The Arizona desert is not the landscape usually associated with Rolls-Royce cars, but it turns out it's a great place to put one to the test.
Last week, I made the cross-country trek to get behind the wheel of the Wraith, the sleek coupe that also happens to be the most powerful car ever to come from the ultra-luxury brand.
It was wonderful.
But for all its excellent, effortless performance, the Wraith is a bit alienating. There's no option to change gears yourself, no Sport mode you can select to ramp up the RPM and hear it roar. The car uses GPS to select gears before hitting hard turns, so you never feel the engine at work.
Once you accept that even behind the wheel, you're kind of a passenger, you'll love the Wraith.
The V12 engine sends you from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. You close the doors via buttons. Fancy umbrellas pop out of surprising places. The roof emulates a star-filled sky. You can propel yourself down a desert highway and feel like you're on your couch.
The Wraith starts for $284,900; the car we drove runs for $372,324.
Full Disclosure: Rolls-Royce paid for our travel and lodging expenses to drive the Wraith.
The Wraith coupe is designed for those who want to drive, not be driven. Rolls-Royce disdains the word "sporty," but Director of Global Communications Richard Carter says "it's a car for crossing continents."
The "radical" fastback-style roof is reminiscent of a 1960s Mustang, but with a classy touch. The car looks fantastic in profile.
To evoke the speed of the Wraith, Rolls-Royce tilted the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament forward by four degrees.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider