Road Test: Rolls-Royce Phantom
Only Rolls-Royce can get away with claiming they make the best car in the world, but does the Phantom live up to expectation?
WORDS: Mark Rose | PHOTOS: Dom Ginn
Recent estimates from cosmologists suggest that there are up to two trillion galaxies in our observable universe, and that ours alone holds up to four-hundred billion stars within its gravitational influence. Assuming our Milky Way is quite typical, a rough calculation shows that there are potentially 800 sextillion stars in the section of the universe we can actually view. For context, a sextillion is the number 1 followed by 21 zeros. Much like the vastness of intergalactic space, that number is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, that doesn’t stop the star gazers among us from looking up to the heavens on a clear night and allowing ourselves to become lost in the awe-inspiring beauty of it all. In those moments, you simply live. After enough time you begin to ponder life’s deepest questions, and even though the stars never reveal any useful answers, you realise that the longer you stare, the more of them you see. It’s one of life’s purest experiences, and it brings true meaning to the phrase ‘out of this world.’
The starlight headliner in the Rolls-Royce Phantom is a system that commands its own gravitational effect. Each one is worked on for up to nine hours by two craftspeople who perforate the leather with more than 800 holes, and then fit each perforation with a fibre optic strand at varying depths and angles. Every constellation is bespoke, with each owner given the freedom to commission whatever design they please. The full beauty of the headliner is best appreciated at night from the rear bench. With the curtains drawn and your seat reclined, you can’t help but look up in awe. It’s like having your own slice of the cosmos complete with shooting stars right above your head. It’s breathtaking.
Rolls-Royce is fully aware that many owners will spend a considerable amount of time being driven, something that’s evident from the moment you pull open the coach doors and sink in to one of the rear seats. The uncompromised approach to ultimate passenger comfort almost makes the Phantom a car of two halves, not that the driver ever feels short changed, but it’s clear that real attention to detail has gone in to making sure the rear occupants are receiving an unadulterated luxury experience.
The leather in a Rolls is of the finest quality, with the craftspeople at Goodwood opting to use Bull hides as the material is less prone to imperfections. If marks are found on any of the hides then the offending piece is discarded entirely. There are multiple trim materials available, but the piano black veneer in our test car complimented the exterior matte black finish perfectly, and also reflected the lights from the headliner which added further ambiance to the cabin. Nearly every single thing you touch and feel is made by the world’s best craftsmen and women, and if there are any carry over parts from parent company BMW, then Rolls-Royce do a superb job of rebranding them.
The most obvious item to be flown in from Munich is the infotainment system. It may be a rebranded item, but anyone who’s fiddled with iDrive previously will recognise it in an instant. Rolls Royce’s relationship with in car tech is interesting. You would think that a manufacturer obsessed with creating a bespoke luxury experience would pioneer its own infotainment system, and maybe sometime in the future they will, but its current deal with BMW is telling. Rolls-Royce clearly feels that excessive amounts of tech do not make for a true premium experience, and they’re absolutely correct. The best things in life are often the simplest, and to overcrowd an interior with huge screens and overcomplicate them with a glut of menu options simply detracts from the manufacturer’s single-minded approach to luxury.
Again, attention has been paid to the things that capture the senses. The ‘Bespoke Audio’ is a sound system that’s integrated in to the car’s architecture, effectively making the Phantom itself a subwoofer. There are 18 speakers on board with a combined 1,300-watt output, and two active microphones in the cabin which enable an adaptive function which detects changes in frequencies. The aim was to integrate studio quality audio in to the car, and even though I don’t know what studio quality audio sounds like, I will say that Bespoke Audio is the finest in car sound system I’ve ever heard.
The sensory delights do not stop there. Massage functions and heated seats may seem like par for the course in any luxury vehicle, but here they come with multiple settings for intensity and are some of the best in any car. There’s shagpile carpet and elevating footrests for your feet, as well as leather trimmed vanity mirrors that can be pulled down from the starlight headliner. Like to watch films or TV on the move? Then you can option a Rear Theatre Configuration which integrates TV screens in with the rear tray tables, all of which can be operated from a secondary control panel in the central armrest. The best feature, second only to the headliner, are the rear curtains. Not only can you have them for the side windows, but they also cover the rear window for ultimate in car privacy. Traveling in the back of a Rolls-Royce at night, with the stars twinkling above you, the curtains closed and your favourite music pumping from the Bespoke Audio is an unrivalled automotive experience. It’s like living in your very own sphere, protected from the outside world and all its problems. It offers you a safe haven, a chance to enjoy living in the moment or to quietly reflect on how life led you to the back seat of a Phantom.
In the front seat you benefit from a commanding driving position. The car isn’t just long and wide, it’s also exceedingly tall for a limo. It’s a car that encourages you to set the seat high and upright, so you can observe the Spirit of Ecstasy as it parts the air. To watch the Flying Lady waft effortlessly ahead of you is one of motoring’s great privileges and is reason enough for you to relieve your driver of their duties and take the helm yourself.
