Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Review | A Proper Muscle SUV
In the late 1990s, SUV buyers weren’t nearly as spoiled for choice as they are today. Most offerings were either serious off-roaders or large people movers. The formula for the modern SUV wasn’t clearly defined, and potential performance variants weren’t even in the conversation. That is until 1999 when Mercedes-Benz introduced the ML 55. AMG’s first SUV changed everything, ushering in a new era of high-horsepower high riders. Stuffing a big engine under the hood of a plush off-roader did not make a track star out of a couch potato. It did, however, mean that speed, comfort, space, and refinement didn’t require multiple vehicles.
This week’s tester is a perfect example of this formula. It’s the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe 4Matic+, a big, high horsepower, top dollar SUV, and the ML 55’s direct descendent. In an unusual twist, this vehicle isn’t currently available for sale. Due to a slowdown in engine production at AMG, the twin-turbocharged V8 that lives under the hood isn’t available for the 2022 model year. The good news is that production should resume for future model years, and after a week behind the wheel, it’s definitely worth the wait.
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Performance/Handling
Two decades ago, the idea of a 600+ horsepower SUV was unthinkable. Today, there are about as many high-horsepower SUVs as there are supercars. The GLE 63 S is no exception. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 pumps out 603 horsepower at 5750 rpm and 627 foot-pounds of torque at 2500. But the GLE has more than turbos up its sleeve to make power. It also features a small electric starter-generator called EQ boost. Essentially, it combines the starter and alternator into one electric motor and sandwiches it in-between the engine and transmission. The result is up to an additional 21 hp and 184 lb of torque. However, this power isn’t used for straight-line speed. Instead, it’s sprinkled along the power band to fill areas where the turbos lag. In the real world, this results in instantaneous acceleration. At no point is the GLE sluggish. It’s quick off the line and quick at speed. Something this big shouldn’t be able to move so fast.
Also Read: 2021 Lamborghini Urus Review: A True Super SUV
Not to mention that opening up the taps reveals a proper ferocious bark from those gloss black exhaust tips. It may not sound as good as its 6.2-liter predecessor, but it’s still damn good. Like its dot-com-bubble great-grandpa, the GLE 63 has all-wheel drive as standard, supplemented by a nine-speed automatic transmission. This is one of its weak points as the auto’s tuning favors around town comfort rather than all-out performance. Switching to manual shifting remedies this, but it is still not all that sharp on the downshift. But let’s face it, this isn’t a canyon carver, and around town, it’s more than responsive enough.
At no point does the GLE 63 let you forget that it weighs nearly 5,500 pounds. It’s quick to understeer, and despite having surprisingly little body roll, it’s not eager to turn in. None of that matters in the driving the GLE 63 does. In a crowded city, its air suspension is tuned to near perfection, delivering a firm and AMG-appropriate ride that’s still comfortable. Not even the massive 22-inch wheels spoil the ride. While it’s far from a track star, its dominance throughout the city proves that the GLE 63 is a masterclass in knowing precisely what your audience wants.
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Design
This GLE is a coupe-style SUV with the now-infamous sloping roofline. Enough people love this style for Mercedes-Benz to adopt it across the GLE and GLC classes. In a body this big, it works because it helps de-boxify it. The GLE is already a bit of a big bertha, but thanks to the way its roof seemingly melts onto the rear three-quarters, it still looks sleek despite its size.
Large tail lights that wrap around the rear emphasize this effect as its lighting elements are proportional to the extensive body. Like the ML55, the GLE 63 S has flared wheel arches sharing the same color as the rest of the bodywork, and while they may not be as aggressive as on the old-timer, they work to visually widen the 63 and separate it from a standard GLE.
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On the hood, two prominent lines run almost parallel to one another. This isn’t new. It’s a design trait shared with the ML55 and what Mercedes originally called “power domes.” They go back to the 300 SL Gullwing of the 1950s. Darkened elements such as the diffuser, wheels, and front intakes help create contrast and neatly tie in its aggressive aesthetic without being over the top.
