Rolls-Royce Wraith: First Look

• Competes with: Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-Benz CL600
• Looks like: An understated coupe design for an ostentatious vehicle
• Drivetrain: 624-hp, twin-turbo 6.6-liter V-12, "Satellite-Aided" eight-speed ZF transmission
• Hits dealerships: Late 2013, in Europe
• MSRP: 245,000 euros ($319,633 equivalent, US pricing not announced)

The Geneva Motor Show has been receiving a lot of press with the idea that the European auto industry is in a slump, that nobody is buying new cars, and that frugality and smallness are prevailing themes. Yet we've seen a new hyper-Ferrari, a new hyper-Lamborghini and this new Rolls-Royce coupe introduced at the show.

More 2013 Geneva Motor Show Coverage

This is the new Rolls-Royce Wraith, essentially a two-door version of the Ghost sedan, an ultra-luxury fastback coupe that will join the lineup in Europe late this year.

Rolls-Royce Teases New Wraith Coupe

British luxury-car maker Rolls-Royce is launching a coupe version of its Ghost sedan and resurrecting an old name for the model. The Wraith will join the Ghost and the Phantom in the lineup and will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The automaker released a teaser image but few details, saying only that the Wraith promises to be the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. The current Ghost sedan is powered by a 563-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-12 paired with an eight-speed automatic.

Rolls-Royce didn't provide any specs, but did say, "When Wraith is present, for that fleeting moment, the world will stand still." Commence eye roll.  

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Recall Alert: 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Rolls-Royce is recalling a small amount of model-year 2011 turbocharged versions of its Ghost sedan to address a faulty water pump, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A total of 69 vehicles equipped with turbocharged eight- or 12-cylinder engines are being recalled.

In the affected vehicles, the circuit board that controls the electric auxiliary water pump could overheat. This could lead to a vehicle fire. Several of parent BMW’s vehicles also were recalled for the same problem.

Rolls-Royce will notify owners this month, and dealers will replace the affected parts free of charge. Owners can call Rolls-Royce at 877-877-3735 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

MotherProof.com Car Seat Check Recap

You might think the rakish looks of the new Mercedes-Benz CLS would mean it would be inhospitable to families with children of child-safety-seat age … but you’d be wrong. MotherProof discovers that the redesigned luxury sport sedan/coupe — whatever you call it — has some of the best Latch access on the market, making installing car seats a breeze. Getting the kids in and out might not be as easy, though.

My 3-year-old son had a tough time climbing into his seat during a recent test because there was so little room between the front and rear seats. Though I was pleasantly surprised he wasn’t kicking my seat that often. Check out the full report on the CLS63 and one well-heeled transport probably not used that often for kids.

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: Car Seat Check
2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Car Seat Check
2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost: Car Seat Check

What Do These Buttons Do?

Ultra-luxury cars like the 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost have unique features not found in more pedestrian cars; does your Toyota Camry have an umbrella dispenser inside the door? Unique features are why mysterious buttons flourish inside the Ghost. The most notable is a cluster of four buttons below the headlight controls.

These buttons may not be so mysterious to some BMW owners, because BMW is Rolls’ parent company and the Ghost’s platform is based on the 7 Series. That means there are at least four things familiar to 7 Series owners ready to make a $150,000 jump to the Ghost – most everything else is uniquely Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce President Talks Electrics, High-Tech

The Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan has enough room to cross your legs in the backseat without touching the front seats: one foot propped sideways and the other buried an inch deep in carpet. It’s not a shabby place to sit — and probably better than chatting outside, Rolls-Royce’s David Archibald tells me. He and I are at the jam-packed opening of a Rolls-Royce dealership in Chicago’s moneyed Gold Coast neighborhood. Archibald, 53, is a sum manifestation of today’s global auto industry: a Scotsman who’s president of the North American arm of a British carmaker owned by Germans. BMW has controlled Rolls-Royce since 1998, and Archibald has been with the brand since 2002.

Product changes come slow in the ultra-luxury business and the lengthy product cycles risk having cars with outdated technology. Take the Phantom. It dates back to late 2003 and still employs an early generation of BMW’s iDrive interface. The smaller Ghost, introduced for 2010, has BMW’s latest generation of iDrive, which is far more workable.

Then again, with 11 bull hides and 10 square meters of wood inside a Phantom’s cabin, it’s a long shot whether any Rolls-Royce customer gives a whit about outdated electronics. After all, most Patek Philippe timepieces don’t include a stopwatch.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Video

Starting at a mere $245,000, the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is, as Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder puts it, “the Rolls for the rest of us.” That is, until he points out our test car was optioned up to over $300,000. Wiesenfelder shows off the Ghost’s many luxurious amenities, from umbrellas stashed in the doors to massaging seats to dashboard wood that all comes from the same tree so it ages uniformly (wait, really?). Check out this video if you don’t believe us.

Cars.com Podcast: 2010 Land Rover LR4, 2011 Volvo C30, 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder finally delivers on his promise to explain just how terrific the latest Rolls-Royce model is. The Ghost may be the “baby” Rolls, but it is a top dog in our editors’ minds. Mike Hanley and Bill Jackson add their thoughts on the Ghost and the latest from Land Rover and Volvo.
 
You can download the podcast via iTunes here or download the MP3 here.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Your butler, Aloysius, may be seriously unimpressed when you bring home the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, with its MSRP of just $245,000. Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder is here to reassure him, though. Rolls-Royce’s “downmarket” sedan still has all the refinement, luxury and driving prowess of a Rolls and doesn’t even come close to dipping into the shantytown, Hoover flags territory of a BMW or Mercedes-Benz. Read Wiesenfelder’s full review to learn more about the slightly less outlandish Ghost.

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost Review

Cars.com Podcast: Spring Road Rally and a 2011 Buick Regal

This week, we talk about a bunch of cars the staff got to flog at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. These include everything from the affordable-for-all Ford Fiesta, the affordable-for-some Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet, and the affordable-for-Jay Leno Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Editors Joe Wiesenfelder, David Thomas and Mike Hanley get the podcast rolling, discussing the all-new Buick Regal.

You can download Cars.com Podcast #55 via iTunes here or download the MP3.