Used 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith

The 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith is the company’s ultra-luxurious coupe. Whereas a traditional car from this marque (and Rolls-Royce is most definitely a marque, not merely a brand) is usually a regal sedan, the 2-door Wraith navigates a different course. It might be construed as a gentleman’s express (or, indeed, a gentlewoman’s). The Wraith is a grand tourer, perfect for driving across a continent in high style. The same traditional values still apply, though. It’s built mostly by hand, with an array of bespoke opulent options, and propelled by a majestic V12 engine. There are other contenders in this exclusive club, such as the Bentley Continental GT and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, but not even those can match the prestige that comes with a Rolls-Royce. Such finery does entail considerable finance, however. The 2018 Wraith starts at around $320,500.

Just because it’s a coupe, don’t mistake the Rolls-Royce Wraith for a corner-carver or a canyon-road cannon. But wider roads with more sweeping turns allow the Wraith to really show off its spirited side. It’s fast, rushing from standstill to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds (shave off a tenth of a second for the more muscular Black Badge version). Yet the Wraith is also graceful, wielding its considerable power with an almost delicate touch and a profound serenity. Although the Wraith can be a sumptuous retreat from the harsh outside world, there’s no escaping its mass of around 2.5 tons within an area that’s almost 17.5 feet long and nearly 6.5 feet wide. If a trip involves tight city streets, leave the Wraith at home and take the Mini instead.

The 2019 Wraith’s interior is among the most opulent car cabins ever. It’s a Rolls-Royce, after all, a name synonymous with the sybaritic. In a good way. Only the finest leather and wood are used, along with other supreme-quality materials — all handcrafted. The seating layout is for four occupants, with those in the rear enjoying deeply sculpted seats separated by a wide and well-padded armrest. Don’t worry about the coupe body eating into rear-passenger space, there’s still plenty of legroom and headroom for most people. Up front are massaging seats. Beyond that, the Wraith’s interior can be fitted and finished according to each customer’s desires.

Not many cars can pull off 2-tone paintwork, but the Wraith seems almost made for it. The contrast between the slab-sided flanks and the carefully proportioned fastback invites the use of two different colors. Note how the doors are hinged at the rear, opening wide for easier entries and exits compared with the conventional front-hinged approach. It could be argued that the design philosophy of modern Rolls-Royce cars — with their titanic sizes and shapes — reaches its zenith with the Wraith while simultaneously being tempered by the sleekness of its profile.

STATELY DESIGN
It’s a particular challenge to design a car that looks as if it should cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Rolls-Royce has accomplished this tricky mission with the Wraith. Lavish, imposing proportions meld with a sleek roofline to give the Wraith an undeniable presence.

SPIRIT OF ECSTASY
This is the name of Rolls-Royce’s famed hood ornament, the flying lady, an icon itself. Back in the day, it was fixed, therefore a temptation to criminally minded souvenir-hunters. In these modern times, it’s retractable. And available in silver, gold plated, illuminated, or lit from below.

Naturally, the 2018 Wraith has leather and wood going all the way up to the windows. Plus quad-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, Wi-Fi, and a 360-degree camera system. The standard Driver Assistance One array includes lane-departure warning, automatic high beams and a head-up display. And, like the Ghost sedan on which this coupe is based, the automatic transmission is linked to the GPS navigation system to facilitate appropriate gear changes. If anyone’s interested in what’s going on underneath, there’s a self-leveling air suspension. But here’s something more newsworthy — the Wraith also has night vision with pedestrian detection as standard.

This is the point where it gets personal. Rolls-Royce will build a customer’s Wraith using its army of artisans who spend around 450 man-hours on each vehicle, fitting the desired colors of leather and species of wood trims. There’s also the “starlight headliner” with 1,340 LEDs giving the impression of a clear, twinkling night sky. And deep-pile lamb’s-wool carpeting. The 18-speaker/1,300-watt Bespoke Audio option has been developed by the company and tuned for optimum performance in this cabin, even using microphones to monitor extraneous noises, then adjusting the volume and tone to compensate. It’s a definite asset in a car this quiet.

One of the many good things about having BMW as a parent company is the ability to deploy a 6.6-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 in the 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith. In its default state, it makes a mighty 624 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. When it’s in a Black Badge version, torque is boosted to 642 lb-ft. This extravagant energy is directed to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission (whose GPS-influenced gearshifts were imperceptible). Fuel consumption is 14 mpg combined, making the Wraith eligible for a gas-guzzler tax of $5,400.

6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12
624 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
590 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500-5,000 rpm
642 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700-4,500 rpm (Black Badge edition)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 12/19 mpg