2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost update revealed

10/10/2024 04:00 PM

The ‘entry-level’ Rolls-Royce luxury car – the 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost – has received a mid-life facelift with new styling and technology.

The Ghost Series II is the most significant update for the smallest Rolls-Royce since the second-generation car launched in 2020, and retains twin-turbo V12 power in regular or Black Badge forms.

Australian arrival timing and prices are yet to be confirmed. The outgoing model is priced from $645,000 plus on-road costs, rising to $750,000 for the Black Badge.

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Exterior revisions for the Series II include a restyled front end with slimmer LED headlights, an illuminated grille, and a cleaner lower bumper with a different treatment for the Black Badge – said to be a first for the model.

There are new twin-stripe signatures for the LED tail-lights, as well as fresh 22-inch wheel designs for all variants.

Black Badge variants continue to be differentiated by black exterior trim on its bumpers, badges and for the first time, its door handles. New 22-inch wheels on this variant are claimed to “project the mechanical complexity of its legendary high-power V12 engine”.

A new Mustique Blue exterior colour is available, said to reference the 1929 Phantom II Continental prototype, which was created for Henry Royce’s personal use and is claimed to be one of the world’s first cars with pearlescent paint.

Inside, the Ghost gains new ‘Spirit’ infotainment software, a heavily reskinned version of parent company BMW’s latest iDrive technology.

It includes support for a smartphone app called Whispers, which enables remote control of the car’s door locks, vehicle tracking, and the ability to send navigation routes to the Ghost’s screens.

Mirroring changes to BMW models, a widescreen digital instrument display has been added, replacing the three distinct digital dials in the outgoing Ghost.

MORE: 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge review

The rear-seat entertainment screens have been reworked with support for Bluetooth headphones, and the option to connect “up to two streaming devices, while USB-C ports and a Wi-Fi hotspot have been added inside the car.

A 1400-watt amplifier has been added to the 18-speaker sound system, while there is a new Spirit of Ecstasy Clock Cabinet which places Rolls-Royce’s signature figurine “on a stage with a matte black back panel and high gloss side panels” beneath the dashboard clock.

“On entering the motor car, the Spirit of Ecstasy is initially illuminated from below, as if she is being lit by a spotlight, before her stage lighting settles to a soft glow,” Rolls-Royce says in its media release.

There are new trim options, including Grey Stained Ash open-pore wood inlays on the dashboard, and Duality Twill upholstery made from bamboo, which is said to take up to 20 hours and 2.2 million stitches to produce.

Under the bonnet remains a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V12 engine, developing 420kW/850Nm in the standard Ghost, or 441kW/900Nm in the Black Badge.

There are no mechanical changes, with both models retaining adaptive ‘planar’ suspension with an upper wishbone damper up front that is claimed to deliver a “magic carpet ride”.

Cameras read the road ahead to prepare the suspension for bumps, while GPS data is used to help choose the correct gear on the exit of a corner “depending on the extent of its curvature.”

Compared to its standard sibling, the Black Badge gains Rolls-Royce’s version of a sport mode: a ‘Low’ button beside the gear selector which halves shift times when the throttle is pressed to 90 per cent or beyond, and a “subtly more voluble note from the motor car's exhaust system”.

The Black Badge also offers a higher bite point and shorter travel on its brake pedal.

The 2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost is available to order now.

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