Should you decide to allow your chauffeur a day off, you’ll be pleased to discover the Phantom offers a truly unique driving experience. Rumour has it that somewhere in Goodwood is a swear jar with a minimum £100 fine for any Rolls-Royce employee who dares utter the word “sporty.” Fortunately, this resentment towards dynamism has not come at the expense of straight line performance. The engine is a gargantuan 6.75 litre twin-turbocharged V12 with 563bhp and a 664lb ft. The car may weigh 2,560kg at the kerb, but it will still accelerate from rest to 62mph in 4.9 seconds and top out at its 155mph limiter. If you come up against one on the outside lane of a motorway, challenge it at your peril. There’s more than enough performance to show you who the company CEO is.
To the country lanes, and you might be shocked to hear that it handles far more competently than you would expect, certainly when it comes to body management. Don’t misunderstand me, it is absolutely not a car for hustling along the B-road that leads to your country estate, but the active anti-roll bars do a fine job of keeping the Phantom upright. Every touch point you use to control the car is calibrated for smooth and silky driving, and never do you find the urge to drive it in a way that’s out of character. The steering is lighter than moon dust, the brake pedal has eons of travel, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox does not come with paddles.
There is an entire suite of mechanical and electronical aids to ensure the Rolls doesn’t abstain from its reputation as the most luxurious car on sale. Such systems include self-levelling air springs which can detect movement within the cabin and balance off the suspension accordingly. The suspension is also linked to a windscreen mounted camera which scans the road ahead of you to pre-empt changes in the surface and then adjust the spring and damper rates for uninterrupted ride quality. The ZF automatic gearbox is linked to a GPS which takes in to consideration the car’s speed and location to ensure you’re in the correct gear for the approaching corner. Rolls-Royce has also worked with Continental to co-develop a unique “Silent-Seal” tyre which uses a layer of foam within the tyre cavity to reduce sound levels by a further nine decibels in the cabin. Whether you’re driving or being driven, the Phantom is unparalleled in its ability to separate you from the outside world.
The majesty with which it glides over any road surface redefines the meaning of ride quality, and the accompanying silence only amplifies the refinement. Up front you’ll notice some wind noise – after all, it isn’t the most aerodynamically efficient car on sale – but in the back you hear none of it. In truth, ninety per cent of what you drive over goes unnoticed and the remaining ten makes its way through as nothing but a small rumble. You would have to be travelling over a truly awful piece of road to be bothered.
There is one small caveat and that concerns low speed manoeuvrability. At 18.9 ft long and 6.6 ft wide, the Phantom takes up a huge amount of space which makes parking and turning in the road somewhat of an ordeal. Even with the rear wheel steering, it transforms simple manoeuvres in to multi-point turns and the vast majority of parking spaces don’t accommodate its considerable length. Oddly enough, however, once you get used to the proportions it becomes easy to thread between parked cars and small city streets, mainly because the aforementioned rear wheel steering offers it a surprising amount of agility. Just keep in mind though, it is still a very large car and requires you to have some level of spatial awareness.
Something else you become aware of is people’s reactions to the Phantom. To describe it as imposing would be an understatement. Some would argue that it’s imperious in its demeanour. Whatever you think of the appearance, it clearly has an unrivalled presence, an opulence, an aura that causes people to gravitate towards it. I’m no stranger to cars that command attention, but onlookers gaze at a Phantom as if they’re star struck.
Before we discuss price, it’s worth considering the time, quality and workmanship that goes in to building a car of this calibre. Some automobiles, despite their brilliance, struggle to justify their price tag for various reasons, but not so here. If you can afford a Phantom and you want to buy it, then you should do so. And while the cost of one doesn’t come anywhere close to the number of stars in our observable universe, it does start from a point that most people would consider unreachable. It’s £369,000 before options. Our test car came in at just over half a million pounds. An eye-watering amount of money, perhaps, but Rolls-Royce is a manufacturer that will pay you back with an automotive experience that is arguably priceless. They will build you a car that you will own and eventually sell like any other vehicle, but it will be a car that you’ll love until the end of time. Not only is the Rolls-Royce Phantom completely and utterly out of this world, it’s also the best car in the world.
Engine: V12, twin-turbo
Displacement: 6,749cc
Power: 563bhp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 664lb ft @ 1,650rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto, RWD
0-62mph: 4.9 secs
VMAX: 155mph
Kerbweight: 2,560kg
Price: £369,000+ (£508,000 as tested)
Technical Specifications
If you ever find yourself with the means to purchase a Rolls-Royce Phantom, then you should. It is the best car in the world, bar none.
10/10
Verdict & Rating
“To watch the Flying Lady waft effortlessly ahead of you is one of motoring’s great privileges”