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Interior
Any and all criticisms of its size vanish once you step in, a big body immediately turns into immense comfort, and when you’re lugging a family around, extra space is a godsend. Not even the sloping roof spoils the size. Your 5’10 author fits in the back with plenty of headroom to spare, so passengers young and old should have no complaints during long drives.
Throw in a pair of highly adjustable heated and cooled front seats, and there’s more than enough comfort to go around. Comfort aside, interior quality is also spectacular. The GLE wins on the tech front as well. With two 12.3-in displays that seemingly melt into one another, the cabin feels forward-thinking and nicely laid out. The onboard MBUX infotainment system is a pleasure to use and easy to learn. However, smartphone connectivity such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 63 S commands a heavy price delta over a 53 model, but the material use is night and day different. You’ll see either leather, suede, or carbon fiber everywhere you look. Stark reminders of how well you’ve done in life. The GLE’s interior feels every bit its price tag.
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe Pricing
$117,050. That’s how much the GLE 63 starts at. However, you can’t currently buy one because there is no 2022 model year option available. This one is a 2021 model year press vehicle with over 9,000 miles on the clock. As tested, it comes in over $130,000. For a bit of context, that’s not enough to get you into a Cayenne Coupe Turbo, which starts at $133,500, and you can forget about the $167,800 Turbo S. Its direct competitors then are the BMW X6 M and Audi RSQ8, two SUVs that also nail this tried and tested formula. And that’s become a double-edged sword as these three German rivals deliver practically the same experience. For now, this isn’t a problem as these SUVs are huge money makers. However, as time goes on, these giant family haulers will struggle to stand out.
Closing Thoughts
The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S nails its intended purpose, fast as a sports car in a straight line but comfortable enough for a family road trip. It is a proper Swiss Army knife. However, the trade-offs in the performance department are significant, and if on-road comfort isn’t a priority, the GLE leaves a bit to be desired. However, as an expensive object to putter around town surrounded by expensive materials with more power than a nuclear power plant at a moment’s notice, it’s damn near perfect. To the people that will inevitably fork over large sums to get one once production ramps back up, you won’t be disappointed.
Tags: 2022 Reviews
Ferrari F8 Tributo Review: Pushing Street Limits
by Gabriel Vega
in F8 Tributo, Ferrari News, Reviews
Intro
Thanks to turbocharging and clever hybrid systems, speed isn’t enough to make a great poster car anymore. Instead, the vehicles that stand out now are those that manage to pull on the driver’s heartstrings. Whether it be because of their sharp looks or intoxicating sound, these six-figure machines have to offer more than ever while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what road-doing performance vehicles can do. https://motorsport.tv/embed/uDxgBQe9
Enter this week’s tester, the Ferrari F8 Tributo, the latest in a long line of V8-powered machines wearing the prancing horse. Thanks to its aero-focused design, top-notch performance, and rewarding driving experience, the F8 is a car that wakes up all of your senses. However, one of the most exciting aspects of this supercar is not how it behaves at full throttle but instead how it invites its driver to rack up miles.
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Ferrari F8 Tributo Design
One look at the Ferrari F8 Tributo immediately reveals how its designers focused on aerodynamics. Out of all the cars the Italian carmaker has debuted over the past decade, the F8 is easily one of the most angular, littered with intakes, vents, and clever aero throughout. Take the front end, for example, which borrows from the 488 Pista with its clever S-Duct that begins as a small opening in the front bumper but cuts through the hood, allowing the air to flow over the car more easily. While this system is impressive from an engineering perspective, Ferrari incorporated it in a way that it’s almost hidden in plain sight, blending in nicely with the car’s overall design.
The longer you stare at the F8, the more little ducts and intakes you’ll notice, such as those positioned cleverly above the headlights. The result of these tweaks is a 10 percent more aerodynamically efficient car than the 488 GTB it replaced, delivering more downforce without an increased drag coefficient. However, the F8’s most significant design achievement is that it manages to take all of these functional elements and execute them in a way that gives the car a very aggressive look, visually separating itself from the models that preceded it.
