Rolls-Royce unveils new Phantom

Rolls-Royce has unveiled its all-new Phantom limousine at a star-studded event in London's Mayfair.

Coming to Australia in quarter four this year, the eighth-generation full-size limousine will be available in standard and long-wheelbase variants, initially, before being joined by a stretched extended wheelbase version later on.

Pricing is expected to be jaw-dropping, starting at $1million for the cheapest model.

Sitting at the very top of the Rolls-Royce tree, the all-new Phantom will tower over the Ghost, Wraith coupe and Dawn convertible and is the British car-maker's flagship model.

Signalling a small-scale product renaissance, the Phantom's reign as the new kid in class will last only a matter of months before Rolls-Royce launches, what's set to be its best-selling model, the Cullinan SUV in the middle of 2018.

Rolls-Royce hasn't revealed the dimensions of its new Bentley Mulsanne rival. Indeed, much of the technical nitty gritty is still under wraps until the Phantom's European launch in September. However, from first hand acquaintance, motoring.com.au can report the Phantom remains imposing, looking taller, wider and longer than the current car.

Convincing evolution
'Bold', rather than 'beautiful', best describes its new look.

Clearly an evolution of its predecessor, concerns that Phantom number eight (in a 92-year history model run) hadn't done enough to distance itself from the seventh instalment are unfounded. In the metal, the latest car is more convincing.

Best design elements remain the slab sides, and the large trademark grille. You'll also appreciate how the rear of the car tapers off gently, like a luxury yacht.

The worst bits are the awful stuck on side reflectors and the designers' inability to disguise the BMW-sourced shark-fin antenna.

Inside, on first glance it looks like the old car's cabin has been shoehorned into the new car and that's because, Rolls-Royce has been brave. Instead of embracing the minimalism trend, the architects behind the new interior have ignored the modern touchscreen fetish and fitted ‘real’ switchgear.

Best example, is sitting in the sumptuous rear seats. If you want cooler air you can, without looking, roll a door-mounted, beautifully-damped temperature wheel.

That tactile feel and haptic response provides far more joy and satisfaction, a designer told us, than navigating through a submenu by swiping a cold piece of glass.

Techno advances
Not that the Rolls-Royce isn't technologically advanced. Behind the wheel there's a virtual instrument panel and a huge horizontally-mounted infotainment system that's thought to harness BMW's latest gesture control tech. But all of this is complimented by good old fashioned buttons.

Eschewing modernity continues under the bonnet of the Phantom.

Instead of downsizing the last car's 6.75-litre V12, Rolls-Royce has replaced the old engine with an all-new V12 that boasts the same 6.75-litre swept capacity.

Better still, the new lump comes equipped with a pair of turbochargers that help boost power and torque from 339kW/720Nm to a punchier 420kW/900Nm.

Combined with a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox, performance is expected to be in another league compared to the old car with a sub-5.0sec sprint to 100km/h expected.

Early on in its model life, the Phantom will also be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain which will offer a pure-electric range of at least 50km. A pure-electric version is also becoming more likely by the day.

Boosting performance and handling further is the Phantom's all-new aluminium space-frame chassis. Claimed to be 30 per cent stiffer than the old car's underpinnings, the new architecture is also significantly lighter and allowed engineers to create, what's touted as, “the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce ever”.

Set to underpin the next generation of Ghost, Wraith and Dawn convertible, the new platform will next be used on the Cullinan SUV.

As well as all-wheel drive, the new architecture can accommodate the hardware needed for semi-autonomous driving capability.

Featuring double wishbones upfront and a new five-link independent rear suspension, the Phantom will benefit from a development of BMW's four-wheel steering that's significantly boosts agility and gives the driver an impression they're behind the wheel of a smaller, lighter car.

That said, it's comfort that remains the chief priority with the Phantom. Thus the luxurious limousine comes with an advanced active suspension that adjusts in anticipation for that pothole you haven't seen.

World’s most comfortable
Created to be the world's most comfortable car, while others extol the virtues of weight saving, Rolls-Royce boast its latest Phantom features 6mm double glazing all round and an incredible 130kg of sound insulation. Factor in larger cast aluminium chassis components (for better noises suppression) and widespread use of high absorption material and engineers claim nothing is quieter at a cruise.

Even Rolls-Royce's tyre suppliers have joined in the pursuit of silence, creating a new foam layer within the huge 22-inch hoops to reduce noise -- the result is car claimed to be ten per cent quieter than the generation it replaces.

From launch the Phantom will come with autonomous emergency braking, fatigue detection, night vision and both lane departure and lane change warning.

All models also come standard with a large heads-up display, on-board WiFi hotspot and laser headlamps that cast a beam of light more than 600m down the road.

Every Phantom that comes Down Under features some degree of personalisation. And for those queuing for the new car, the British car-maker's bespoke department will continue to oblige.

New for this Phantom is the company's largest ever Starlight headliner and 'The Gallery' – a single sheet of toughened glass that covers the entire dash and instrument panel and allows owners to display commissioned pieces of art (or even a priceless footy card collection.

Other options include seats that fold into beds, a chilled drinks cabinet and almost anything else that takes your fancy if you have a big enough cheque book.

If you're still not satisfied with the way your Phantom looks, according to one designer we spoke with, Rolls-Royce will happily let you start (almost) from scratch.

Following the success of the recently revealed one-off Sweptail, the Goodwood, England-based car-maker says it's ready and willing to undertake another Phantom-based commission. Although, it won't be cheap!

The 1930s inspired luxo-cruiser revealed last May reportedly cost its billionaire owner a sobering $17.5m.