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When you don’t just design luxury, you define it, your scant competition must work harder. As the years pass, Rolls Royce continues to develop its class-defining vehicles like those receiving the Black Badge trim.
Finding competitors for a vehicle in a class by itself becomes arduous. Few exist. Owning a Rolls Royce essentially amounts to owning the ultimate dream car, not for speed but for luxury.
The new Rolls Royce Black Badge vehicles provoke the same kinds of fantasies the Wraith and Ghost do. The one where your driver opens the door for you and apprises you of your plane flight status. It also sets to mind that one where you’re in formal attire about to hit the red carpet for some utterly fabulous event.
It’s a Rolls for heaven’s sake and business magnates and Hollywood stars tooled around in this venerated brand for decades. Every auto collector dreams of owning a Rolls and hiring the driver to go with it.
Although I typically provide you with a lengthy list of vehicles from which to choose an alternative, if you can’t nab one of Rolls’ four vehicles in the Black Badge trim, you’ll need to choose from a Bentley, an Aston Martin, a Mercedes, or a Lamborghini. Yes, the exotic luxury sedan, coupe, and SUV class really is that infinitesimal.
If I stretch it, you could also choose from a Tesla. One.
What makes the Rolls Royce line so special? Well, come on, for starters, it’s Rolls. Since 1904, this automaker poured its heart and soul into sleek, supple lines and signature shapes.
Let’s take the Wraith Black Badge as an example. Auto buyers simply expect a powerful engine like its 6.6 V12 to roar down the road. Shock would ensue if Rolls didn’t produce 624 horsepower that offers precise handling. The rear-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic transmission mean its handles like a racecar.
As a whole, we auto lovers forgive the ridiculous fuel efficiency that means we’d only get 10 miles per gallon in the city. It earns 22 on the highway.
The set of car buyers procuring these exotics expects an exorbitant base model price tag, in this case, $522,197. An exotic this exotic doesn’t come cheap. It does come in a sedan and a coupe – your choice.
You can nab it in a ton of cool colors, too. The electric blue vehicle in their ads grabs you and won’t let go. Perhaps Rolls looked at the Lambo catalog for too long but it modernizes them. Maybe that comes from their BMW influences.
Rolls promises performance and delivers with an engine that produces 630 horsepower and 416 pound-feet of torque. Your only driveline option – rear-wheel drive – will have to do. It flies from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. It features a top speed of 201.9 miles per hour (mph), but to make your vehicle road legal in the US, you’ll need the car shop to install a speed limiter so it can only reach 155 mph. In the US, manufacturers top out at 155 mph at the factory to keep in line with legal mandates.
Its SUV, the Cullinan performs similarly, going from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds. That’s pretty jaunty for a three-ton vehicle. It manages this with a 6.7-liter V-12 engine that produces 592 horsepower.
The sporty yet luxurious interior of the Wraith offers interior racing stripes, a vehicle information display above the shifter, and a bare-bones, futuristic driver’s display. Expect to fold yourself into this Rolls just as everyone does with every other Rolls. The manufacturer didn’t change its sleek, low-to-the-ground, futuristic design. Aerodynamic describes this beast. Also, for a trunk. This vehicle provides 1.34 cubic feet of cargo space. You won’t grocery shop in this, but who runs errands in a Rolls except Conor McGregor?
In 2021, Rolls Royce ramped up the colors for the exterior to 13. I’ll skip the full list of goofy names like Blu Cepheus and Nero Helene. Suffice it to say, you can nab this sports car in various shades of blue, green, yellow, white, black, metallic gray, red, and orange.
You’re probably drooling over this vehicle by now. Yet, the price tag or the tiny availability might stop you. You can find alternatives to Rolls Royce’s Black Badge lineup, however let us set you up for a tough search. Few manufacturers can rival the Rolls Royce name and reputation, but you can find more affordable vehicles that offer a similar design. Let us help you get started with a quick list of our favorites.
I know, you’re accustomed to us offering 10 or more alternatives in this section. In this segment of the automotive industry, they don’t exist. While we usually offer the three alternatives to a vehicle with text plus quick specs, then seven to 10 other options, we can’t with the Rolls Royce Black Badge lineup.
We could only locate four competing options that come close to rivaling it. At this level, once you combine exotics and top-level trims, you can typically expect less than ten, sometimes less than five options. For this article, we offer you the four alternatives we unearthed and an extended discussion of what makes Black Badge special.
1. Bentley Bentayga Speed
The Bentley Bentayga Speed offers a bargain compared to the Black Badge in price, starting at $158,600 for the base model. The second generation of Bentley Bentayga Speed hit showrooms in 2015 and continues to thrill car buyers. The Speed offers the high-end model of this exotic luxury SUV, while the automaker also offers a hybrid.
Why It’s Similar to the Black Badge
The Bentayga Speed offers a comparable option to the Cullinan Black Badge. The SUV offers a unique exterior design which some sources call polarizing. The Speed updates this exterior in its 2023 models, losing much of its hard edges and smoothing out its curves. The gas mileage of 12 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway offers comparable fuel efficiency. The Bentayga offers luxurious appointments, but unlike the Rolls, it doesn’t invite you to visit its manufacturing plant to personally plan your vehicle.
