Rolls-Royce Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Ghost’s design starts with the commanding Pantheon grille, proud Spirit of Ecstasy, sharp headlamp outlines and long bonnet that establish presence. From there, softened lines sweep into a gracefully tapered D-pillar and elegant rear.

The 2025 facelift is about subtraction, not addition. The front end is cleaner, with slimmer headlamps, a simple LED light signature and a refined bumper. Black Badge variants retain a touch of ‘assertion’ in their air intakes. Striking new 22-inch wheels are available, with Black Badge-specific designs, while vertical-strake tail-lamps grace the rear.

Inside, there’s new ‘Duality Twill’ embroidery, stitched over 20 hours using 11 miles of thread. It pairs with a bamboo-based sustainable rayon upholstery. The dashboard now houses a backlit Spirit of Ecstasy timepiece, while the starlight headliner occasionally reveals a shooting star.

The rear coach doors open to what seems like an understated seat. Settle in, however, and you’ll sink into deep cushions with pillowed headrests. Reclining the backrest moves the seat base forward, allowing you to tilt back into sublime comfort and privacy. Legroom is expansive in both the standard and Extended versions.

The Black Badge is the driver’s pick, its twin-turbo V12 climbing from 571 to 600hp and torque from 850 to 900Nm. Pressing the ‘Low’ button sharpens gearshifts through the 8-speed ZF, though Rolls replaces a tachometer with a power reserve meter.

Performance builds like a tidal swell, smooth and effortless, with a subtly mechanical, pleasing soundtrack — especially in the Black Badge. Leave ‘Low’ mode and refinement is superb.

Unsurprisingly, fuel economy isn’t a strong suit. The Ghost returns 6.45kpl, while the Black Badge dips to 6.36kpl.

The Ghost delivers astonishing comfort courtesy of self-levelling air springs, adaptive dampers and a road-scanning ‘Flagbearer’ system. Even on 22-inch wheels, ride quality remains phenomenal.

The Black Badge’s tweaks are software-based — livelier steering, sharper damping and a more expressive V12. It won’t match a Bentley for agility, but guiding its mass through corners is still immensely satisfying.

Rolls-Royce hides its technology behind layers of leather, wood and chrome. Servo-assisted doors, stowable touchscreens and organ-stop toggles mask state-of-the-art systems. A new digital display replaces analogue dials, colour-matched to your order, and set permanently.

The unbranded, 18-speaker, 1,400W audio system uses the car’s structure as a sound chamber, embedding exciters in the headliner and microphones to adjust audio in real time. It’s simply one of the finest in-car systems made.

So how is this different from a Phantom, then? Think of it as a black-tie tuxedo, where the Ghost is a tailored business jacket. In absolute terms, though, the Ghost isn’t lesser — it’s a superb example of craftsmanship, refinement and effortless performance.

At Rs 8.95 crore before options, it’s expensive, but delivers on every promise. Whether you drive or are driven, spec it conservatively or boldly, you’ll own one of the finest luxury motorcars ever built.