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The rear is perhaps the greatest example of this, ditching the dual tail lights of old in exchange for a set of smaller quad lamps tucked neatly beneath the rear spoiler. The positioning of the lights gives the rear of the F8 greater depth, almost inviting passersby to look closely to take in all of its intricate details. As with the front, there’s plenty of clever 488 Pista-inspired aero here as well.
While historically, most cars wearing the prancing horse leave the factory wearing a red coat of paint, my tester did not. Instead, it’s finished in Blu Corsa, a very vibrant shade of blue that helps accentuate the car’s body lines while reflecting a ton of light, resulting in a very bright finish. Throw in the optional set of 20-inch wheels, and my tester is likely one of the best-specced F8’s I’ve ever seen. Combined with all of the design improvements and aero elements, you’re left with a car that is not only impressive but genuinely beautiful.
Ferrari F8 Tributo Performance / Drive
Powering the Ferrari F8 Tributo is yet another gift from the 488 Pista. It’s a 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 pushing out 710 horsepower and 568 pounds of torque. Thanks to its sub-3,200-lb curb weight, the F8 hits 62 mph in 2.9 seconds before continuing to a top speed of 211 mph. While these stats are undoubtedly hypercar quick, they don’t tell the F8’s full story because what’s perhaps most impressive about this mid-engined Ferrari is how it delivers that performance.
Put your foot down anywhere in the rev range, and the F8 Tributo rockets forward. Regardless if you’re at a stoplight or doing triple-digit speeds, the twin-turbo V8 always has more to give, seemingly never running out of steam. There’s virtually no turbo lag despite peak torque coming in at 3,250 rpm. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sending all of that power to the rear wheels is equally fast and incredibly responsive. With immediate upshifts and crispy downshifts, the F8’s transmission and engine are perfectly matched to take full use of the available power.
Thanks to a massive set of standard carbon-ceramic brakes, the F8 can not only slow down from its mind-boggling runs but can do so repeatedly, with no noticeable fade regardless of how hard it is pushed over multiple hours of driving.
Turn into a corner, and the F8’s steering rewards you with excellent feedback along with a very agile front end with endless amounts of grip. This is the type of car you can throw into a corner ten mph too fast, and it will still somehow manage to cling on for dear life. Admittedly, we’ve got all of those aforementioned aero bits to thank for that. However, aside from sheer handling performance, the F8 delivers an incredibly composed drive. It was virtually impossible to get the F8 to misbehave during multiple runs through the canyons. All of its stability and traction systems are nicely tuned to keep you from hurdling into the side of a mountain, despite really pushing the kind of speeds a normal road can handle.
Once things slow down a bit, and the F8 is tasked with navigating a crowded city such as Los Angeles, it reveals another side of its personality. That’s because, thanks to its magnetic dampers, its suspension is quite comfortable, soaking up even significant imperfections on the road. Despite my tester’s lack of a front lift system, it wasn’t an issue, clearing driveways even if with just a penny’s width of space to spare. The secret sauce behind the F8’s comfort is its Bumpy Road mode, which softens up the suspension, regardless of what driving mode you’re in.
Ferrari F8 Tributo Interior
The Ferrari F8 Tributo’s interior looks like nothing else on the market. With all of its infotainment and driver-assist controls aimed squarely at the person behind the wheel, they’re not only easy to operate but quickly accessible. The star of the show is undoubtedly the steering wheels, which houses more buttons than an airliner’s cockpit. Aside from the big red start button, the wheel houses your indicators, drive modes, suspension modes, and windshield wiper settings. While the onslaught of buttons is intimidating at first glance, their purpose becomes clear as there’s more room for the F8’s excellent large fixed paddles.
On the entertainment side, the F8 may just house the smallest infotainment screen I’ve ever seen. However, thanks to optional Apple CarPlay connectivity, there’s no shortage of features. While its size is a drawback, the fact that it’s neatly integrated into the dash is a major plus, eliminating the need for an additional screen on the dashboard. Overall, the F8’s interior design is sleek and incredibly well put together, with enough leather and contrasting stitching to go around.
