Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II review: who needs a V12 when EVs are this good?

Verdict

More power, faster charging and an improved range are the sort of technical highlights that should be front and centre of any updated BEV. But when you’re sitting in the incredible luxury of this stunning new Rolls-Royce Spectre Series II, these achievements almost feel like moot points. As an expression of pure sumptuousness almost nothing gets close to this all-electric Rolls-Royce, and it makes us wonder why previous models ever had a V12 engine in the first place.

After four years on sale, the data is in. The all-electric Spectre is Rolls-Royce’s highest selling model in Europe, and second best in global markets. It is also the model fitted with the most bespoke design additions, and together with the Cullinan attracts the most new buyers to the brand. It would appear that fears this might be the first ‘disposable’ Rolls-Royce were unfounded. 

When the Spectre launched back in 2022, there were pertinent questions about whether fast-moving BEV technology would limit this car’s appeal in the long run. After all, the 6.75-litre V12 that’s usually behind the Pantheon grille is a timeless powertrain, unlike a hundred or so kWh of lithium-ion batteries. But what has clearly overridden these anxieties is just how compelling the entire Spectre package is, and on face value, this new Series II will only make things even better. 

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Key technical changes to the new Spectre II centre on the battery. BMW’s new sixth-generation battery technology has been quickly applied here after first rolling out on the brand’s Neue Klasse models, such as the iX3. These new cylindrical cells aren’t just more energy dense than the units that came before, but more efficient, too. 

As a result, the battery capacity of the Series II has gone up from 102kWh to 112.4kWh, increasing the Spectre’s range from 329 miles to something closer to 390. Rolls-Royce has also improved charging performance – although the peak 190kW rate is unchanged – to offer a flatter and more consistent charging curve. This means the battery will top up from 10-80 per cent in around 28 minutes, which is down from 34, despite having 10kWh more capacity. 

If you’re up to date with Neue Klasse numbers, these figures might seem a little soft compared to the latest iX5’s 141kWh battery and colossal 460kW charging rate. However, as Rolls-Royce now knows its customers aren’t using the Spectre for lengthy road trips, it wasn’t an imperative to dramatically lift the existing car’s figures. We guess that’s what the private jet is for. 

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Alongside the extra range and charging performance is an uplift in grunt. The standard Silver Badge car we’re driving here has a peak power figure of 592bhp – 15bhp more than before – generated from its two motors. But potentially of more importance is a higher torque figure of 1,015Nm. This is over 100Nm more than the Series I, and will have the new model charging from 0-62mph in a stately, but forceful, 4.4 seconds.  

For those after even more performance and a more sinister look, the popular Black Badge ups these figures to 670bhp and 1,100Nm when in its Infinity Mode. And when put through what definitely isn’t a ‘launch control’ system, it’ll hit 62mph in 4.1 seconds. 

For now, though, we’re sticking with the Silver Badge, and what’s immediately obvious is that any notion this is not a ‘real’ Rolls-Royce instantly evaporates the moment you climb inside. There’s a cruel irony in the development of its EV, as the brand has been tuning its traditional V12 to offer the very characteristics that an electric motor naturally possesses for decades: silent running, vibration-free and torque-heavy. 

The Spectres delivers these in spades, and the general aura has only been improved on the Series II thanks to more of the BMW-derived upgrades. These include even more intensive use of regenerative braking to capture more energy and put it back in the battery, as well as finer calibration of the braking system itself. In place of the small ‘L’ button on a normal Rolls-Royce shift wand is a new ‘B’ mode that’ll maximise regenerative braking. This programme works beautifully, too, stopping you with chauffeur-like smoothness to shame even the most experienced drivers. 

The only caveat worth mentioning is the quality of the ride, as our first taste of the new Spectre came on a closed road which didn’t recreate the complex and generally cruddy surfaces that it’ll have to deal with in the real world. And this is potentially important, as we found the Series I did have a tendency to transmit road imperfections into the cabin, undermining the general quality of the ride. 

We cornered Rolls-Royce engineers to ask if this has been worked on in the Series II, and their response was to highlight the stark reality of this car’s customer base. The commercial need to fit giant 23-inch wheels to the Spectre means there’s some detrimental physics at play here, giving the Rolls-Royce team limited options when it comes to completely isolating the ride. On test, there was definitely a sense the ride quality was exceptionally well cushioned, but it feels that of any company, Rolls-Royce should have the remit to ensure that no matter the wheel size and no matter the surface, it’s never anything other than perfect. 

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As for the rest of the experience, however, the Spectre is spectacular to behold. It might be a two-door coupé, but this five-metre long behemoth is massive both in stature and gravitas, with all the typical Rolls-Royce design cues sharpened up and modernised. ‘Monolithic’ is a design term often overused across lots of high-end luxury cars, but it really does apply here, with little regard for efficient packaging and instead a clear focus on theatricality. 

Step towards the reverse-opening coachdoor and the interior is opulent to the extreme, but unlike pretty much any other car, the feature you are drawn to isn’t the dash, but the seating. As with the Series II Cullinan, Rolls-Royce is expanding its interior trim range with a highly-detailed embroidered fabric option, or what Rolls-Royces call ‘Placed Perforations’ on traditional leather. As fitted to our test car, it helps lifts the cabin up well beyond that of a simple luxury ‘car’ – instead it’s a representation of the combination of craft and technology that Rolls-Royce does so well. Even Bentley doesn't quite have a handle on the brilliance at play here. 

There’s also a range of new veneer options, including an ‘engineered wood’ that has been designed to create a new type of grain impossible in nature. Plus it’s now lacquered in a type of high-gloss finish that’s embedded with tiny gold flecks that shimmer in the sunlight. These elements sit among a sea of polished metal and heavy metal switchgear that all looks and feels bespoke to Rolls-Royce – largely because it is. 

It’s quite something that the large digital interfaces fall deep into the background of your mind, but when you do call on them, the BMW-derived software means they’re easy to use and perfectly in-keeping with the general ambience. 

When on the move, the high dashboard can initially feel a little intimidating, but the Spectre’s clean and accurate steering helps shrink the car around you – to an extent – and the experience is nothing short of imperious. With a small amount of aero work to ensure this is as efficient as possible, it also helps in terms of general refinement and to no one’s surprise the Spectre is pretty much silent whilst on board. 

Of course, all of this still does need to be verified on the open road, especially when it comes to assessing the quality of the ride. But for now, we can say that the Spectre’s shortcomings as a battery electric vehicle have been incrementally but effectively improved thanks to those rises in range and performance. 

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