Vehicle Design Observations
This roomy SUV offers a powerful 6.0-liter V12 engine capable of 626 horsepower and 664-pound feet of torque. Other trims in the Bentayga line offer smaller engines. The Speed comes with an all-wheel-drive driveline and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Bentley accelerates from 0 to 60 slightly slower than the Cullinan Black Badge at 5.2 seconds. You can seat five in this Bentley and the trunk on this car gives you a little less room with 17 cubic feet of cargo space, ranging up to 62.6 with the seats folded. That’s close to the Cullinan’s 19.78 cubic feet with all of the seats in use or 68.15 with the seats folded down.
The Speed offers the top trim of the Bentayga lineup. Its other three trims offer less luxury and power, but some might make more sense for car buyers. Its hybrid option provides a 15-mile battery that offers you essentially an extra gallon of gas to get where you need to go. The other three trims cost far less, too. They all fall into the 100K and change range.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 5.2 seconds
Horsepower: 626 hp
Torque: 664 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $158,600; $259,400 (Speed)
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 12 mpg in the city/18 mpg on the highway
Towing Capacity: 7,716 pounds
2. Lamborghini Urus
When looking for an alternative to the Wraith Black Badge, you can bargain shop at Lamborghini. Its Urus starts at just $225,500, making it a quarter of a million dollars less for the base model. Even its Graphite Capsule model doesn’t cost as much as the Rolls at $249,400. It offers a less powerful engine but doesn’t improve fuel efficiency. Choosing this alternative puts you in a Lambo, known for speed, rather than a Rolls known for luxury appointments. 12 Cars Similar to Lamborghini Urus
Why It’s Similar to the Black Badge
This sedan or SUV, your choice, earns an abysmal 12 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway. It seats five individuals and devotes itself to luxury and style. Like the Wraith Black Badge, it comes in an eight-speed automatic.
Vehicle Design Observations
This Lamb offers a family car from a manufacturer best known for sporty coupes that outrun the cops. It offers AWD whereas the Rolls offers rear-wheel-drive. That means it offers better handling theoretically. Although it features a smaller, 4-liter, V8 engine than the Rolls, that engine produces 641 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque.
The Urus accelerates from 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds and produces a quarter mile time of 11.3 seconds. Capable of a top speed of 190 mph, you’d probably have to install a speed limiter on this model, too, to make it legal in some US states.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 3.1 seconds
Horsepower: 641 hp
Torque: 626 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $225,500
Seating Capacity: Four or Five
Fuel Efficiency: 12 mpg in the city/17 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 7,000 pounds
3. Aston Martin DBX
Aston Martin also skipped the super-duper, souped-up engine that Rolls chose. It uses a 4.0-liter, V8 in its luxurious five-seater crossover. The Astie also offers a bargain compared to the Rolls with a starting price tag of only $185,900.
Why It’s Similar to The Black Badge
Its interior offers styling you could live in with supple leathers and cozy seating made for touring. It offers close to the same gas mileage, but slightly better. Driving this, your vehicle would earn 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. Evidently, luxury car makers don’t care about fuel efficiency or the environment.
Vehicle Design Observations
The DBX might use a 4.0-liter, V8 engine, but it produces like a larger engine. The vehicle capably produces 542 horsepower and torque of 516 pound-feet. Paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, expect superior handling from this little crossover.
The DBX beats all the competition when it comes to cargo space. Even with five people in the seats, the Aston Martin offers a cargo area of 22.5 cubic feet. That means families can grocery shop together. If you shop alone, folding down the seats carves out a roomy 54 cubic feet of space.
This option offers the most infotainment appointments with a 10.25-inch central infotainment display and a 12.3-inch driver information display. You won’t find Android support, but the vehicle does come with Apple CarPlay. Rounding out the entertainment, the vehicle comes with Sirius XM and Bluetooth.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 4.3 seconds
Horsepower: 542 hp
Torque: 516 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $185,900
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 15 mpg in the city/20 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 5,940 pounds
4. Mercedes-Benz Maybach S 580 4MATIC
The Maybach from Mercedes-Benz offers a mild hybrid sedan that seats the same number of individuals and lends itself to the most luxurious experience possible. Of all of the opulent level vehicles, it manages the best fuel efficiency, offering 15 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
Why It’s Similar to The Black Badge
Benz specializes in opulence. It offers the German alternative to the English Rolls. Its quirky features include heated massage and a color-lighted dash in your choice of color. You can go for that spa experience with its aromatherapy option.
Vehicle Design Observations
The 4.0-liter V8 Biturbo engine with a mild hybrid drive produces 496 horsepower and 516-pound feet of torque. At this level of auto, you never get a choice in transmission or driveline. You get what they give you and this manufacturer gives you a nine-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive driveline.
Benz loses a little speed and acceleration to provide better fuel efficiency. The Maybach goes from 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds. But it offers the necessary cargo capacity for grocery shopping. If you still run your own errands, you can haul 12.5 cubic feet worth of shopping fun in this cargo space. Mercedes offers an array of colors in the Maybach S but not the quirky colors of a Lambo nor the sedate ones of the typical Rolls.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 4.7 seconds
Horsepower: 496 hp
Torque: 516 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $184,900
Seating Capacity: Four or Five
Fuel Efficiency: 15 mpg in the city/24 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 5,940 pounds
The Upshot of Shopping Exotics
When you choose the pinnacle of luxury in a vehicle, you limit your choices. In the case of wanting to still drive a gas-powered vehicle, you afford yourself only four options. Developing a willingness to transition to electric vehicles opens up new options, including the Tesla Model S and its Model X.
With an X, your vehicle would earn 107 eMPG in the city and 97 eMPG on the highway. The powerful electric engine would accelerate from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. You lose some color options, and a Tesla does design a more austere interior, but you can still haul a whole family and groceries.