New Rolls-Royce Phantom

Fourteen years ago, the Phantom became the first Rolls-Royce of the new era, created under the wing of the BMW concern. Unlike the deceased Maybach 57/62 family, Rolls turned out to be successful: if only a little more than 2100 units were produced in eleven years, and as a result, Daimler abandoned the idea of a flagship sedan under a separate brand, then the circulation of the Phantom exceeded 10 thousand copies! True, now in the range of Rolls-Royce there is a “younger” Ghost model, which accounts for the main demand. But this circumstance made it possible to make the new Phantom the most expensive and technically advanced car of the BMW concern.

Eighth Generation

If you count from the first Phantom in 1925, then the new sedan is only the eighth generation of the model. No wonder, because, for example, the sixth generation car lasted as long as 23 years. However, despite the considerable life cycle of Phantoms, from the outside, the new sedan can easily be confused with its predecessor.

In appearance – a restrained evolution. For example, designers have minimized the number of “extra” lines on the body. Separate navigation lights have been removed: now all the “light” is concentrated in single blocks, which also have laser-phosphor sections with a range of up to 600 meters. The family grille is slightly higher than the previous model, but now it is not a separate element: the new grill is integrated with the body. The Spirit of Ecstasy figurine sits half an inch higher than before.

The sedan has become shorter by 77 mm, wider by 29 mm and higher by 8 mm. Quite subtle changes against the background of overall dimensions: length – 5762 mm, width – 2018 mm, height – 1646 mm. The wheelbase has become shorter by 19 mm (3552 mm). Simultaneously with the standard version, an elongated Phantom EWB is also presented, in which the body in the rear door area is stretched by 200 mm.

Aluminum and modular construction

The former Phantom had a unique body architecture: an aluminum power frame with aluminum and composite panels hung on it. This technology is often used on sports cars. The new Phantom has retained this concept, but the architecture itself has been revised. Now the creators call it Architecture of Luxury (Architecture of luxury).

The new space frame and all body panels are made of aluminium. There are no composites and carbon fiber inserts, like the BMW G7, and in general, as the creators assure, the Phantom has very little in common with the Bavarian models. The new body is lighter and more technologically advanced than the previous one, and in addition it is also 30% stiffer. But the main advantage of the new architecture over the previous one is flexibility: all subsequent Rolls, including the Cullinan crossover, will be built on the same basis. That is, cars with load-bearing bodies (now such Ghost, Wraith and Dawn have) under the Rolls-Royce brand will no longer be.

Magic carpet

The new Phantom is built on the original platform: a two-lever front, a five-lever design at the back. Of course, pneumatic elements are installed in a circle, but now the flagship has got an active suspension! Its principle of operation is almost the same as that of the Audi A8 sedan : a stereo camera under the windshield reads the road relief in front of the car and sends signals to actuators that operate from a 48-volt network and change the position of the body with the help of anti-roll bars.

The creators call this system Magic Carpet Ride: they say, the car should be as smooth as a flying carpet. But at the same time, it is stipulated that the suspension can preemptively adjust to the surface only at speeds up to 100 km / h. If you go faster, the chassis will become passive.

Another innovation is the rear wheel thruster, which is designed to make the huge machine more maneuverable.

The quietest car in the world

That’s what the developers call the new Phantom. In any case, the noise in the cabin at a speed of 100 km / h is now 10% lower than that of the previous model. This result was achieved mainly by traditional measures: all glasses are made of two-layer, 6 mm thick, and the total mass of insulating materials reaches 130 kg. But there are also tricks. For example, special Continental tires are filled with foam inside, which also absorbs noise. Such tires are 9 dB quieter than similar tires without foam filler. It is not surprising that with such an “anti-noise” the new Phantom turned out to be 75 kg heavier than the previous one: the curb weight is 2625 kg.

Picture gallery and virtual instruments

From now on, not only the rear, but also the front doors have a servo drive. And behind them is a luxurious interior, which at first glance … almost does not differ from the decoration of other modern Rolls-Royces. Characteristic steering wheel, ventilation deflectors with metal levers-regulators, horizontal temperature adjustment washers. Classic! But some traditions did not survive.

For example, classic pointer devices are a thing of the past. A 12.3-inch display is installed under the metal rims, which displays virtual scales. The company justifies itself by saying that this is what customers wanted, although it is difficult to believe in this. Well, at least instead of a tachometer, there was a power reserve indicator familiar to Rolls.

The central display of the media system is retractable, and in the background you can place a copy of one of the masterpieces of world art under glass in the background: many paintings are included in the company’s corporate catalog. Management of “multimedia” – with the help of a bemveshnoy washer between the seats, there is also a projection screen.

The dimensions of the cabin with the change of generations have not changed much – except that the margin of space in height has been slightly increased. The second row of seats is a triple sofa or two separate seats with a massive center console in the middle. Moreover, the chairs can turn slightly towards each other, so that passengers during the conversation strain their necks less. At their service are folding tables, folding displays, as well as heating of all armrests.

Comfortable biturbo

The V12 aspirated canonical for the brand with a volume of 6.75 liters has gone down in history. For the new model, this engine was seriously modified (new pistons, connecting rods, cooling system) and equipped with two turbochargers. Power has been increased from 460 to 571 hp, and torque from 720 to 900 Nm, but the character of the motor is still focused on smooth and comfortable movement.

The gearbox is an upgraded ZF eight-speed automatic from the outgoing model, the shift logic of which is now also tied to the navigation system. For example, before lifting, the electronics will preemptively shift to a lower gear. The drive, according to tradition, is only rear. From zero to 100 km/h, the new Phantom accelerates in 5.3 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The arsenal of the sedan has all the modern preventive security systems: all-round cameras, adaptive cruise control, night vision systems, automatic braking, marking tracking and much more. But the driver for the Rolls is still needed: the creators do not mention the autopilot.

When and how much?

The new Rolls-Royce Phantom will go on sale this fall. The price in Great Britain is already known: at least 400 thousand pounds sterling against 350 thousand for the previous model. Only the Bugatti Chiron hypercar is more expensive . By the way, we have officially sold about 250 Phantoms of the previous generation.

The coupe and convertible will no longer be in the family: they have been replaced on the market by the more “compact” Wraith and Dawn models based on the Ghost sedan. But even without that, the production volume of the new Phantom should be less than that of the previous model. But the company promises that the modular architecture will simplify the creation of unique cars with custom bodies.