A quick look at the Rolls Royce Phantom

Rolls-Royce is a company like no other. It’s one of the most widely-recognized, prestigious and powerful nameplates in the world. And the Phantom is the flagship of this uber-luxury British carmaker’s fleet, making its debut with the Series I way back in 1925. Today, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is in its eighth generation of chauffeuring the extremely affluent and the top one percent. Built upon the aptly named “Architecture of Luxury” platform, the latest in the line of Phantoms is still built at RR’s Goodwood plat in England. After BMW officially took over the reins in 1998, the eighth-gen incarnation of this F-segment car is the second model to come out of the Rolls-Royce production line.

With the launch of the all-new Phantom, Rolls-Royce has been able to incorporate some of the most revolutionary and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques used in the car industry. The latest model also boasts a more rigid body than its precursor, along with a completely revamped suspension setup and chassis control systems. Rolls-Royce offers the new Phantom in Standard Wheelbase (SWB) and Extended Wheelbase (EWB) avatars, and for the most part, the Phantom’s direct competition comes from the Bentley Mulsanne. However, the RR Phantom could also be paired against the Mercedes Maybach.

Exterior

While it has been showered with tons of new updates and retouches all over, the new Rolls-Royce Phantom still retains its massive, land-yacht kind of a presence and stance. If you think your luxury car is big, try standing next to one of these, especially the EWB, which measures 5.982 meters in length, 2.018 meters in width, 1.656 meters in height, and has an incredible 3.772-meter long wheelbase. The front of the new Phantom is home to one of the most expansive hoods in the industry, the trademark stainless-steel grille with its evocative ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ hood ornament, rectangular headlamps, and a thick bumper with its neatly-integrated air-intake channels and chrome décor.

The vast side profile encompasses the Phantom’s gargantuan alloy wheels with their weighted centre caps, huge ‘suicide’ rear doors, thick rear pillars and a gently sloping roofline. The classy back end of the Phantom gets unique and ultra-modern LED tail lamps, thick chrome bar on the trunk lid and a neat-looking bumper with flush, twin exhaust tips. At the end of the day, it’s quite difficult to explain in words how sophisticated and regal the Phantom looks in person. Oh, did I tell you how huge this automobile is?

Interior

If the exterior of the Rolls-Royce Phantom made you want to open the door and step inside, the interior will make you want to live there permanently. There’s no question in my mind that the inside of the new Phantom is absolutely breathtaking and astonishingly comfortable. Of course, there’s so much area within this cabin (especially in the EWB’s) that you could stretch out almost infinitely and still have some room to spare. And as one can expect, each and every centimeter of this interior feels like it has been made, covered, dipped, wrapped, or decorated with some of the best materials available. RR has also added extra sound-proofing and the new Phantom is now 10 percent quieter over its predecessor.

As for features and equipment, there are way too many to list here. However, here are a few: adaptive Laserlight headlamps, adaptive cruise control, active air suspension, power-closing doors, ambient mood lighting, temperature-controlled and massaging leather seats, mini fridge, ‘Star light’ roof, multi-zone climate control, night vision, surround-view cameras, and a heads-up display.

Engine and performance

The new phantom sources power from a 6.75-liter V12 with 571hp and 900Nm on offer. An 8-speed automatic sends power to the rear wheels, and enables this 2.6-ton luxury behemoth to hit 100 km/h in just 5.4 seconds. Top speed is restricted to 250 km/h.

Verdict

In the UAE, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is priced at AED 2,250,000 (Standard Wheelbase) and AED 2,450,000 (Extended Wheelbase). Obviously, extra options will soon bloat that price tag into oblivion.