I took a $400,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible on a road trip through New Jersey — here's what it was like

Rolls Royce Dawn 29

Business Insider took a Rolls-Royce Dawn on a road trip through New Jersey.
The Dawn convertible shares a platform with the Ghost sedan and Wraith Coupe.
We were blown away by Dawn's power, smoothness, and unique driving experience.

Over the past 15 years, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a company with more than a century's worth of heritage and brand equity, has completely reinvented itself under BMW ownership. This reinvention was not conducted in a way that abandons tradition — because that would be foolish— but rather by embracing it while injecting a heavy dose of modernity.

In other words, rather than slapping the brand's badge on a run-of-the-mill luxury car, they decided to build honest-to-God Rolls-Royce motor cars with the latest chassis, engine, and infotainment technology money can buy.

First, there was the flagship Phantom limo. Then came the "entry-level" Ghost sedan. That was followed by Wraith coupe. Now, with the arrival of the Dawn, it's safe to say the Rolls-Royce revolution is complete.

Rolls-Royce dropped off a brand new Dawn for Business Insider to check out at our top secret suburban New Jersey road test facility — the nerve center of our vast vehicle evaluation operation. Otherwise known as my colleague Matt DeBord's driveway.

Obviously, this was the perfect opportunity for a weekend drive through the wilds of New Jersey.

The Rolls-Royce Dawn starts at a lofty $335,000. However, our option-laden test car clad in Midnight Sapphire and Blue Ice livery cost a whopping $402,675.

Hollis Johnson contributed to this story.

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