Rolls-Royce Dawn

The now-discontinued Rolls-Royce Dawn was launched to South African media in the Western Cape from 8 March 2016 as a new model, not a renamed Phantom Drophead Coupé. Rolls-Royce described it as a full four-seater and stressed that roughly 80 percent of its exterior body panels were unique rather than simply removing the roof from Wraith. A South African road test published in February 2018 confirms that Dawn remained locally relevant and records a 6.6-litre V12, 420 kW, 820 Nm, a 5.0-second 0-100 km/h time and POA price. Those figures align with the MY17 World technical sheet dated May 2016, so the MY17 configuration is used here instead of mixing in the earlier launch-release values of 5285 mm, 780 Nm, 4.9 seconds, 14.2 l/100km and 330 g/km. The MY17 sheet records 5295 mm length, 1947 mm width, 1502 mm height and a 3112 mm wheelbase. It confirms two doors and four seats, 1018 mm front headroom, 963 mm rear headroom, 1054 mm front legroom and 937 mm rear legroom. Fuel capacity is 82 litres, the compatible DIN base kerb mass is 2560 kg and gross vehicle weight is 3040 kg, yielding a same-definition payload of 480 kg. The separate EU unladen figure remains contextual rather than replacing the canonical kerb value. Boot capacity changes with roof position: the canonical normal-use value is the published 321 litres with the roof up, while the 260-litre roof-down figure remains important context for open-air touring. The 6592 cc twin-turbo direct-injection V12 produces 420 kW between 5250 and 6000 rpm and 820 Nm from 1600-4750 rpm. An 8HP95 eight-speed automatic with Satellite Aided Transmission and a 2.813 final drive manages the power. Official top speed is 250 km/h, acceleration is 5.0 seconds to 100 km/h, and EU6 combined consumption is 14.3 l/100km with 326 g/km CO2. The technical sheet also publishes a 575 km range. Standard tyres are 255/45 R20 at the front and 285/40 R20 at the rear, with run-flat capability removing the need for a spare wheel. Dawn's technology was designed to support relaxed open-air travel. Official material describes the Spirit of Ecstasy Rotary Controller with a touchpad rather than a touchscreen, a 10.25-inch high-definition display, navigation, Automatic Cruise Control, radar and camera inputs that precondition the brakes, adaptive LED headlights, glare-free high beam, daytime running lights, head-up display, heat detection for pedestrians and animals, and concealed rollover protection. The fabric roof is central to the buying decision. A road test should operate it repeatedly, check sealing and wind noise, and confirm that the roof-position luggage volumes suit the owner's touring needs. Leather, wood, individually commissioned colour combinations and four separate seats make Dawn more social than a conventional 2+2 convertible, but its 5295 mm length and high running costs still demand serious ownership planning.