Rolls Royce Spectre First Impressions
Luxury car manufacturer Rolls Royce has officially launched their first-ever EV in India with a lot of glitter and glam at an event in New Delhi. The car, which launched in 2023 for the global market, is set to come with a starting price of Rs. 7.5 cr ex-showroom in India. However, it will cost more as the buyer can choose from several optional add-ons to customise the coupe according to their taste. The brand showcased a dual-tone grey-coloured variant to the media.
Rolls Royce Spectre is a two-door coupe that can accommodate 4 people. It is 5.5 metres long and has a 0.25 drag coefficient. The car carries the signature design language with the illuminated grille, a redesigned spirit of ecstasy that will be used in all of the upcoming Rolls Royce cars, and the same split headlights that the Phantom comes equipped with.
The car is 5475 mm long and is 2144 mm wide
One feature that stands out are the 1.5-meter-long doors, they are the largest that any Rolls Royce has ever had and truly feel majestic. The doors are built like a tank, they are heavy yet don’t require a lot of force to open or close them. To add to the overall user experience, Rolls Royce has added controls that automate the opening and closing of the driver door, which is quite impressive, but for the price tag, this is the least you can expect.
Right below the doors, we have the direction indicators on either side with the branding in a chrome housing. The Rolls Royce Spectre sports large 23-inch wheels with bespoke aluminium alloys with the Rolls Royce logo that aid in better performance for the car, according to the brand.
For the charging port, all you need to do is push the cover, and it pops out to reveal the port.
The all-new ‘Spirit of Ecstacy’ retracts as the hood is popped from the inside of the car, which is a standard in all of the new iterations from the brand.
The Rolls Royce Spectre sports the redesigned ‘Spirit of Ecstacy’ with more defined wings
Despite the re-designed body, this still feels like a Rolls Royce from the inside, with a lot of tech included.
The first thing that I noticed inside the cabin was the inclusion of Starlight for doors. The Starlight headliner isn’t new but combine that with huge doors that sport the same star-like lights, the sight is something to behold.
This is the first ever Rolls Royce to sport Starlight doors
We didn’t get to drive this model, but I could tell the passengers wouldn’t hear a single thing while driving this beast on the road. Me and my colleague when we were shooting inside the car, we could not hear a single word that people outside were speaking. The sound dampening on the car is next level, as is expected from a Rolls Royce.
Spectre’s cabin is finished in wood and other premium materials
The dual-tone seats are hand-stitched and sport the Rolls Royce logo on the headrest. The variant that we got our hands on had a grey-orange colour scheme. The seats are very comfortable and offer just the right amount of resistance when a person is seated on them. The front armrest also has leather upholstery, and it connects to the centre console that has the door control toggles, buttons that activate certain features on the infotainment console, a navigation dial, and the cup holders that have chrome rings around them.
The rear passenger seats can be accessed by moving the front seats forward with the touch of a button. The movement is quite smooth, but the experience of entering and exiting the passenger seats wasn’t something I expected from a car in this price range.
Starlight headliner comes as a standard for the Rolls Royce Spectre
The car sports two digital screens inside the cabin, one for the infotainment system that is backed by Eleanor, the in-car virtual assistant, and another for the bespoke instrument dials. The infotainment system uses a large touch-screen that comes equipped with almost every feature that you can imagine, including wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, physical controls to navigate and reach a certain feature inside the infotainment, and more.
Rolls Royce has used bespoke wood and leather for the entire cabin, offering a great level of oomph factor that its buyers would want. All the dials, AC vents, buttons, etc, feel vintage, yet the customisation options are great.
Spectre also sports an illuminated fascia that spells ‘Spectre’ on a piano black background that is coupled with over 5,500 stars that depict the wings of the ‘Spirit of Ecstacy’.
The steering wheel is another style statement on the Spectre, you get the classic Rolls Royce logo in the middle with quite a lot of controls at your disposal.
Despite all the luxurious features, this is still an EV that is claimed to run 530 km on a single charge. Rolls Royce Spectre comes equipped with a 102kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 34 minutes with a 194kW (DC) charger, 10 to 80 percent in 95 minutes with a 50kW (DC) charger, and 0-100 percent in 5 hours 30 minutes with a 22kW (AC) charger, as per the company.
Spectre uses 23-inch wheels with bespoke alloys
In terms of performance, the Spectre generates 584 hp of power and 900 NM of torque, but it is said to be very linear. This means that you will not feel a sudden jerk when you accelerate or come to a stop. The car sports two electric motors, one for the front wheels that generates 365 NM and one that drives the rear wheels and generates 710 NM. Rolls Royce claims that the Spectre can accelerate 0-100 km in just 4.5 seconds, but we weren’t able to test that.
What do we think about it?
Rolls Royce Spectre is the first EV by the luxury carmaker. The brand has committed to have an entire portfolio of electric vehicles by 2030 and the first model does not disappoint. Each Rolls Royce is bespoke, and the buyers can customise almost every aspect of their car before making the purchase. No media drive was planned for the Spectre in India, but the time we had with it was enough to leave an impression on us. The car looks and feels incredible from the outside and has some of the most luxurious features on the inside as well, but what else can you expect for a car that comes with a starting price of Rs. 7.5 cr ex-showroom? This is the epitome of luxury.
If you are a luxury car enthusiast and have tons of money, you definitely will enjoy experiencing this car.
