The Wraith - Review

Wretched · 16-09-2013, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Rolls-Royce has held the international launch for the new Wraith coupe through the sinuous roads of the Austrian alps, an extremely unlikely place for any modern Rolls to be put the test.

The new model combines an almost 1970s hardtop roof with the most powerful engine ever fitted to a production car adorned with the flying lady, or “spirit of ecstasy” (a 465kW twin turbo V12).

The two-door, four-seat Wraith is hardly an out-and-out sports car, but can handle winding roads with aplomb partly because of a gearbox that can take its instructions from satellites.

Although that sounds like the stuff of science fiction, it is merely an ingenious linking of the navigation system with the sophisticated “self-learning” eight-speed ZF gearbox, via some clever software.
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“It is a nice, elegantly engineered technology because we don’t need any new parts,” says Wraith product manager Dr Philip Harnett, who came to the brand after many years with BMW in F1.

At this stage the gearbox won’t actively kick down as you approach a corner – though that would be possible in the future – but it has an uncanny ability to put you in the right gear when you come out of one.

The system comes into effect when a driver lifts his or her foot from the accelerator.

“We don’t want to take control away from the driver,” says Harnett.

“But say for example you’ve put your navigation destination in, alternatively you are going down the road and are turning onto a motorway entrance or exit, and you put your indicator on, alerting the system…

“If the car didn’t have satellite-aided transmission, it would probably be thinking, ‘now he’s taken his foot off the transmission, he’s probably reached touring speed, so I’ll shift up to the highest gear, reduce the revs, make everything nice and smooth and quiet’.

“But if it knows what you are going on to the slipway, it will keep you in that gear, maybe it will shift down a gear. You go around the corner and, when you want to accelerate onto the motorway, you are in exactly the right gear.”

That’s the theory, and the practice is remarkably on message: there is no hesitation, no searching for gears, no panicked kickdowns.

The box seems to know exactly what’s best for the situation, and is at its most impressive through sweeping curves. Austria, fortunately, does a good line in exactly those sorts of curve.

Gearbox aside, the Wraith takes most of its parts from the Ghost sedan (on which it is based), though with a power boost (45kW extra) and a completely different body with a lower roofline and wider rear track.

The wheelbase is shorter than the Ghost’s, but because of the long overhangs, the overall length is similar.

It is in the words of spokesman Richard Carter, “the Rolls-Royce with a little bit of noir, a bit of menace”.

Although it is the most sporting model yet, there are no gear change paddles. Rolls-Royce argues that at this level of luxury the car should choose the right gear as well as the correct suspension settings for the driver.

That may make the car a fraction slower point-to-point, though few will quibble with the acceleration: 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds.

This is a seriously quick car, with 800Nm of torque launching the big rear-driver with as much drama as you want from almost any speed.

There was a bit of wind noise around the top of the windows at expressway speeds, exaggerated perhaps because the engine, gearbox and everything thing else is so eerily quiet.

The engine only really makes itself heard under heavy acceleration, at which point it emits a pleasing roar.

The interior is as sumptuous as you’d expect, though all round visibility isn’t a strong point. Those thick A-pillars and simply monumental C-pillars often get in the way.

Many of the interior features such as the “open pore” wood panelling and vastly ungraded communications/entertainment system underscore that Rolls is looking for younger drivers with this car.

Grip levels are high with massive tyres and clever electronics. The steering proved a little too light in traffic but stiffened admirably during spirited driving.

The satellite-aided transmission was the most impressive new technology and it is easy to believe similar system will soon be widely used across the market.

Research began in the hybrid drivetrain division of Roll-Royce’s parent company BMW, as a possible way of letting the car decide on the most efficient places to switch between petrol and electric power.

Harnett became aware of it, and of its potential to improve what he describes as a Rolls-Royce’s “effortlessness” and “waftability”.

“We decided we were going to take this technology, develop it for Wraith and spearhead it for the BMW Group.”

Rolls-Royce isn’t quite the first to exploit the idea. Audi claims to have linked the satellite navigation and transmission on its latest A8 but has provided few details (there is no mention of it in the specifications on any official Audi website).

It is Mercedes-Benz trucks that have made the most extensive use, taking further advantage of the elevation details in some sat-nav systems to aid fuel economy. Harnett says that is a future possibility for Rolls-Royce too.

Until then though, our car used a healthy 18 litres per 100km in a mix of conditions.

The first Wraiths will be with customers in Australia in November.

Curiously, the price of $645,000 (including road costs) is the same as for the Ghost sedan despite the Wraith having a higher equipment level and a coupe body that would normally attract a Rolls-Royce-sized premium.

http://theage.drive.com.au/new-car-r...916-2ttk6.html

When they announced the technology behind this gearbox months ago I was a little skeptical but very curious to see how it would go. I'm impressed.