2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Road Test Review
Phantom Coupe Photos
Even in the narrow entrance drive at San Francisco’s opulently moderne St. Regis hotel, where the finest automobiles in the world are often on display, a “sporting” Rolls-Royce is worth a second look. At a glance it seems to display the unpretentious proportions of a handsome, mid-size 2+2 GT (FHC, fixed head coupe, to the Brits). It is an optical illusion created by the 21-inch wheels and exacerbated by thickness of the windshield and a-pillar triangulated rollover structure. Approaching the car and reaching for the sculptural sweep of a door handle that seems to link the leading edge of the door to the front fender, the deception is abundantly clear. In the valet lot at your favorite purveyor of epicurean art, the Phantom Coupe will occupy the best spot on the front row among the world’s great sedans and demonstrate a presence even beyond its size. This is not simply a GRAND tourer, it is the ROLLS-ROYCE of luxury touring.
Swinging open the vast rear-hinged “coach” door, the first look inside exposes a modest seat with rounded front corners in a simple upholstery pattern—twice as thick as one would expect. Misconception is at play again. Once seated, one becomes aware of the illusion of detail in space. This is a commodious chamber with large, simply patterned, luxurious seats endowed with traditional Rolls-Royce depth of support. The Coupe’s interior uses larger pieces of leather than those in the Phantom sedan, mainly because of the simple style of the seats. The large unbroken surfaces make the selection of appropriate hides quite challenging. Each hide is checked by hand and eye, and any naturally occurring blemishes and imperfections are marked in preparation for cutting. Where possible, the hide is used in such a way that these marks are hidden rather than discarded, minimizing waste and creating a visually perfect finished product. All the leather and wood is done in house. Extra panels of wood veneer are even stored by car vin number for future repairs. Not indefinitely, but for a number of years. There seems to be less automobile inside than superbly furnished club.
All the controls are intuitively and conveniently positioned, the simplicity of the facia belying the technology beneath. And in what is tantamount to a contrarian spirit in the BMW-based product culture, every system tool on the dash is both intuitive and effortless. An analogue clock set in a book-matched veneered panel hides the media screen, only to be revealed when called upon. The multi-zone climate control has chromed eyeball vents and traditional ‘organ stop’ controls, while additional features are accessed using beautifully crafted ‘violin keys’ – contemporary uses of long-established, and well loved, Rolls-Royce design features.
The Lexicon LOGIC7 sound system can be controlled by just one dial. Unique in its use in the automotive industry, the Lexicon system has 15 metal-matrix speakers to deliver an unparalleled clarity of sound, regardless of where a passenger may be seated. A nine-channel amplifier powers these speakers – two sub-woofers fitted beneath the seats and thirteen 100 mm mid-range and 44 mm tweeter arrays carefully placed around the car – to an impressive 420 watts of sound. Should you find satellite radio or the standard six-CD changer falls short of your personal requirements, the Coupe is available with iPod connectivity, upping the personal selection into the thousands. This may be the finest BMW product ever. In fact, the only thing that could be remotely called a challenge in the use of the Phantom Coupe is its actual size, and that is only true in a parking situation, at a walking pace. At speed…WOW! A different story.
We left San Francisco headed north across the Golden Gate and into Sonoma county. Highways are only worthy of comment because speed is almost incomprehensible. With the Phantom line’s 6.75-litre V12 engine developed to deliver 75 percent of its 531 lb-ft of torque at just 1,000 rpm, the rigid isolation of the structure and the density of its interior appointments, the elegantly streamlined Coupe is a specter slipping through the atmosphere unnoticed. The 453 horsepower so effortless that a little unintentional throttle movement can make an exponential change in velocity and if one is not paying attention it can quickly get out of hand. At the heart of the engine development is advanced direct fuel injection with variable valve lift and timing, offering both power and combustion efficiency. Curious is the power reserve dial that occupies the place normally housing the tachometer. The Phantom power (pun intended) is available at such low revs… at 100 mph on level ground the Coupe’s power reserve dial shows that 90 percent of the engine’s output remains untapped. That low-rev delivery is an advantage to fuel consumption, but that is not normally part of the Rolls-Royce dialogue. However, the Coupe’s 26.4-gallon fuel tank allows for the longer drives that its character encourages, giving a range of around 400 miles.
Once headed west toward the coast, our route book took us into the lesser two-lanes of some notable real estate. Before departing the St. Regis, it was suggested that we would find the car beginning to shrink as it won our confidence. Neither the wheelbase nor the considerable track was reduced as experience was gained, but the level of confidence in its steering precision and its predictable stability did cause speeds to increase in the narrow lanes. The oversize, by modern standards, steering wheel seemed odd at first, but perhaps it changes the speed of dynamic reactions — and stabilizes the mass of the car. The SPORT button on steering wheel has some of the same effect. By the time we arrived at the coast and headed south on even narrower pavement, we were having… OMG fun driving a Rolls-Royce!
The Coupe’s chassis was engineered for the world’s safest, strongest convertible and now, adding the closed cell of a coupe, it has become a brilliant base for suspension geometry. The front double-wishbone suspension features a hydraulic mount to minimize vibrations through the steering wheel, while the multi-link rear setup gives increased ride comfort, with anti-lift and anti-dive technology for stability under heavy acceleration and braking—one might consider for a moment that we are discussing a 5,710-pound automobile that can reach 60 mph in 5.6 seconds through its ZF 6HP32 automatic gearbox. With the stronger rear anti-roll bar and stiffer spring and damper settings than the more luxury-focused Phantom Drophead (convertible), Rolls-Royce has increased both accuracy and agility on the road. The Coupe is unapologetically BMW at the limit, with luxury underscored by panache.
It is hard to fathom how two cars based upon all the same components can be so clearly focused on different aspects of motoring. The Coupe we drove was the base (all paint) car, without the $15,000 optional stainless steel hood and windshield surround, and therefore looked a little less decoratively-special and more like a purpose-built GT car. And it drove like a well calibrated, if a bit out of scale, canyon runner. It is neither a Porsche nor a Ferrari, but it is certainly the most comfortable and civilized competitor at the top of that financial category. It goes fast quickly and delivers a greater sense of precision when cornering hard than one would expect it to accomplish. Steering feel is obviously affected by tires the size of a load-bearing lorry, but they can be aimed at a spot and the car will go there immediately and remain solidly on track. As standard, the Phantom Coupe has 21-inch Goodyear tires with run-flat capability. As well as being convenient, this run-flat technology negates the need for spare wheels and a jack, freeing up space in the luggage compartment. Access to that useful space is made through a two-piece lid, the bottom third of which comes forward offering seating for two in a tailgate party dream.
As you rush through the twists and undulations of a country lane, it is astonishing to glance over at your navigator and realize you can’t reach her from where you are. Never mind the Coupe’s capabilities, it remains a luxurious place to spend a day. What’s more distracting than a cellular phone, a beautiful motoring companion. Let’s keep the legislators away from that problem. The point, of course, is that this is an enormous interior from which to judge the location of the car’s four large contact points as you rush along narrow coastal lanes.
Bicycles became our greatest terror. Fine, we’ll happily share the road, but northern California’s link of the Pacific Coast Highway has no room for a bike lane and commercial trucks regularly share what there is. Passing a bicycle on the approach to a blind crest in a white-line-to-berm-sized automobile can be positively terrifying and the 20 mph cyclists seem immune to concern. Braking is provided by massive 14.7 inch ventilated discs with twin piston alloy calipers at the front and 14.6 inchers with single piston calipers at the rear, permitting the Coupe to come to a stop quickly and without drama. Naturally, the braking system incorporates the latest in antilock systems and Emergency Brake Assist is activated under heavy braking, applying full force in an emergency stop and saving another bicyclist.
Never mind the obvious interior dimensions you occupy and the beautiful sweep of coachwork within sight, this is a VERY fast car. Historic English badging aside, there is BMWness in all the Phantom Coupe’s dynamics and it delivers a level of fun rarely discussed in Rolls-Royce circles. When you finally arrive at Ristorante Il Fornaio it will occupy a lot of space in the front row, but its presence is still far beyond its actual dimensions.