Rolls-Royce Phantom Review and Prices

If you have lots of money and you need a car that’ll convey that to the general population, look no further than a Roll-Royce Phantom. Rolls-Royce is considered the finest of luxury car manufacturers, and its Phantom is the pinnacle of the Rolls-Royce range. Think of the Phantom, then, as a sort of automotive Fabergé egg.

Unsurprisingly, the Phantom’s cabin is one of the highest-quality environments you’ll find in any car. If you look really hard you will find the very occasional bit of cheaper-feeling plastic, but overall there’s simply staggering attention to detail and the quality of the majority of materials used is second to none.

As you’d expect from such a large car, the interior is also hugely accommodating. There’s plenty of space up front, head and legroom in the rear is in abundance (which is where most owners will sit) and the boot is also a usefully large size – for Jeeves. There’s also an EWB or Extended Wheelbase version if you need more rear space. However, it’s quite disappointing that the rear chairs aren’t adjustable, when far cheaper luxury cars such as the Audi A8 can offer this feature.

Until Rolls-Royce puts its electrically powered Phantom concept car into production, the only engine you can have is a gargantuan but super-smooth 6.75 V12 which produces 563hp. It’s quite a thing: it’ll blast the Phantom from 0-60mph in just 5.1 seconds, yet remain almost silent at a cruise on the motorway, all while chewing through a huge amount of unleaded. Rolls’ standard eight-speed automatic gearbox shifts seamlessly, too.

If you want to make a statement, few cars do it better than a Rolls Royce Phantom. And you get what you pay for, too – it’s superbly made and is as comfy as they come.

The majority of owners will likely have a personal driver to chauffeur them about, but those who do decide to take their luxury limo for a spin will be pleased with the way the Phantom drives. It’s no sports car, but it handles well for a car that weighs nearly three tonnes. Happily, the standard air suspension helps it be hugely comfortable, too.

There are only two minor complaints with the Phantom’s drive. The first is a tiny amount of wind noise around the large wing mirrors on the motorway, and the second is the car’s sheer size makes it’s tricky to steer down narrow roads or into parking spaces.

Entry into Rolls-Royce ownership has always been expensive, and the Phantom is no exception. It’s a very expensive car to buy and run – if you’re gentle, you can just about coax 15 mpg out of it – and the depreciation rate is quite steep. For all that money you do at least get one of the longest standard equipment lists of any car, and when it comes to options, the general rule is that you can have whatever you like, should you have enough cash.

Which is really why the world’s richest people keep coming back. Ultimately, list price, fuel economy, insurance costs and road tax just don’t matter. The Rolls Royce Phantom is a statement of wealth, and you’ll struggle to get the message across better than this.