Rolls-Royce Dawn Review 2016
Test Drive

Rolls-Royce Dawn Review 2016

A luxury long-distance convertible that's as quiet as its indoor brethren.

When you are a Rolls-Royce, you can choose anywhere in the world to start your car.

To launch the $750,000 Dawn Convertible, Rolls chose South Africa, the car theft capital of the world.

The secret to not rolling behind the wheel is to stay off the radar, glide silently and avoid attention.

It's a little tricky when our fleet of seven cars, totaling $5.5 million, is cruising Cape Town with their roofs down and not-so-sleek silver and black RR license plates.

This confuses at least one police officer who stops a colleague to find out about the lack of license plates. A formal letter carefully crafted by Rolls confirms that we have permission.

Admittedly, Cape Town is safer than the capital city of Johannesburg, but we are still warned to keep our bags and personal belongings in a locked trunk, not in the car.

I also know from reliable sources that plainclothes guards, driving unmarked vehicles ranging from old Volkswagens to modern family hacks, silently follow our convoy if street vendors or undesirables dare approach.

It's not often that Rolls-Royce releases a new model, so the Dawn was eagerly awaited by the entire company. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös is joining us from the UK and BMW's Peter Schwarzenbauer, Director of Rolls-Royce, is arriving from headquarters in Munich.

The Dawn is based on the Wraith fastback, which was a breakaway model and was the most driver-focused car in years with a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine from BMW and an eight-speed GPS-guided automatic transmission.

This has not changed for the convertible top. The 420 kW/780 Nm power output accelerates it from 100 to 4.9 km/h in 250 seconds and then to a variable speed of XNUMX km/h.

However, the Dawn is more than a stripped down Wraith as 70 percent of its body panels are new. The grille was recessed further and the front bumper lengthened by 53mm. Rolls says only the doors and rear bumper remain from the Wraith.

The convertible's lines are also more curved, giving its profile a pronounced nose-forward, wedge-shaped look with the tail above the nose - unlike all other models in the Rolls-Royce portfolio.

The company says it has worked hard to make sure the Dawn is as smooth and quiet as the Wraith, Ghost or Phantom despite not having a fixed roof. I can attest that it is eerily quiet inside even under a sudden downpour.

The conversation continues despite heavy rain falling on the fabric hood, confirming the manufacturer's claim that this is the quietest convertible on the market. The roof retracts in 21 seconds and operates at speeds up to 50 km/h.

Even with strong winds during our trip, the Dawn never feels vulnerable. Our 180cm rear passenger has more than enough legroom and headroom with the roof up in over 80 minutes to convince me this is a true long-haul backpacker for four adults.

It may be the brainchild of the Rolls fleet, but it's a big car and you can feel it from behind the wheel.

However, it is incredibly flat and collected when turned on. It looks more like a big modern grand tourer than a Rolls, allowing you to drive quickly even on shaky secondary roads.

The surge of power is incredible, like a silent tidal wave. At idle, it's like an electric car - you can't hear anything.

The surge of power is incredible, like a silent tidal wave.

Push it up the mountain roads, though, and the air suspension and GPS-enabled gearbox make progress fast.

Brake before a corner and the gearbox will predict what gear you'll need on the way out. It takes into account turn, approach speed, and other inputs such as steering angle, brake pressure, and throttle position.

This means there is no real need for transmission modes (sport or comfort) that you find on other cars.

The air springs, anti-roll bars and even the rear wheel spacing have been changed from the Wraith to accommodate the extra 250kg.

Priced about 20 percent more than the Wraith, it's almost in Phantom territory, which ensures it remains one of the most exclusive vehicles with the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot on the hood.

Click here for more information on Rolls-Royce Dawn pricing and specifications.

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