2025 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II Black Badge first drive review: The thrill of chilling

I am doing 120kmph in the fast lane, wafting from lunch on the French Riviera to dinner at a chateau nestled amongst the vineyards of Provence; Michelin-starred restaurants at either end, in this episode of lifestyles of the rich and famous. The sun is creeping below the Cote d’Azur horizon which means I occasionally clock shooting stars flying across my head on the Starlight roof liner. The vibe begs me to crank it up on the pre-loaded Black Badge playlist, a clubby, chill-house vibe to go with the excess of black chrome; no desperate branding on the sound system, no gauche exciters in the seat for 4D sound, just the cleanest, deepest, crispest bass I’ve heard in a car. Tap the massage and it kneads my buttocks; I’ll refrain from using a metaphor lest I become the recipient of a world of pain. Step on the gas and the prow lifts in a manner the privileged will liken to the throttles being opened on a speedboat; the rest of us have seen enough of them in rap videos, which incidentally inspired the creation of the Black Badge. With enough of their cars being slammed and pimped out, Rolls saw an opportunity for a factory gangsta-spec and also a chance to relieve OGs and wannabe-Gs of their cash-money.

The analogue clock bears heavily over the beautifully illuminated sculptures of the Flying Lady.

As we close in on the hills traffic slows and it dawns on me, The Thrill of Chilling can be every bit as, erm, thrilling, as caning a V12 supercar through the hills of Modena. I check the time on the strangely hard-to-read clock cabinet; I might not make it to dinner on time. Embedded into the dash, adjacent to an illuminated image of celestial time-lapse photography (for those too tight-fisted to commission custom artwork on the dash) the analogue clock bears heavily over the beautifully illuminated sculptures of the Flying Lady, more of an art piece than serving any practical value because time and even Michelin starred chefs, wait for those who arrive in the world’s best car.

Now, world’s best is debatable. It’s not just the S-Class coughing discreetly in a corner but also the Phantom smashing its ginormous Pantheon grille into the party. World’s best is subjective, as is the term entry-level when the subject in question is Rolls-Royce.

2025 Ghost Series II Black Badge: Dimensions and options

The Ghost remains the most affordable way to get into the Rolls-Royce world but the Ghost is nothing like entry-level. For starters, at 5.55 metres in length, this is longer than the Cullinan SUV. And then of course there is the price, ₹8.85 crore, which is the starting price for the Series 2 Ghost and no Ambani or Adani ever bought a base-spec Rolls, if such a thing even existed. Opt for the Black Badge you see here, and ₹1.5 crore gets added to the base price. Think 3.3 metres between the wheels isn’t vast enough? Rolls will extend the wheelbase by 170mm and request you to begin the process of bespoke from ₹10.3 crore onwards. It’s a spectacularly rarified world that Rolls customers inhabit and until legislation rams batteries down our throats, the ultimate in excess woofles away in the distance.

2025 Ghost Series II Black Badge: Engine and performance

The general discourse credits Ferrari and to an extent, Lamborghini as saving the V12, but here’s Rolls-Royce where three out of their four model lines are V12 powered. And this is a gigantic motor – 6.75 litres, or six-and-three-quarters as Rolls refers to it, breathed upon by two turbochargers, stamped with Rolls part numbers even though the casting is done in Munich, and firmly resisting hybrid assistance of any sort. Not that it needs any assistance. Even without any hybrid batteries it tips the scales at 2490kg – 100kg is just acoustic damping material – but that hardly matters when confronted by (an unchanged) 563bhp and 850Nm. The value-conscious among ultra-HNIs will be happy to know that 1.5 crore rupees does buy extra oomph on the Black Badge – 29 horses and 50Nm more twist pushing figures to 592bhp and 900Nm, the latter peaking at a ridiculously low 1700rpm.

Launch it and the immense torque lifts the equally immense nose in spectacular fashion, as it literally wheelies its way to 100kmph in 4.8 seconds.

Test it out I must and in a manner unbecoming of a Rolls chauffeur I pull over, press the button marked L on the dainty gear selector, tightly grip the equally dainty steering wheel, brake-torque, watch the power reserve dial swing down to 0 per cent, and launch it. Of course, there’s nothing so ridiculously boy-racer-ish as launch control flashing up on the dials, but what L does is start the Ghost off in first gear; the default roll-off is in second gear so that nothing remotely resembling head toss is delivered to the big cheese sitting out back. Low mode also calls up an ‘aggressive’ shift strategy with 50 per cent quicker gearchanges when the throttle is 90 per cent open. In the absence of paddle shifters kick downs are also faster. This is precisely what Sport mode would do except there’s nothing as vulgar as Sport mode on a Rolls. Launch it and the immense torque lifts the equally immense nose in spectacular fashion, as it literally wheelies its way to 100kmph in 4.8 seconds. Squatting on the rear dampers as it takes off looks spectacular from the outside, is hilarious on the inside and is accompanied by the stately motor acquiring a brutish accent. The Ghost is the driver’s Rolls-Royce and while no driver’s car in the traditional sense, it is perfectly capable of keeping keen drivers entertained, the growl of the V12 spelling M-O-N-E-Y in a manner that the electric Spectre (that I drove the previous evening) simply doesn’t.

