Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II review: 2025 update with 'spectacular' sound wows jaded kids and hacks alike

With a new model on the driveway most weeks, it takes more than heated seats or some big alloys to turn the heads of my offspring. So how do you impress a child who arrived for her first day of school in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan?

How about treating her like a proper little princess and chauffeuring her to afternoon tea at one of Edinburgh’s poshest hotels in one of the world’s poshest cars?

Well it’s worth a shot, so with the keys to the newly updated Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, I ushered Child 3 and her well-deserving grandmother into the back and headed for Prestonfield House.

With the rear-hinged powered doors swinging silently closed at the press of a button, the first comment I hear is “look at the stars, Grandma”. The signature headliner with its fibre optic shooting stars made an impression the first time round and it’s still a stand-out talking point, no matter how many times you see it.

En route to our dining appointment my passengers set to exploring the Ghost’s multitude of luxury features. From the carpets deep enough to lose your shoes in to the reclining massage rear seats and the wood-encased screens that fold from the front seatbacks, there’s enough to wow even the most jaded nine-year-old.

It’s even enough to wow the most jaded of motoring hacks.

There’s a reason things are often referred to as “the Rolls-Royce of X”. It’s because Rolls-Royce really is a cut above anything else. From the driver’s seat every control is weighted and damped to perfection and only the highest quality materials will do. The Ghost’s interior blends new technology such as the 10.25-inch infotainment system with pleasingly traditional touches such as the organ stop vent controls and the Bakelite-style buttons.

The story goes that the prototype Ghost was so quiet that passengers felt unwell, so they had to engineer a little noise back in. Even still, right up to motorway speeds, the cabin remains virtually silent and you can hold a conversation with rear passengers, even though they feel like they’re half a postcode away.

What’s new?

All that was true of the Ghost when it launched back in 2020, but 2025 does bring some changes to keep things fresh. Interior updates have been subtle and are mostly limited to an even broader range of colours and materials. These include a new ‘Duality Twill’ that uses bamboo fibres to create a unique fabric. Our car, however, was finished in the fines Grace White leather with Charles Blue inserts. The glossy Palado veneer stood out in contrast to the creamy leather and helped create an airy yet cosseting environment.

Other outward clues to the car’s refresh are a new pattern on the illuminated fascia and a new clock cabinet. This features a tiny illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy and an analogue clock face, and feels like a minor misstep. While it might look right in the showier Phantom, it’s perhaps too chintzy for the cooler, younger Ghost.

Less obvious interior changes focus on technology and improving the user experience. The operating system has been updated and, like the Spectre, the digital instruments can now be colour matched to the car’s interior or exterior palette. Rear passengers can simultaneously connect two streaming devices to those fold-down screens, and there’s improved connectivity via an upgraded wifi hotspot and USB-C ports discreetly hidden in the centre console.

Our test car also featured a new Bespoke Audio system that uses ‘speakerless’ exciters bonded directly to the car’s starlight headliner to immerse occupants in sound. In operation it sounds truly spectacular. Although it still wasn’t enough to convince my passengers of the musical merits of Siouxsie and the Banshees.

There have been more obvious changes to the outside of the Ghost, although these too are tweaks rather than transformations.

The rigidly rectangular headlights have been restyled with a softer upturned shape that leads into the edge of the grille. The lower apron has also been remodelled to give a slightly softer edge and allow the iconic, illuminated Pantheon grille to stand out, without detracting from the ‘monolithic’ design aesthetic. At the rear, the horizontal tail lights have been replaced with vertical units which echo the style of the Spectre.

It’s all very subtle but adds up to a welcome freshness to this most understated of Rolls-Royce. Understatement is all relative, of course, and even in the grand settings of our destination this 5.5m-long behemoth turned heads and drew comment.

Rolls-Royce talks a lot about the updates allowing for customers to go even further with the Bespoke personalisation service. This is about letting buyers choose unique touches inside and out to show off their personalities. The marque estimates that an average Ghost owner will spend 10% of the car’s purchase price on Bespoke modifications.

As a result, when it comes to the 2025 update, there’s definitely an emphasis on image rather than mechanicals. In fact, the Ghost’s running gear and platform remains unchanged.

Driving the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II

That means the same silky smooth 6.75-litre V12 producing a healthy 563bhp and 627lb ft. Even in this massive machine that’s enough to get to 60mph in just 4.6 seconds. But in keeping with the Ghost’s understated design, that pace is delivered in a remarkably subtle way. Let the long-travel throttle sink into the carpet and there’s a muted but muscular woofle from the engine and you pick up pace remarkably quickly but smoothly, the eight-speed transmission shifting imperceptibly.

It’s powerful enough to humble many proper sports cars but controlled enough that you won’t upset any passengers. However, with my grateful passengers dropped off, I headed out to stretch the Ghost’s legs a bit. For a 2.5-tonne luxury limo it is surprisingly nimble and neat on twisting country roads. It never feels like an MX-5 but nor does it feel like a wallowing land yacht. The smart all-wheel-drive system marshalls the power neatly and rear-wheel-steering helps the Ghost tuck into corners like a car half its size. Added to that, the Flagbearer suspension system scans the road ahead and primes the planar suspension for any surface changes, so those on board enjoy that famous magic carpet ride, no matter the state of the road.

Dynamics duly assessed, it was back to collect my passengers and let them once again revel in the attention and theatrics that come with being picked up in a Rolls-Royce, and the silence and smoothness that comes with riding in one.

It also allowed me again to reflect on how well Rolls-Royce has managed to create a car that balances so many requirements. It meets the demands of its younger customer base, who want to drive themselves and put their own stamp on the car, while retaining all the luxury hallmarks for which the brand is famous.

So, was the little princess impressed? “Best day ever. Best car ever”.

What more endorsement do you need?