First look: the new Rolls-Royce Ghost glides on to the world stage

The newest addition to the luxury marque has been unveiled, and it has all-new tech to boast about

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  The new Ghost has arrived. All photos courtesy Rolls-Royce

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  The Ghost is clearly a Rolls-Royce product from whatever angle you view it.

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  The Ghost has a distinctly futuristic edge.

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  No one in the rear seats is likely to be uncomfortable - or bored.

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  The Ghost is Rolls-Royce's most successful vehicle of all time.

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  Restrained luxury inside the cabin.

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  The monogrammed running board.

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  No untidy door handles there.

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  Neatness personified.

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  Rolls-Royce's signature starry cabin roof.

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  What drones flying overhead will see.

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  Smooth lines on the dashboard.

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  Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy figurine is a standard feature, of course.

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  Classy and simple on the instrument panel.

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  Looks all white to us.

Rolls-Royce has just pulled the covers off the new Ghost to much clamour from the luxury car community. General fanciness aside, the latest arrival is worth a second look for motoring enthusiasts unlikely to be potential customers, though, as the manufacturer says this is the most technologically advanced car the marque has ever produced.

The opulence is evidently still there, but the spec has been upgraded, with access to the cabin now being provided by power-operated doors. The car also has an upgraded infotainment system, and a host of new safety and driver assistance features.

Power-wise, it has a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, which will allow anyone behind the wheel to hit 100 kilometres per hour in about 4.6 seconds. It is also now blessed with an all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering system that is likely to further improve an already impossibly serene driving experience, as well as significantly upgraded suspension.

So far, so impressive, but this latest model has some sizeable tyre tracks to fill – its predecessor was the manufacturer’s most successful vehicle in its 116-year-history. Also bear in mind that the Ghost is Rolls-Royce’s entry-level model.

Company chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos speaks highly of the new arrival, perhaps unsurprisingly.

“It distills the pillars of our brand into a beautiful, minimalist, yet highly complex product that is perfectly in harmony with our Ghost clients’ needs and perfectly in tune with the times," he said.

With cars like this, they’re often coy about price, but a standard spec, previous generation Ghost costs in the region of Dh1,250,000. Nothing is ever standard spec with a Rolls-Royce, though, so the issue of what you could potentially spend will remain a mystery. Until you actually put an order in, of course.