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Rolls-Royce Spectre EV spied up close in best spy shots yet

Rolls-Royce promised it would be developing the Spectre electric car “in plain sight,” and hereÂ’s some decent proof of that in spy shot form. Outside of the initial teaser photos released by Rolls-Royce earlier this year, we havenÂ’t seen any other details of the electric Rolls. ThatÂ’s changed today, as one of our spy shooters captured a test Spectre both on the pavement and on a flatbed.  The most intriguing angle of view is directly from the front. We can just make out that this Rolls appears to be wearing a version of the upcoming stacked headlight look previously spied on soon-to-come BMW models like the next-gen 7 Series and refreshed X7. The close-up view also provides a look at the traditional Rolls-Royce grille and the lower front bumper design. Perhaps Rolls will sort out a more elegant solution by production time, but the sensor module in the center of the lower front bumper is a bit of an eyesore.  Heading to the rear, we see some taillights lit up, but itÂ’s difficult to make out what they might look like in final production form. These could simply be test lights and not represent what the actual production lights look like, too. As for the rest of the rear, the lower bumper is quite the piece. It juts out way beyond the bodywork and in no way looks like the finished product. One of the last intriguing items of note is the angle of the rear tire when the driver has the steering wheel at full lock. ItÂ’s not an extreme angle of rear-wheel steer, but the rear wheel does appear to be turned in the opposite direction as the fronts. This car being a coupe, itÂ’s reasonable that it wouldnÂ’t need a massive amount of rear-wheel steering to be agile in a city, but itÂ’s still a Rolls-Royce, so coupe or not, itÂ’s massive. Beyond those specific details, we can simply enjoy seeing the upcoming EV in clearer, closer photos than ever before. Rolls-Royce says the production car is coming in 2023, so we suspect there will be many more spy shots and small details released between now and then. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Review | Three things I learned driving a $429,400 SUV

TROY, Mich. — Rolls-Royce is the epitome of the vehicle as a luxury good. It has features that are expensive and luxurious rather than functional, and they create an image that separates a Rolls-Royce from almost everything else, save perhaps Bentley. I recently spent a few days in the 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the brandÂ’s first and only SUV. ItÂ’s a legit people-hauler. Good luck getting your retriever and her food in the Ferrari Purosangue, but the Cullinan borders on a #vanlife operation. HereÂ’s three things I learned after driving in the opulent $429,400 Cullinan.  Fear not, itÂ’s easy to drive The intimidation factor is not what I expected. The Cullinan is about as long as a Chevy Tahoe and four inches wider. It does not drive that way. The steering is light but direct and communicative. Factor in four-wheel steering, and itÂ’s like driving a much smaller car. The driverÂ’s seating position is excellent and provided a clear view of my surroundings. With the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament leading the way, it felt majestic. ThatÂ’s what Rolls is going for, but the setting also gave me confidence with both corners clearly visible. It doesnÂ’t matter how much a car costs if you feel like you know what youÂ’re doing. RollsÂ’ famous Magic Carpet Ride makes for perhaps the smoothest experience IÂ’ve had in any car or SUV. The suspension is always adjusting, and almost no bumps or potholes could bother me or my passengers. It really is next-level comfort. Given that the chassis is working with 22-inch wheels, itÂ’s all the more impressive. The V12 engine puts out 563 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Get on the throttle and it will move, but with decorum. Yes, thereÂ’s an aura IÂ’ve driven plenty of luxury cars that donÂ’t live up to the hype. The Cullinan is not one of them. My Rolls had the Shooting Star headliner, a $7,975 option that turns your vehicle into a rolling planetarium. ItÂ’s one of those features that sounds contrived until you experience it. The celestial sky is mesmerizing, and when your passengers see the shooting-star feature, get ready for the oohs and ahhs. Rolls first launched the headliner in 2006 as a custom option, but now itÂ’s on most of its vehicles. The stars are illuminated by fiber-optic cables and six powerful light cannons, according to Rolls-Royce, and thereÂ’s up to 1,600 hand-cut holes in the headliner. You can personalize the constellations.

Rolls-Royce sketching out SUV for possible 'late 2017' release

With each new story on the Rolls-Royce SUV, the Goodwood automaker comes off as more at ease with their reluctantly birthed yet necessary sport ute. Company design chief Giles Taylor told Autocar that his team is still "sketching to assess the viability of the concept," which to ours ears means they're trying to figure out if such a beast is even possible within the confines of the brand. If it is, Taylor says it will be "a shooting brake, not a crossover with a sloping roof. A proper SUV."
A different company source, unnamed, seems confident that Taylor's team will figure it out, telling the magazine it would start at 200,000 pounds ($335K US). However, that same source said the vehicle will be "a kind of Mercedes-GLK-plus-plus," which is a baffling description in several ways. More reasonable is the speculation that it will ride on Ghost, not Phantom, architecture and make its debut sometime around late 2017.
That Ghost platform is expected to take cues from the carbon, aluminum and steel bones that supported the BMW Vision Future Luxury concept shown at the Beijing Motor Show and destined for the 9 Series. Some of those tricks will also go into the next-generation Phantom, which Autocar says will come in 2017 and not 2020.