2025 Ghost Series II Black Badge: Ride and dynamics

Mechanically the Series 2 is unchanged from the Mark 2 Ghost launched in 2021, retaining the Architecture of Luxury aluminium underpinnings (not adapted from the BMW 7 Series as before) that is shared with the Phantom and Cullinan along with the Planar adaptive air suspension with double wishbones up front and multiple links at the rear. Rear wheel steering is standard as is four-wheel-drive while the massive engine is mounted behind the front axle to achieve 50:50 weight distribution. The rear axle also gets a 12-volt active anti-roll bar, but the body floats a fair bit and there’s no hiding the body roll nor the spectre of understeer in tighter corners attacked with injudicious space. Hit longer, faster and wide-open corners, let the front bite and the weight settle on the outside tyres and the Ghost exhibits neutral balance, bordering on a whiff of oversteer. The transmission reads GPS data to always knows what gear to engage depending on the curvature of the corner and that interfaces with the Flagbearer system that scans the road surface to optimise the damping of the air suspension to keep things as smooth as possible. And smooth the Ghost is. It not just cossets occupants but completely distances them from the world outside.

The ride comfort is spectacular, languid long-wave movements similar to but not as exaggerated as the ridiculously opulent Phantom. The ride benefits from the mass damper on the front axle designed to further absorb suspension movement and vibration over small undulations and bumps. And then there is the sensationally quiet cabin. The aluminium used in the body structure has more complex forms to damp out as much of road-generated resonance as possible. Damping elements are sandwiched between the bulkhead and floor. All the glass is double-glazed and Rolls-Royce were the first to insert sponge into their tyres to further cut out noise.

2025 Ghost Series II Black Badge: Cabin and comfort

Shut the vault-like doors – electrically-operated rear suicide doors – and you are transported into another realm. The aforementioned 18-channel Bespoke audio system has been upgraded to 1400W and incorporates exciter speakers in the headliner. In-car connectivity has been improved, the WiFi hotspot has been upgraded, passengers can connect up to two streaming devices to the screens and there are USB-C ports – things that tech-bros who’ve just wrapped up the IPO will appreciate.

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Catering to that precise set are the new digital clocks which have the most beautiful graphics I’ve seen in any car. Again, nothing so vulgar as customisable dials, but you can customise the colours of the dials and gauges – a one-time thing which is then hard-coded into the software. The new Spirit infotainment system is adapted from BMW’s latest iDrive together with the rotary dial, but physical buttons are retained in plenty including for the air-con. There’s even remote connectivity via the Whispers app for our tech-bro to keep tabs on their driver.

That driver will be perched on seats that are more like thrones. Fairly high set with an upright driving position these seats are supremely comfortable and deliver a commanding view ahead; a spectacular view I must add with the Spirit of Ecstasy perched on the far end of the mile-long bonnet.

That Flying Lady sits atop a Pantheon grille that is illuminated by 20 LEDs and is even more prominent now that the front end has been cleaned. There are fewer vents and the super-slim DRLs of the new headlights wrap around the outer corners to soften the blunter rectangular look of the past. The blockier look is in keeping with the Series 2 Cullinan while the banded design of the taillamps takes inspiration from the Spectre. The wheel size goes up to 22 inches delivering stance that Rolls-Royce claims is, ‘monolithic and self-assured … a potent stage for Bespoke commissions.’ Customers already spend at least 10 per cent of the starting price on options, and the obvious intent is to double down on that.

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On the Black Badge the glittering mirror-effect chrome is replaced by black chrome including, for the first time, on the massive refrigerator-sized door handles. Inside you get more black chrome along with carbonfibre in place of the traditional wood veneers offering their ‘rebellious group of clients with a dramatic canvas for their bold Bespoke commissions.’ Vegan customers are equally catered for with a rayon fabric made from bamboo called Duality Twill that is embossed with a design meant to echo the interlinked RR badge, comprises 2.2 million stitches, 18km of thread and takes 20 hours to complete.

2025 Ghost Series II Black Badge: Verdict

The possibilities for personalisation are ridiculously extravagant including a new open-pore trim called Grey Stained Ash that has been enriched with metallic particles to give it a shimmering effect. There’s even an upholstery look called Placed Perforation that uses 107,000 perforations in the seats to mirror the shapes of clouds over Rolls-Royce’s headquarters, the long-term survival of which drives Rolls-Royce forward towards their stated goal of going full electric by 2030. Which in turn calls time on the V12; the Series 2 Ghost could be the last series-production Rolls endowed with this motor. Time, apparently, is a luxury the automotive world just cannot afford.