“It’s so quiet in here that I can hear my deepest thoughts,” I tell my driving partner as we’re barrelling down Niagara wine country in the new Rolls-Royce Spectre. There are no engine vibrations, no noise coming through the firewall, and no exhaust rumbling behind our ears. Only the tiniest whiff of tire squeal seeps through the thick layers of aluminum and cowhide as we cheekily launch it from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.

That’s because the Spectre is all-electric, a first for the brand, and the dawn of a new era. We’ve always believed Rolls-Royces to be the perfect platform for electrification. Cutting out the noisy attributes of a combustion engine adds to the brand’s focus on quietness, luxury, comfort, and the ability to gobble up miles without breaking a sweat, 420 kms on a full charge to be exact.

But it took me a while to digest and properly formulate my thoughts after driving the Spectre. It shouldn’t really make sense on paper: 23-inch wheels, a less-than-ideal aerodynamic shape, and the fact that it weighs as much as a small planet. Yet somehow the Spectre glides over broken and pothole-ridden roads with the grace of a ballerina, and it launches in a straight line without care for Newtonian physics.

The Spectre rides on the same platform as the Ghost and Cullinan, but it uses a slightly different suspension and features a superior level of torsion rigidity. As such, it neutralizes vertical oscillations better than any Rolls I’ve driven, and while road impacts still register in your cochlea, the physical vibrations are muted out so effectively that what’s actually passed through the filter is only one-hundredth of the magnitude. It still squats, pitches, and lurches with heavy throttle and steering inputs, but the Spectre contains its movements nicely.

And they haven’t tuned the power delivery to accelerate like a typical electric vehicle either. Where EVs typically operate like a light switch with on or off performance that is dispatched without delay, Rolls-Royce has tried to mimic the attributes of their twin-turbocharged V12 engines to ensure the Spectre drives exactly like their combustion carriages.

That means the 577 hp, 664 lb-ft, and all of its upscale electrons aren’t launched all at once when you floor the gas pedal. Instead, the 102 kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motors on each axle provide a gradual and progressive throttle map that will still propel you into your seatback but waft you forward with a sense of urgency rather than panic.

Does it actually feel like their V12 engines, though? It really does and Rolls-Royce is proud of the fact that many of its new owners forget they’re even driving an EV. The Spectre isn’t chasing lap times here. There is no Sport Mode or drive settings to configure the suspension firmness or the fake synthesized ‘exhaust’ noises. The Spectre keeps with the brand’s overarching theme of pleasure and relaxation. It’s more Nordic Spa than Tomorrowland.

A keen eye will speculate that the Spectre’s specs (I’ve been waiting ages to say that) are eerily similar to the BMW i7, and that’s because they use the same battery pack and architecture. But Rolls-Royce quotes that their battery pack is the newest and most upgraded version, and this iteration is not being used in any current BMW. We’re not sure how much of that is true but what we can say is that the Spectre handles well for such a substantially-sized coupe. The body rolls (roll credits, double pun intended) as predicted when leaning through corners, and you still feel the weight of it carving through the air but body and road control is exceptional, and the Spectre maintains stability during both low- and high-speed maneuvers.

It owes a lot to the rear-wheel steering system, now found in everything from the Mercedes-AMG C 43 to the Range Rover SV. But we‘d argue that the Spectre needs it more than most. Bestowed with the ability to rotate the rear wheels, what would typically require a three-point turn is now reduced to two. That’s not an exaggeration. The Spectre is incredibly easy to park and navigate through narrow streets, thanks to its feather-light steering, which ensures your biceps aren’t working overtime.

And once you’ve parked this stately carriage, you can whip open those backwards-hinged, power-operated doors, the largest ever fitted on a Rolls, and stand in awe of the commanding and bold silhouette. It looks absolutely mega wearing Morganite paint, an exclusive colour named after the peachy gemstone, but a two-tone spec works nicely as well. The Spectre is the spiritual successor to the Phantom Coupe, borrowing design cues such as the split headlights and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, which shine the way forward. Unlike other EVs that prioritize aerodynamic efficiency over form, Rolls-Royce has retained its iconic Pantheon grill, albeit with a closed-off panel positioned directly behind it. It’s the widest grill they have ever fitted onto a vehicle and 22 LEDs illuminate it at night.

I was able to drive the Spectre on empty back roads, unpaved dirt paths caked in rocks and gravel, and even sit in a two-hour-long traffic jam on the QEW coming back into the city from Niagara. Normally, I would become fidgety and begin pulling my hair out in bumper-to-bumper mayhem, but I was in a Rolls, and creeping along on the road at snail pace actually let me absorb and dissect the minute details of the interior.

The cabin is a familiar sight and an exercise in familiarity, following the footsteps of the Ghost. But debuting in the Spectre are the Starlight Doors. We’ve all seen the Starlight Headliner with its 1,340 dimmable fiber optic lights mimicking the night sky and even firing off a shooting star every few seconds. However, Rolls-Royce has now implemented even more of these lights into the door panel inserts to mimic illuminated stars. Of course, bespoke options are always available from the British brand, and customers can customize the ‘star’ arrangements to suit their preferences.

Also new is the ability to customize the center dial in the instrument cluster, much like in Porsches. And every interface is now digital – no more analog gauges in this era of Rollers. Every touchpoint is also ASMR-worthy, providing TikTok-worthy content of flicking the metal fan vents and operating the buttery-smooth organ pulls. The leather is soft and smells fresh, and the audio system makes my somewhat pedestrian Spotify playlist sound like a live concert.

Electric propulsion suits Rolls-Royce beautifully, and the Spectre is proof in the pudding that the future doesn’t lie with V12 engines. Although the method of propulsion has changed, the fundamentals and core assignment remain the same: to provide the most luxurious, comfortable, and prestigious mode of transportation to the one percent. Mission complete.

Specifications:

Model: 2023 Rolls-Royce Spectre
Paint Type: Morganite
Base Price: $495,600
Price as Tested: $609,415
Wheelbase(mm): 3,210
Length/Width/Height (mm): 5,475 / 2,017 / 1,573
Curb weight (kg): 2,890
Powertrain: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery, two electric motors
Horsepower: 584 hp
Torque: 664 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Engine & Drive Configuration: Front engine, AWD
Claimed Range:420 km
Tires: Pirelli P Zero; 255/40R23