New Rolls-Royce Ghost

Drive gets comfortable in the smallest Rolls-Royce (a lot of) money can buy. By JEZ SPINKS.

Don’t call it a baby Rolls-Royce or, worse, a deluxe BMW 7-Series.

Such references to the all-new Ghost limousine will incur the wrath of the luxury British marque, even if there is a grain of truth to both.

Drive was given a personal tour of the new $695,000 Rolls this week as it arrived in Sydney to be showcased in front of prospective buyers – ahead of its May 2010 local release.

The Ghost is only Rolls-Royce’s second model line, and is smaller than the $1m-plus Phantom range that first went on sale in 2003.

At 5.5 metres long, however, the Ghost is still significantly longer than the BMW 7-Series on which it is based.

It's also more than half a metre longer than Australia's two favourite large cars, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.

As well as sitting on a stretched 7-Series platform, the Ghost’s drivetrain comprises a V12 and eight-speed gearbox shared with the $386,000 760i flagship Seven.

However, there are two turbochargers, so power is an "ample" 420kW, while torque is double that of most six-cylinder family cars, at 780Nm.

Rolls-Royce says the engine has also been retuned for more low-end torque, to provide a quieter and more relaxing driving experience in the tradition of the company’s cars.

Despite the emphasis on comfort, the Ghost is still claimed to accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than five seconds, though, despite weighing 2.4 tonnes.