Rolls-royce phantom coupe - review

It's the most driver-oriented motor car in Rolls-Royce's range of 'full-size' – gargantuan by any other carmaker's standards – models, although the smaller Ghost could have the edge here as it is merely as big as a Bentley Mulsanne.

In truth the huge, 2.6-tonne Phantom Coupé is still as far from a sports car as you’re likely to get, but it has the stiffest bodyshell of the Rolls trio and it also offers the least space and comfort for passengers.

It promises to be marginally firmer-riding than the saloon, with less space in the rear. And it denies occupants the luxury of travelling in fresh air that the Drophead Coupé convertible offers.

DESIGN

Ostensibly, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé shares most of its underpinnings with the saloon and Drophead. But of the two, it’s the convertible with which it shares more. Its rear-hinged doors are the same, for example, as is the bodywork from the nose to the A-pillars.

From the doors backwards, things are rather different. The aluminium panels are draped over a welded aluminium skeleton like other Phantoms, but the rear bodywork kicks up behind the driver’s seat from where an aluminium roof is formed forwards, meeting the steel header rail above the windscreen not entirely smoothly if (as in our test car) the two are the same colour. It works rather better if the windscreen surround and bonnet are finished in the optional brushed steel.

Otherwise, rather like the saloon, the Phantom Coupé is an imposing piece of design; there’s no denying its presence. At 5609mm long, it is only 225mm shorter than the saloon, and at 1592mm and 1987mm respectively, it gives very little away in height or width.Otherwise, rather like the saloon, the Phantom Coupé is an imposing piece of design; there’s no denying its presence. At 5609mm long, it is only 225mm shorter than the saloon, and at 1592mm and 1987mm respectively, it gives very little away in height or width.

PERFORMANCE

Identical to that of other Rolls-Royce Phantoms, the 6.75-litre V12 engine makes a solid 453bhp and a not-insubstantial 531lb ft of torque, driving through a six-speed automatic transmission. That sounds sufficient for plenty of performance – but maybe 'performance' is too vulgar a word for such a monumental car. ‘Propulsion’ is perhaps more fitting.

Nevertheless, quantify and rate its performance we must. So here are the figures: 0-60mph in 6.1sec and 100mph in 15.7sec. How does this feel in a car weighing 2655kg? At first, frankly ridiculous. So majestic does the Phantom feel at pedestrian speeds that when the moment comes to extend the throttle fully, the vigorous, if still entirely dignified, progress comes as some surprise. With familiarity, though, comes the realisation that the Coupé’s pace is more brisk than truly rapid. In fact, our figures trail Rolls-Royce’s claims for the car (by 0.5sec for 0-60mph) and those we achieved for the saloon in 2003, a consequence, perhaps, of the Coupé’s additional 70kg.

But does the Phantom have enough performance? In almost all circumstances, yes; only on prolonged high-speed ascents would more power help. That is something BMW could almost certainly provide, but perhaps not without damaging the one element that defines Rolls-Royce more than any other: the sense of achieving without ever really trying. The 6.75 V12 never sounds strained, there is no hint of vibration or stress, just a gentle, distant and refined hum as the 531lb ft of torque goes to work.

As with other Phantoms, there’s no manual control over the excellent six-speed automatic gearbox, except for the addition of a wheel-mounted Sport button. By sharpening the throttle mapping and holding each gear longer, this commands the Phantom to tap into its reserves with more zest. It helps in the rare circumstance of a spirited drive, but its more relevant value is in selecting first gear from standstill – handy for a brisk but measured response.

Measuring 374mm and 370mm, the Coupé’s brakes are identical to those of the saloon, and pedal travel is likewise long, at first giving an (incorrect) impression of dead travel and insufficient stopping power. The Phantom will stop from 70mph in a respectable 49.3m, and the travel is there to help eradicate jerky stops at town speeds. It just takes a little getting used to.