Discussion
I had the pleasure of taking a Phantom VIII away for a weekend and thought I'd share my experience.
I set off on a Friday afternoon from the Goodwood factory homeward bound to pick up some bags and the missus. The intention was to take the neigbour out for a quick spin (he is a nice man in his 80's and i had promised to take him out in one) and shoot straight off to the hotel we had booked in the Cotswolds. However, it turns out this thing draws quite a bit of attention and i ended up meeting several more of my neigbbours who came to check out the car.
The Phantom has serious road presence like no other car, it really is a gargantuan object. For this reason it draws more attention that you might imagine, even in more understated colours like the 'Jubilee Silver' one i was driving.
It's size and weight, however, contribute largely to the incredible driving experience when coupled with 900Nm of torque and ultra-supple suspension. It has what i would describe as a gravitational feeling of acceleration drawing you forward. You can certainly feel the weight under braking but the progression, weight and sensitivity of the brake pedal feels just right and as you would expect. Its an exceptionally easy car to drive despite it's size. The bonnet looks endless from the outside but from the driver's seat is actually quite easy to judge and the spirit of ecstasy gives a convenient point of reference.
The ride is sublime as you would expect and the cabin is virtually silent when doing city speeds. Once you start to approach 40mph the tyre and wind noise just start to infiltrate. Driving on the motorway is effortless especially with the adaptive cruise control enabled. It's a very relaxing experience. I had a Dawn Black Badge for a weekend previously and that is noiser by comparison for obvious reasons, but that was an immense car to drive, more driver focused and actually a lot of fun... and it has a sports exhaust.
The place to be in a Phantom though is in the rear. The seats have a lovely armchair feel and you sit quite low unlike the front seats. The starlight headliner for me is a necessity, it could seem a bit tacky but is actually really quite beautiful. The brightness can be lowered for a more subtle effect.
The rear seat entertainment system is good, essentially the BMW i-drive system reskinned, but it makes total sense to use this system as it's one of the best. Only thing i found lacking in the rear was a place to put your champagne flute - cupholders weren't really appropriate for this.
Anyway, this is getting a bit lengthy now so best cut to the pics. i could go on for much longer... I didn't really take enough pics unfortunately, was too busy enjoying the car!
I set off on a Friday afternoon from the Goodwood factory homeward bound to pick up some bags and the missus. The intention was to take the neigbour out for a quick spin (he is a nice man in his 80's and i had promised to take him out in one) and shoot straight off to the hotel we had booked in the Cotswolds. However, it turns out this thing draws quite a bit of attention and i ended up meeting several more of my neigbbours who came to check out the car.
The Phantom has serious road presence like no other car, it really is a gargantuan object. For this reason it draws more attention that you might imagine, even in more understated colours like the 'Jubilee Silver' one i was driving.
It's size and weight, however, contribute largely to the incredible driving experience when coupled with 900Nm of torque and ultra-supple suspension. It has what i would describe as a gravitational feeling of acceleration drawing you forward. You can certainly feel the weight under braking but the progression, weight and sensitivity of the brake pedal feels just right and as you would expect. Its an exceptionally easy car to drive despite it's size. The bonnet looks endless from the outside but from the driver's seat is actually quite easy to judge and the spirit of ecstasy gives a convenient point of reference.
The ride is sublime as you would expect and the cabin is virtually silent when doing city speeds. Once you start to approach 40mph the tyre and wind noise just start to infiltrate. Driving on the motorway is effortless especially with the adaptive cruise control enabled. It's a very relaxing experience. I had a Dawn Black Badge for a weekend previously and that is noiser by comparison for obvious reasons, but that was an immense car to drive, more driver focused and actually a lot of fun... and it has a sports exhaust.
The place to be in a Phantom though is in the rear. The seats have a lovely armchair feel and you sit quite low unlike the front seats. The starlight headliner for me is a necessity, it could seem a bit tacky but is actually really quite beautiful. The brightness can be lowered for a more subtle effect.
The rear seat entertainment system is good, essentially the BMW i-drive system reskinned, but it makes total sense to use this system as it's one of the best. Only thing i found lacking in the rear was a place to put your champagne flute - cupholders weren't really appropriate for this.
Anyway, this is getting a bit lengthy now so best cut to the pics. i could go on for much longer... I didn't really take enough pics unfortunately, was too busy enjoying the car!
MRPULLHARD said:
does it not lack some of the presence of previous model ? looks a bit more like a Ghost than previous model.
there are some new vehicles advertised on net and some costing £400K plus
I think it has equally as much presence as the outgoing model, especially when seen in person. Its not radically different from previous model in terms of the overall shape, profile and size.there are some new vehicles advertised on net and some costing £400K plus
The car above was specced to around 375k before tax
chandrew said:
I had just driven a Wraith and a Dawn, both amazing cars but to sit in a Phantom is something else.
It is a special car. However, If i were fortunate enough to buy an RR it would be the Adamas Collection Wraith. Just looks absolutely stunning, the Morpheus Blue on Black is the best colour combo i have seen on a Wraith and has to be seen in the flesh. I keep stopping whilst walking past them at work to stare at them.
If you want a phantom then you really want to be in the back. The new privacy option they have created looks great it’s just a shame that the opaque screen can’t be used for video because it would then be like being driven round in a mobile luxury cinema. Wraith is the one to have if you’re driving yourself though
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