What's the difference?
The Australian market hasn’t truly revolved around a sedan since I was a kid. These days it’s all about SUVs, and anything low-slung is easy to overlook when it comes to family hauling. Add to that the current fixation on hybrid and electric powertrains, and a mid-size petrol sedan feels almost out of step.
And yet, here’s the MG7.
It’s a mid-size fastback with a turbo-petrol engine and just one trim level. Its sharp styling is matched by an even sharper price, and it doesn’t seem particularly concerned about not fitting the current mould.
It lines up against the Toyota Camry SL, Skoda Octavia Sportline and Hyundai Sonata N Line and raises an interesting question. Is this the sedan comeback nobody saw coming? And could it remind modern families why sedans were once king?
It’s finally happened: Rolls-Royce has become so divorced from the everyday world of common folk that it's no longer even sharing the previously agreed meanings of words. Rolls has its own meanings, possibly its own language, which must be spoken with a plum on the tongue.
They’ve been heading here for a while. For example, at Rolls, “affordable” means the car we're driving today, the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II, which is yours for just $680,000 (an indicative price, bumping to $800K for the Black Badge). And “iconic British marque” means, obviously, “BMW bought us in 2003, so there might be some German bits”.
It turns out that “driver-focused” means something different at Rolls-Royce, too. Thanks to a smattering of chassis innovations, Rolls says this updated 2025 Ghost is “the most driver-focused V12 Rolls-Royce ever”. Which is “a side of Ghost’s character that our clients increasingly and enthusiastically embrace”.
Don’t fall for it. The Ghost’s extra focus is not actually very focusy, and its additional dynamism is really only more dynamic in the way that a bed that could corner at all would be more dynamic than a normal bed. None of that matters.
The reason it doesn’t matter is because the Ghost Series II is wonderful. Indeed, it is very nearly perfect. Which is a word that even Rolls won’t quibble over.
In a world obsessed with SUVs and electric powertrains, a mid-size petrol sedan almost feels rebellious. But the MG7 kind of is. A sleek fastback with a turbocharged engine, a sporty edge and a price that makes you look twice - it’s a compelling combination. There are some drawbacks for families in efficiency and back-seat practicality but it's not a bad offering for those wanting something a bit more fun than an SUV.
In a disruptive era when the coachbuilder has pivoted to SUVs like the Cullinan, a sort of London black cab that’s been dipped in opulence, and succeeds despite itself, and the brand’s grand, million-dollar EV, the Spectre, the Ghost is a safe and familiar space.
A beautiful, long, broad, immaculate land boat. It’s a space Rolls inhabits with relish.
The Ghost Series II feels nothing like a track-day option when you’re behind the wheel. But it might do if you were stepping out of a Phantom. Or a Cullinan. Or a Wraith. Especially if you’re stepping out of the back doors.
It’s the perfect driver’s car. As long as all your other cars are also Rolls-Royces.