ALSO READ: Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Road Trip: 1000 Miles In A Billionaire’s $500,000 Daily Driver
My tester came equipped with the F8’s flagship chairs, the Daytona carbon-backed sport seats. Since these are the most aggressive options, they’re far from the most comfortable available. However, given that they’re inside a 710-hp supercar, they’re perfectly matched for their intended purpose. There’s tons of lateral support, keeping the driver in position nicely without squeezing too much.
The interior offers surprisingly good sound insulation on the highway, nicely complementing the aforementioned magnetic suspension. The result is that the F8 is just a lovely place to be. This is the type of vehicle its owners will want to put miles on.
Ferrari F8 Tributo Pricing
The Ferrari F8 Tributo is a premium product that delivers a premium experience, and its price tag certainly reflects that. Despite a base price of just under $277,000, optional extras such as the stunning paint, optional wheels, carbon fiber trim, and Apple CarPlay, amongst others, quickly push that figure well past $350,000. However, the F8 is a car that delivers on virtually every front, providing outstanding performance while simultaneously tugging on the driver’s heartstrings as a proper supercar should. While competitors offer similar performance for similar money, what the F8 nails is delivering a $350,000 experience.
Final Thoughts
Whether it pulls you in with its angular looks or impressive power stats, there’s plenty to love about the Ferrari F8 Tributo. The term “daily driver supercar” gets thrown around quite a lot these days. However, the F8 is a true embodiment of that. While its twin-turbo powerhouse of an engine delivers enough speed to scare seasoned drivers, its suspension and interior are comfortable enough to tackle even the worst city streets. As a result, the F8 is a car that makes driving accessible, regardless of speed, inviting its driver to spend more time behind the wheel. Thanks to its endless charm and capabilities, the F8 stands as a proper V8 Ferrari that draws on its heritage while embracing modern tech in the search of insane performance.
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Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Road Trip: 1000 Miles In A Billionaire’s $500,000 Daily Driver
by Gabriel Vega
in Ghost, Reviews, Rolls-Royce News
Rolls-Royce Road Trip: 1000 Miles In A Billionaire’s $500,000 Daily Driver
Living in Los Angeles can really mess with your perception of wealth. Spend any amount of time around Beverly Hills, and you’ll see every Rolls-Royce imaginable parked outside of expensive restaurants and five-star hotels alike. Having only lived in LA for a few months, this phenomenon is still quite striking. However, after watching these six-figure ultra-luxury vehicles exclusively crawling around the city, I couldn’t help but feel they were being misused in a way.
Suppose you distill a Rolls-Royce to its essence. In that case, you get a tremendously comfortable vehicle with world-class suspension and enough noise isolation to make even police sirens sound no louder than a notification on your phone. While these attributes make a Rolls-Royce ideal for navigating urban environments in your personal detached bubble, they should also make it the ideal machine for a road trip.https://motorsport.tv/embed/GJzQKUkY
To put this question to the test, I reached out to the folks at Rolls-Royce with a simple idea: a round trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Considering that the average lease deal for one of these cars gives its drivers less than 3,000 miles to drive per year, I wasn’t very hopeful I’d get a positive response. However, to my surprise, Rolls-Royce agreed and scheduled me into one of its latest creations, the Ghost Black Badge.
Now, this wasn’t my first encounter with the Ghost Black Badge. I attended its launch event in San Diego late last year, where I managed to score a couple of hours behind the wheel. With this road trip idea brewing, that first drive made it clear that the Ghost Black Badge was the right car for the job.
The Car:
The 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge serves as the continuation of the brand’s Black Badge line, which began with the Wraith back in 2016. In short, the package gets you a darker aesthetic, a sportier drive, and the clever use of carbon fiber throughout.
It all starts with the chrome. Unlike a standard Ghost, the Black Badge’s chrome trim has been darkened. Instead of painting these shiny bits, the British carmaker tweaked its chrome plating process, delivering this car’s ominous dark finish. The main benefit of this new process is that there’s no paint to chip away through time, a must since this Ghost has black chrome seemingly on every surface.
