2017 Rolls-Royce Phantom Sedan. The 8th generation
The eighth generation Phantom is the second model created after Rolls-Royce entered the BMW empire. Under the tactful German management, the British brand has regained its place as an ultra-prestigious brand. It is also important that the new Rolls-Royces have become technically advanced. The Bavarian company has started re-creating Rolls-Royce, putting technology at the service of magic. And it seems that the company has succeeded in this, making the Spirit of Ecstasy shine with renewed vigor.
The super luxury sedan has no direct competition, but there are cars that are bought by people who would love to buy the Phantom, but they don’t have enough money. Such cars are the Bentley Mulsanne, Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8. In the age of carsharing and electric scooters, a huge personal car with a driver may seem anachronistic to a restless city dweller, but exactly until a skeptic can afford such luxury. These are enduring values.
Old but new
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of the oldest automobile brands, dating back to 1925. The car, as a premium vehicle for the rich and famous, experienced a period of rapid development until the 1960s. In the period from 60s to 90s it was more of an anachronistic car for the very famous and the very rich. By the end of the 20th century, all of these otherworldly artifacts were no longer needed by anyone, so Rolls-Royce simply went bankrupt.
After a brief ordeal, the confused British aristocrat found a home in a family of benign Bavarian automakers and, it must be said, BMW did not disappoint. Rolls-Royce was reborn in a new form, which, at the same time, was a comeback to pre-war status. Now, this is clearly not an obsolete self-propelled cart for monarchs, but just a monstrously expensive, yet incredibly progressive luxury car, which can be used in everyday life and, moreover, without a personal driver. It was the Phantom VII, and the Phantom VIII, released in 2017, further broadened and deepened this concept.
Design
The exterior of the Rolls-Royce is eye-catching as it lacks pretentious ultramodern elements. It is a classic car, a ‘spherical cow’ among sedans. It has a long hood, a canonically convex roof with windows in the right places and the right shape, an accentuated rear part. The front end is angular, simple and well-defined, featuring the ‘Parthenon’ grille, rectangular headlights with an evaluative expression, a moderately convex hood cover and the unchanging Spirit of Ecstasy crowns this splendor.
Interior
The new Phantom is still the same Rolls-Royce. On the one hand, Rolls-Royce follows modern trends, on the other, it wants to save its image. Is this why it isolated itself from technology with transparent glass, which previously separated the passenger and driver sections? Is this why the multimedia system control panels can be hidden in the armrests, the front screen can be folded down and the rear ones can be closed with tables?
Specially trained people can sing tunes, accompanied by a harp and lutes, devoted to the interior of the Phantom. But in short, it was created for queens and kings. Acres of expensive woods are used for decoration, the metal parts are really metal, the leather parts are real leather of bull calves fed on free pastures. There are plenty of historic car details inside, including air ducts with pull handles or a flat steering hub, a gear change mechanism with a button at the end. Even the round panel on the side of the steering wheel is the same. At the same time, the interior cannot be called old-fashioned. It is like Buckingham Palace, rebuilt by Zaha Hadid.
The new Rolls-Royce Phantom comes with standard (5.7 meters) and longer (5.9 meters) wheelbases. Interior space is over the head, but the +21cm longer wheelbase version boasts even more legroom for rear passengers. It’s very impressive… The doors open against the direction of travel, in accordance with traditions and according to the “patrons” and “patronesses” (Rolls-Royce calls its customers), who sometimes actually have to leave the cockpit on the red carpet. And the latest Phantom is considered one of the quietest moving cars in the world, if not the quietest. The manufacturer spent 130 kg of the most advanced materials for sound insulation.
The rear seats are covered with deep carpeted floor mats. There are adjustable massage seats, a cooled console compartment, remotes for the car’s infotainment system and much more… The infotainment system of the Phantom has a huge infotainment screen that spans the entire width of the car’s dashboard, but this is only visible when needed. The driver can control the system with a handle on the center console. For the rear passengers, the seats are also equipped with touch screens.
Engine and chassis
The new Phantom is powered by a twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine developing 563 hp in combination with an 8-speed automatic transmission at the rear. The almost 6-meter, 2.5-ton juggernaut, which is in fact a luxury sedan, accelerates with such an engine from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.
Of course, the Phantom is more suited to quiet travel. At the same time, according to the assurances of the lucky ones who have been inside, the car drives so smoothly that its movement is more like slow sailing aboard a comfortable yacht on a very calm lake. The suspension is equipped with a camera to detect irregularities and manages to adapt to them in real time. Therefore, the passengers do not feel any jerking.
Safety
Rolls-Royce cars are rarely tested by government safety authorities because they simply don’t have the money for that. Although, most likely, they don’t dare to smash the Phantom against the wall. But the attitude towards the BMW family, the status and the reputation of the Roll-Royce brand allow us to count on the complete safety of the Phantom. In addition, the new Rolls-Royce Phantom has all the safety features proven today, including: night vision, laser lighting system, warning of a potential frontal collision, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and so much more…
