How Luxury Rolls in 2015
As features once restricted to the most expensive vehicles trickle into the mainstream, top-shelf brands are finding new ways to
2015 ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH
MSRP: $294,025
MPG: 13 city/21 hwy
The amount of global wealth created this century has prompted automakers to create the kinds of extreme vehicles not seen for generations. So it’s only fitting that Rolls-Royce reintroduce the Wraith name.
Created in the years just before World War Two, the stunning Wraith running chassis was supplied to independent coachbuilders such as De Villars to customize one-of-a-kind vehicles. In contrast, today’s Rolls-Royce utilizes underpinnings and basic electronic and mechanical architecture from parent BMW, yet drapes a stunningly unique fastback shape over these components.
The result looks like nothing else on the road; at over 17 feet long, it’s sized like an SUV, giving it incredible presence. Yet its two rear-hinged, powered doors and sleekly styled flanks convey the very essence of understated luxury that newer, more extroverted pretenders to the crown must play in order to stand apart.
Nor does the Wraith’s interior resemble anything on the market. The glory of England’s coachbuilding tradition reveals itself in stunning swathes of precious woods, hand-rubbed and inlaid to perfection, ensconced within the grasp of perfectly tanned hides. Many of the Wraith’s interior shapes are very architectural; the door panels stand out for the delightful interplay between materials, colors and trapezoidal shapes.
Effortless speed is essential to such automobiles, and here the Rolls enjoys the development dollars and literal lifetimes of performance man-hours that have made BMW such an icon. Whereas the 1939 model topped out at 85 mph, this one maxes at 155. Its turbo, 6.5-liter V-12 produces instant low-end torque, peaking at 590lb-ft at only 1500 rpm. Coupled with the power of 624 horses, the 5,500-pound Wraith jets from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds.
Though you barely feel it. This turbine-smooth mill and its satellite-controlled eight-speed automatic transmission (GPS tells it to prepare gears for hills, etc) define effortless. The Wraith’s suspension comprises air springs, computer controlled dampers and active antiroll bars. It ties down the 2.5-ton body for spirited driving, yet stays focused on its mission of providing an immaculate ride, free from the kind of impact harshness that usually accompanies low-profile tires. It serenely masters downtrodden pavement with appropriate distain; the steering telegraphs this mien clearly: fingertip-light yet super-accurate, it sets the tone for how one should proceed yet dispatches great distances with alacrity.
These ingredients blend together in such a harmonious way that the entire experience of Rolls-Royce motoring becomes almost otherworldly. Like a Tibetan monk trying to explain satori to a neophyte, there’s more than a hint of the ineffable about driving the Wraith. And like a direct apparition of nirvana, it is something only a select, fortunate few will experience.
2015 BMW X6M
MSRP: $102,100
MPG: 14 city/19 hwy
One of the myriad examples of modern automotive luxury is the aggressively OTT SUV (the over-the-top sport utility vehicle). Gaping maws, bluff front ends and serious footwear are de rigueur with these machines, which are incredibly popular not just stateside but in the New Worlds of consumerdom: China, Russia and the Middle East.
BMW has obviously cracked the code with the X6, and this second generation version, at least in M form, makes a strong case as the baddest biggie on any block.
The X6M certainly looks the part; the artful and aggressive front fascia incorporates functional grills and slats, while four big exhaust pipes poke out the back. The fl ared fender forms are properly filled with monstrously gorgeous split-spoke 21-inch wheels and, at 325mm cross-section, seriously wide rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
Inside the already lovely X5/6 interior sports bespoke gauges, a very tactile Alcantara headliner, artfully stitched leather and deeply lacquered carbon fiber trim. The cosseting front seats are also unique to the M version.
In this market space, where luxury means not just quietness and a good ride, but also staggering performance, the X6M excels. It absorbs bumps very well for its size and weight, thanks to the excellent tuning of bushings, the adroitness of the adjustable dampers and the use of non-runflat tires. Within the confines dictated by its size and mass, it lives up the dynamic standards we have routinely come to associate with M “cars.” It has terrific body control, with little fore-aft pitching and almost no body roll, even in the suspension’s softest setting.
While the steering isn’t overly endowed with feel, it is extremely accurate. A rear-biased AWD system means this behemoth exhibits very low levels of under-steer, and the pizza-sized brake rotors and six-pot front fixed calipers give the BMW startling prowess.
If the “good life” means being able to blow by a punk in a Mustang GT, then the X6M is your ride. Its updated twin-turbo 4. 4-liter V8 now pumps out 567 horses and 550lb-ft of twist, endowing this 5300-pounder with sub-four-second 0-60 mph potential and a scary-sounding 174 mph top end.
The soundtrack is bass-heavy, punctuated by overrun crackles and pops as the eight-speed auto simulates the twin-clutch gearboxes. The X6M is just about the most in-your-face SUV on the market right now. This BMW is designed to thrill, indulge and delight its driver and occupants, while never leaving its owner’s values in doubt.