The most significant changes are found in the engineering department. For starters, the 6.8-liter twin-turbocharged V12 powering this super sedan now develops 591 horsepower and 664 pound-feet, marking a 28 hp and 37 lb-ft increase over the standard Ghost. To make the most out of this added muscle, Rolls-Royce gives its Black Badge models “Low” mode. Essentially, this is the brand’s equivalent of a sport mode, giving you faster shifts by up to 50 percent with the throttle pressed past 90 percent, sharper throttle response, and stiffer suspension calibration.
The result of the Black Badge’s sporty pursuits is a 5,500-lb sedan that can reach 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds before continuing to its electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. To keep this speed in check, the Black Badge carries over the standard Ghost’s enormous brakes while adopting larger air springs that can stiffen enough to help mitigate body roll.
With all its significant options, such as the Black Badge Package for $43,850, Burnout Grey exterior paint for $15,900, and immersive seating for $10,775, my testers $393,500 MSRP quickly shot up to an as-tested price of $492,250.
The Route:
Setting off from my home in Pasadena, I had three routes to choose from, two of which took me through the middle of nowhere, CA. After about 10 seconds of internal discussion, I picked the US-101 North as my way up, taking in plenty of mountain passes and ocean views along the way, the perfect place to test the Black Badge’s split personality. However, the pretty route comes with considerable penalties. For starters, this way added an extra 54 miles and over an hour of driving, totaling just over seven hours before reaching my hotel in downtown San Francisco.
The way back would be much simpler. Forgoing all prettiness, I chose I-5 South as my way home. While its views would be bland, an empty open highway seemed like the ideal place to let the Ghost Black Badge stretch its legs and embrace its sportier persona.
In total, the chosen route would take roughly 12 hours and 35 minutes with a total distance of 818 miles. However, with countless stops for food, photos, and filming, I managed to rack up a total of 1031.4 miles over three days. While it’s safe to say I was the only person putting that many miles on a Rolls-Royce over those three days, it became clear that most owners are missing out by not doing so.
Day 1:
With Los Angeles’ snow-capped mountains in the rear-view mirror, I began my seven-hour drive north with the Ghost and its enormous trunk filled to the brim with luggage, cameras, tripods, and enough snacks to feed a village. Since Rolls-Royce was kind enough to drop off my tester with a full tank of gas, there was nothing to do except hitting the road.
Immediately once I hit the highway, I was glad I had chosen a Rolls-Royce for this trip. Living in LA, it’s easy to get used to just how bad the roads are. You learn to dodge the biggest potholes while accepting that a bumpy ride is inevitable. Thankfully, the Ghost was not concerned with even significant imperfections. Initially, I was worried the Black Badge’s larger air springs would stiffen up the suspension too much, taking away from the comfortable driving experience. However, I was quickly proven wrong as the Black Badge glides over the road like you’d expect a $500,000 sedan would.
With 10-way adjustable heated and cooled seats upfront, it’s almost impossible not to feel comfortable in the Ghost’s massive front chairs. If that’s not fancy enough, my tester also had the massage feature, which features three intensity levels for a dozen or so configurations. Additionally, there are tons of leather-wrapped surfaces to rest your arms, elbows, and knees as you find your ideal position.
The long open highways didn’t last very long as we crossed into San Luis Obispo and the Black Badge encountered some curvy mountain roads. With “Low” mode engaged, I began to pick up the pace. While my wife and her opened water bottle certainly didn’t appreciate quickened shifts, I did. With its “sport mode” engaged, the Black Badge gains a surprising amount of urgency. Slam your foot down, and the Ghost picks up speed so quickly that the rear-end squats considerably, pointing the Spirit of Ecstasy to the sky. Additionally, while the larger air springs desperately try and keep body roll in check, there’s no stopping the lateral movement of a 5,500-lb sedan without spoiling the ride, so I’m glad Rolls-Royce didn’t. It leans considerably, but it’s not stiff by any means.
After about 20 minutes of hustling the Ghost around, we settled into the extended highway portion of the drive as we crossed what seemed like hundreds of small farms. At this point, I decided to engage the Ghost’s adaptive cruise control feature, set at the closest following distance possible. As traffic began to pick up throughout the day, this system’s tuning began to shine, speeding up with restrained throttle application while lightly tapping the brakes to slow down, preserving the car’s comfortable driving experience.
