’s the sensible choice in a two-model line-up where the Ghost Series II ‘Black Badge’ is the sporty alternative with an alter-ego brought on by added horsepower, software changes to the suspension system, and a revised exterior design that adds plenty of black badges as the name suggests.
The standard Ghost Series II is comfort-focused and provides the quintessential ownership experience. It remains the most popular choice in the line-up, and the most successful Rolls-Royce model to date, even though it’s soon to be overtaken by the Cullinan.
Exterior Design
Visually, there are traditional chrome finishes around the exterior of the car, including the illuminated Pantheon grille that’s been updated to add embellishments that form a ‘floating’ visual plinth for the Spirit of Ecstasy.
Lighting is also key to the updated model and you’ll first notice this with the new headlight and daytime running light signature up front. It looks very menacing and a touch angry, especially at night. This new headlight is joined by two expressive, vertical light panels at the rear taillights, joined by a curved chrome element that features the double ‘R’ monogram.
The brand’s clients asked that they don’t change too much on the outside, and exterior design changes are rounded out by two new 22-inch, 9-spoke wheel designs. Why change a perfect formula?
Interior Design
This is a large car, and it feels like everything inside has been scaled up by 10 per cent to fill out the sheer size. It’s spacious because of this, and once you get over the beautiful fit and finish, next-level attention to detail, and the Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet that illuminates when you enter, there’s a clear layout to everything that makes the Ghost Series II as simple to live with as ever.
Most importantly, it’s not too tech-heavy. The brand has struck a clear balance between form and function, and while it’s been heavily updated from a tech perspective over the previous generation, it’s still at a modest level by today’s standards.
You won’t find any giant touchscreen displays here, but there’s a Central Information Display touchscreen display that reacts very quickly to touch and utilises wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We used this throughout our drive in and around Provence and it worked as flawlessly as one would expect.
Less than 10 per cent of Rolls-Royce customers are chauffeur-driven today, but that hasn’t stopped the brand from spending valuable time looking at ways to update the rear cabin, too.
Rear seat passengers can now connect up to two streaming devices to the rear screens, stream independently on each screen, and select their preferred entertainment from a newly developed interface, which also manages seating functions such as massaging, heating and cooling. To not disturb anyone, you can connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones (of any type) to this rear seat infotainment system. During the day I also took advantage of the upgraded Wi-Fi hotspot and USB-C charging ports which have been hidden in the centre console. Again, it’s moving forward with the times, without reinvention.
Finally, improvements have been made to the 18-speaker audio system, which benefits from an upgraded 1400-watt amplifier. If you’re an audiophile, you can then option Bespoke Audio to add two ‘speakerless’ exciters into the Headliner to give you an overhead soundstage. I had a chance to test this during the drive, and if you have the means to option this, I highly recommend it.
How Does the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Drive?
Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is powered by the famous 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine that’s paired with an eight-speed gearbox that sends power to the ground through an all-wheel-drive system.
You’ve probably heard every journalist in history describe the effortless nature of driving a Rolls-Royce, and I’m going to echo those words because the signature ‘waftability’ is a real thing. I’m pleased to say that even with some trick electronics at play in this new Ghost Series II, it firmly remains.
First, though, I want to talk about that engine because there’s something special about the way a twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine delivers its power. Customers asked (bluntly I’m told) that this engine needed to carry over from the previous generation, and it’s not hard to see why because this is a fantastic, smooth, and powerful motor that goes about its business without ever lifting a finger.
Peak torque is delivered from 1,600rpm, which is just 600rpm above idle, and this is why the car feels so effortless with its power delivery. It’s also surprisingly fuel-efficient (for a twin-turbo V12) and we managed around 16.0-litres/100km during our time with the car.
Push the ‘Low’ button on the gear selector stalk and the Ghost Series II will kick down a few gears and get you around anything slowing down your journey.
Like all Rolls-Royce, there are no drive modes, but the Ghost’s suspension can read the road as you drive thanks to the Flagbearer System, which uses cameras to firm up the suspension where necessary. This is combined with the Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS data to select the optimum gear for exiting a corner depending on the extent of its curvature, and the Planar Suspension System, which has self-levelling and other tricky to help manoeuvre the land yacht around corners.
Look at the Ghost Series II and you wouldn’t expect it to be ‘sporty’ but it does a very good job for a car this size. Still, I’m not going to pretend that it’s a sports car in any way. It gets about its business in a very Rolls-Royce way, and it’s never keen or eager to be pushed beyond its size limits. If you want sportiness, there’s a Black Badge for a reason.
Verdict on the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II
The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is the car that Rolls-Royce owners asked for. It’s a flawless experience that retains the best elements from the past and adds refinement in areas where technology has advanced. It’s not a sports car, but it can get out of its own way when asked, and it does so while retaining all of the ultra-luxury elements that make a Rolls a Rolls.
It’s unapologetically luxurious, and if you want to drive your Rolls-Royce, this is the car to buy. The hardest decision for buyers will be what colour the stitching is.
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