Autoblog's Michael Harley tests the all-new 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith in Vienna, Austria and finds it to be the ultimate gentleman's gran turismo.
Transcript[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL HARLEY: Hi. I'm Michael Harley, West Coast editor for Autoblog. And I'm standing out in the drizzly Austrian Alps next to the 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith. Now, the Wraith is a brand new model for the British automaker, but the name actually goes back to the late 1930s when Rolls-Royce was making coach built platforms for the coach makers.
But let's fast-forward another 70 years and take a look at this vehicle. This is the fastest and most powerful Rolls-Royce the automaker has ever made. It has a 624-horsepower twin-turbo 12-cylinder under the hood. It does 0 to 60 in four and a half seconds. It tops out at over 155 miles an hour. The CEO has called this the ultimate gentlemen's Gran Turismo. So we're going to take it for a ride, see if that holds true.
We've been in the car for about an hour and a half now, and completely relaxed, completely comfortable. The Rolls-Royce is a very isolated cocoon for the passengers. But then again, don't think for a second that it's not enjoyable to drive. In the past, I have not-- being perfectly honest here-- enjoyed driving the Rolls because they are so isolating.
But the Wraith? You've got a shoulder wheel base, got a wider stance, got a lower center of gravity, and you've got so much power in the right foot that it's a lot of fun to drive.
TORSTEN MULLER-OTVUS: We call it the ultimate Grand Tour for very good reasons, because it is, on the one side, the first [INAUDIBLE] Coupe in history of Rolls-Royce, and it is a car which is clearly designed for people who love to drive. It's still a Rolls-Royce, but in a mall, it's a more direct way, how do you steer the car. You feel the car in a very proper way. And it's something which, yeah, in combination of the power of the car, 624 horsepower. gives you an unbelievable feeling, and it is something which we call travel in style. Definitely, the ultimate gentleman's grand tour.
MICHAEL HARLEY: So I'm gonna bury the throttle right now. That's floored. Notice there was a little bit of a delay. But 130 kilometers an hour, 140, 150, 160. Picks up speed with very, very little drama. Obviously, on the brakes pretty hard now. But the power is just-- there's so much energy back there. It's got this turbine-like thrust. Sort of when you're end of the runway and the pilot goes full throttle, there's a bit of a delay, and then everything just starts picking up really, really quickly, and the speed builds.
And much like a turbine, the faster it goes, it seems to get faster and faster. Well, this obviously has two turbos underneath the hood, but it builds up speed in the same manner. It seems to just get faster and faster the more air it's breathing and despite the wind resistance. Definitely powerful. A no-brainer when it comes to passing. But I think it drinks gas.
After eight hours behind the wheel and burning a full tank of petrol, had an awful lot of time to think about the new Rolls-Royce Wraith. And decided it's extremely powerful, incredibly comfortable. It's a wonderful machine, but it lacks that raw edge, that involvement that defines a true sports coupe. That said, I'd have to agree it is the ultimate gentlemen's Gran Turismo. I'm Mike Harley for Autoblog.
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