Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge 2017 Review

It’s a Rolls-Royce, Jim, but not as we know it. Say hello to the Darth Vader of Rollers (apologies to fans of Star Trek and Star Wars for mixing these two metaphors).

The Wraith Black Badge is billed as the most dynamic, engaging and potent Rolls-Royce to date, serving up more grunt, cornering prowess and visual menace than any model to date wearing the Spirit of Ecstasy on its imperious snout.

Rolls-Royce’s own blurb is suitably flowery in its description of who the car is pitched at: “Black Badge... appeals to those people who are elusive and defiant, the risk takers and disruptors who break the rules and laugh in the face of convention.

"They are driven by a restless spirit. They play hard and they change the world. Technically and aesthetically Black Badge is the alter ego of Rolls-Royce, darker, more assertive, more confident and powerful, and more demanding.”

Er, yes, quite…

The standard Wraith was already the most muscle-bound model in the Rolls line-up with its 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 tuned to eke out 465kW and a stump-pulling 800Nm, but for the badass Black Badge the latter quota has been hiked by 70 Newtons to ensure the 2.5-tonne coupe proceeds with an even greater sense of urgency.

Rolls-Royce quotes a 0-100km/h split of 4.5sec, which is undeniably quick for any 2440kg device, and the Black Badge feels every bit this quick in the real world, although its acceleration is unfurled with such velvety smoothness that it’s a bit like being in an Airbus A380 in take-off mode.

Throttle mapping has also been tweaked for sharper response than the easy-does-it standard model, and likewise the ZF eight-speed auto, which upshifts between 300 and 500rpm higher in the rev range once you get past quarter-throttle. When you’re going flat out – or close to it – the transmission holds each gear until 6000rpm before changing up.

The auto is also quicker to downshift when you’re decelerating or braking, which is handy on twisty roads as there are no paddleshifts (these are considered far too gauche for a Rolls-Royce) with which to manually take charge of the eight-speeder.

Prod the twin-turbo motor with a stab on the gas and your ears are greeted by an entirely unfamiliar noise for a Rolls-Royce. Unlike mainstream Rollers, in which the sound of the V12 is muffled down to a distant thrum, the Wraith has a distinct growl to it, and a by no means pleasant one at that.

That said, the Black Badge is whisper-quiet at a steady cruise and light throttle loads, making for a level of refinement that’s unmatched in anything else – Bentleys included.

In keeping with its more dynamic job description (Rolls-Royce execs studiously avoid using the word “sporty” in relation to the car), the Wraith Black Badge also gains uprated air suspension that keeps the car flatter under hard cornering.

However, this seems to have been achieved without compromising the lovely magic-carpet ride quality of the standard offering, and the only other car that comes close in terms of cossetting its occupants is a Mercedes S-Class equipped with the clever Magic Body Control tech.

Our test route included a variety of mountainous roads in the harsh, rocky environs of Ras Al Khaimah, in the northern tip of the United Arab Emirates, and the Wraith tackled it all with more pace and poise than might have been expected from a 5.3m long behemoth that weighs as almost as much as two Toyota Corolla hatchbacks.

There’s noticeably better body control and higher grip levels than the standard car – and if you want proof of this, check out the YouTube vid of racer Justin Law manhandling the Black Badge up the hill at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. He clocked the fifth-fastest time for road cars.

Of course, you can only cheat physics to a point, and if you really lean on the Black Badge across the twisties you’ll encounter body roll and some front-end push, although it never gets ragged or untidy. The hefty Roller approaches its limits with great progressiveness and predictability. Steering feel, too, is much meatier and feedback-laden than is the case in the donor car.

The brakes obviously have their work cut out in hauling up this juggernaut, despite the fact the diameter of the front discs has been increased by an inch for the Black Badge models. Even so, they were getting a bit hot and bothered after a sustained trash through the Ras Al Khaimah mountains.

However, the fact is, not many owners are likely to pilot their Wraiths with such vigour. Black Badges are far more likely to be found cruising sedately down the boulevards of Monaco, Las Vegas or Vaucluse, and in these settings they’re likely to impress onlookers with their blacked-out bling – which, of course, is exactly what their prospective owners want.

The train-spotters among the gawkers will pick up on the (gasp) black Spirit of Ecstasy figurine on the prow, while other traditionally chrome elements such as the grille surround, bootlid finisher, lower air inlet trim and exhaust pipe tips are also finished gloss-black. Meanwhile, the RR badges on the grille, flanks and rump of the car have also been inverted to silver on black, in lieu of the standard car’s black on silver.

The bespoke 21-inch rims are an elaborate amalgam of alloy and carbon-fibre (22 layers of it, allegedly), laid in three axes.

Our test car’s cabin was swathed in a leather-trim combo comprising black and a rather loud shade of cobalt blue. Incidentally, the hide is apparently sourced from Bavarian bulls (these obviously don’t get pregnant and therefore don’t have stretch marks). There is also no barbed wire or mosquitoes in these lofty Bavarian climes, so said bovines’ skin remains unmarked.

One of the dash trims available in the Black Badge (and duly fitted to our car) is a ‘technical weave’ that’s a complex and unusual composite featuring strands of aluminium and carbon-fibre. It’s an eye-catching finish, but in case this isn’t to your taste, you can instead order standard piano-black trim.

There’s no doubt many of those who buy the Black Badge will be doing so for no other reason than its anticipated rarity and novelty value. But rather than taking delivery of a vehicle that’s the result of a superficial tart-up, Wraith Black Badge buyers stand to own a car with genuine substance.

It’s a capable uber-luxury coupe, and quite enjoyable to drive – all 5.3 metres and 2.5 tonnes of it.

Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge pricing and specifications:
Price: $720,000 (est)
Engine: 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12
Output: 465kW/870Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption: 14.6L/100km
CO2: 333g/km
Safety rating: N/A

Related reading: