The dashboard has been cleverly used as an art museum, the structure evokes Mount Rushmore or the Giza pyramids, and, of course, there is Eleanor, the Spirit of Ecstasy, leading the way ahead from the prow of the industry's longest bonnet. Taking the wheel of the Phantom is, more than ever, incomparably different from driving other automobiles. It's similar to flying without really taking flight. The doors shut automatically, and Rolls discusses the need of having a âdetoxifying atmosphere. Everywhere you look, there is a little bit of detail magic. The door rests were inspired by the J-class yacht, and the back seats are slightly slanted to allow for easy conversation without hurting your neck. By pressing a button in the C-pillar, lushly carpeted Ottomans glide out to meet your feet. The back passengers get to experience what Rolls refers to as the âembrace.
At the pointy (but blunt) end is a new twin-turbocharged 6.7-liter V-12 engine built from the 6.6-liter unit used in the Wraith and Ghost. The new engine equals the 563-horsepower output of its somewhat smaller sibling and offers a 110-horsepower upgrade over the existing Phantom's naturally aspirated 12. However, the true highlight is the 664 pound-feet of torque available at only 1700 rpm, a 133 percent increase. This is sent completely to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Engineers contemplated adding all-wheel drive but decided against it due to its lack of refinement. To avoid overheating, the torque output is reduced in first and second gears. While Rolls-Royce formerly regarded performance boasts as impolite, it is now content to brag. According to our sources, the new automobile will accelerate to 62 mph in 5.3 seconds and reach its guvânor at 155 mph. Engineer Philip Koehn reports that an unconstrained prototype hit 186 mph at Italy's Nard2 high-speed testing facility.
The finest life coaches often advise their pupils that we should compete against no one but ourselves, trying solely to be a better version of ourselves than we were yesterday. Similarly, at over $450,000, the Rolls-Royce Phantom seems to compete only with the previous Phantom. This is a very unique car that functions as a luxury sedan and a status symbol in equal measure. It pampers its passengers like no other vehicle, glides over the road with silky smoothness, appears as luxurious as it is, and now incorporates the newest driver-assist and entertainment systems. The driving experience has been improved over the previous Phantom; this current model is 10% quieter than its already silent predecessor (due to 330 pounds of sound insulation), while allowing a little more driver participation. Although it is not nearly as enjoyable to operate as the Bentley Flying Spur, the Phantom's feeling of occasion goes much deeper. It's tough to rationalize a car at this price point, but where words and reasoning fall short, the Phantom speaks for itself (or is that whispers?) by giving an unmatched level of tranquillity.
Among the features are four cameras that give a helicopter-like perspective of the outer world, night vision, active cruise control, cutting-edge navigation and infotainment, a wi-fi hotspot, and a 7x3-inch color head-up display. The wheels are 21 inches in diameter and have the trademark RR center caps that always stay upright.