While Rolls-Royce’s interpretation of BMW’s iDrive system is excellent, I stuck with the available wireless Apple CarPlay option. The 12.3-in screen was a highlight, delivering punchy colors via a very high-definition touchscreen display. While I liked interacting with it via touch, the rotary dial in the center console is better suited for navigating multiple menus.
Speaking of menus, we stopped for lunch in the most California place possible, In-N-Out. As I chowed down on my double-double, I noticed it was about to rain, a perfect time to bust out my tester’s $1,675 set of color-matched umbrellas. Unfortunately, the sky decided to hold back its tears, and we decided to do our first fuel stop instead.
Since the Ghost requires premium fuel, I topped it off with 15.3 gallons at $5.29 each for a total of $81.45. Up until this point, we had been averaging around 15 mpg, thanks in large part to my earlier stint through the mountains. However, ease up on the throttle, and 20 mpg is more than achievable.
As San Francisco sat just an hour away, I noticed numbness in my lower back, likely from sitting so long. While not even some of the most comfortable seats I’ve experienced could save me from wear and tear, the Black Badge had an ace up its sleeve. Within its massage menu, there’s a feature called “Activation Massage,” which, as its name suggests, applies pressure to activate your various body parts. With it set to its most aggressive setting, the Ghost did an excellent job of revitalizing my back. After about 10 minutes of the system being engaged, I felt utterly refreshed for the final charge into the city.
After seven hours on the road, I ran straight into a significant problem. While my hotel had assured me of secured valet parking, I noticed that, like most hotels, they leave their most expensive cars upfront. Since I was responsible for my near $500,000 tester, I decided not to risk leaving it outside overnight. Instead, I called a friend who lived nearby and parked the car in a secure garage. The McLaren MP4-12C and Porsche 911 GT3 Touring flanking the Ghost reassured me of the garage’s safety.
Day 2:
Rising just before the sun, I ran over to the garage and fired up the Ghost to snap some photos of it. Naturally, the Golden Gate Bridge was the top location on my list. A bit basic? Sure, but a classic, nonetheless. While this was the shortest driving day of the three, it was the first time I finally got a good look at the car and its grey, purple, and black aesthetic.
On paper, my tester’s Burnout Grey exterior finish for $15,900 wouldn’t have been my first pick. While it’s an elegant finish, it’s a bit flat, lacking in depth and sparkle, especially for the money. However, for us picky folks, Rolls-Royce offers over 44,000 “stock” color options, although they’ll paint your car in whatever color you can think of.
After snapping a couple of photos, my tune on the color changed dramatically. While the car may look showroom fresh, I purposely didn’t wash it after my first seven hours on the road, leaving my new collection of bugs all over the car’s front end to showcase the drive. To my frustration, the exterior finish does a tremendous job of hiding dirt and road grime, retaining its classy look despite being properly filthy.
One thing that’s hard to display through photos is just how giant the Ghost truly is. At 218.3 in long and 84.6 in wide, this luxury sedan has a larger footprint than a Chevy Tahoe with a sizable turning radius to match, even with all-wheel steering. Despite its size, everything on the Ghost is proportional, from the Pantheon grille up front to the 21-inch wheels, massive windows, and enormous trunk. All its styling elements tie in nicely, resulting in an instantly recognizable shape that looks equal parts classy and expensive.
While those 21-inch wheels may seem par for the course, they’re unique. That’s because Rolls-Royce opted to give the Black Badge carbon fiber barrels. Essentially, they took 22 carbon fiber layers and folded them to create 44 total layers. The lightweight wheels make sense on a supercar as they reduce unsprung mass. However, in a 5,500-lb sedan, they don’t do much for the driving experience. Regardless, they demonstrate attention to detail and great use of composite materials.
My tester’s exterior had just one major flaw, and that was the set of red brake calipers. The color clashed considerably with the flat gray finish and the black and purple interior with no other red elements anywhere on the car. They would’ve completed the car nicely if they featured purple paint to match.
With photos completed, it was time for more fuel. I scored a slightly cheaper gas station this time, taking just $61.12 to fill this big body sedan up from about a half tank left. From there, I went to check out SF’s Millennium Tower, a 58-story skyscraper that’s slowly sinking due to shady construction, before eventually sticking the Ghost back into the garage for the night, this time next to a Model S Plaid and a Mini Cooper JCW GP.
Day 3:
As the sun rose on the third day, my San Francisco trip was coming to an end. While I loved the city, I was more excited for the six-hour drive home. At this point, I was utterly enamored by the car, actively looking for get-rich-quick schemes to be able to buy one. While I had driven it through the mountains, a big city, and the coast, I hadn’t had a chance to open it up and see how it performs at higher speeds. With Apple Maps set to the middle of nowhere, CA, we set off towards Los Angeles.
As soon as we hit I-5 South, it was a ghost town with only a few big trucks hugging the slow lane. I re-engaged “Low” mode and decided to put my foot down. While the Black Badge and its 591 hp V12 have tremendous power, its delivery is smooth, progressive, and seemingly never-ending. Despite this big number on the dash, the car’s excellent sound isolation and suspension mean you don’t feel the speed. My wife didn’t even notice we crossed triple digits when usually she’d holler if I went past 65 mph.
After my wife caught on to my pace, I mellowed out and started poking around the interior. My tester featured a combination of black leather with purple accents throughout, a nice compliment to the flat exterior gray finish. However, the star of the show is Rolls-Royce’s bespoke carbon fiber pattern featured on the dashboard, center console, door panels, and rear tray tables. Instead of adopting a typical carbon fiber weave, the British carmaker utilizes a diamond pattern with metallic fibers. The result is an interior that looks less race-ready and more sparkly and expensive.
Everything you interact with inside this car features leather, carbon fiber, or metal. I couldn’t find a single cheap-feeling surface in this interior. Despite its close ties to BMW, Rolls-Royce does a great job of making even basic switches and buttons feel as expensive as they should.
As the thirsty Ghost began asking for more go-juice, I encountered one of the negative aspects of driving such an expensive car. After stopping in a small gas station in the middle of nowhere, I was approached by several sketchy characters, asking about the car, and consequently, for money. To get out of there quickly, I filled up $72.12 worth of 91 octane fuel and kept it moving. Up until this point, I had never felt unsafe behind the wheel of this $500,000 sedan. But in a split second, it became clear that driving such a recognizable sign of wealth has its drawbacks.
Thankfully, as we rejoined the highway, we had an uneventful final drive to Los Angeles, pulling into my neighborhood just as the sun was setting. Despite yet another long day of driving, I still felt refreshed, as if I could’ve carried on for another six hours.
After three days, here are the stats:
- Total Distance: 1031.4 Miles
- Average Speed: 62.50 MPH
- Fuel Consumption 13.6 MPG
- Fuel Stops: 3
- Total Fuel Cost (est): $215
After more than 1,000 miles behind the wheel of the 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, it’s clear that this car excels at walking a fine line between a genuinely sporty sedan and a traditional luxury land yacht. With its ominous aesthetic, sporty drive, and well-appointed tech-filled interior, this Ghost is more Millennial than Boomer.
As a 26-year-old born in an area where the average household income hovers around the poverty line, I’m by no means this car’s target audience. Yet somehow, its appeal is hard to resist. Whether it be the allure of driving an instantly recognizable icon or a true appreciation for this car’s tremendous engineering achievements, the Ghost Black Badge tugs at my heartstrings in the same way an exotic poster car does.
Oddly enough, the stats show that I’m not alone. The average age for Rolls-Royce customers has been plummeting as of late, from the mid-50s to the low 40s. With the addition of the Black Badge and more young millionaires than ever before, I wouldn’t be surprised if that average age dipped into the 30s relatively soon.
Regardless of how old you are or which of Rolls-Royce’s 44,000 “ready to wear” colors you choose, if your pockets are deep enough to afford one of these machines, don’t be afraid to put some serious miles on it. The Black Badge is nearly faultless as a road trip machine, delivering a driving experience only a $500,000 super sedan can.
