Yesterday, Rolls-Royce unveiled their latest and greatest Phantom model, now in its eighth generation. It has an all-new 563bhp 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 engine that can do 0-60mph in 5.3 secs; an “all-new” all-aluminum spaceframe architecture bringing a enhanced levels of comfort in its Magic Carpet Ride thanks to being lighter and stiffer.
The styling on the 2018 Phantom is imposing, to say the least. The front has a new monolithic appearance, without throwing away its lineage, with modern accents and latest lighting technology. The Pantheon grille is larger than ever while it also sits higher on the car, lifting the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament up higher still.
What’s even more impressive are the laser lights that are housed inside the modern looking LEDs. Rolls Royce claims these laser lights can cast light 600 meters down the road. Underneath the headlights sit very slim, horizontal air intakes to feed air into intercoolers, where the old car’s LED fog lights used to be.
From the side, the new Phantom gained only subtle differences but they make it seem more modern, sleeker, than the old car. The wheel arches are more subtle and less pronounced than on the previous-gen car and they give the new car a more streamlined look, one that’s less fussy. Its door handles are also placed quite a bit lower than before, which makes its belt-line seem lower and makes the whole car look more planted. The Extended Wheelbase model gets a piece of aluminum trim on the sill. Out back, the new taillights are more vertical, slimmer and far more high-tech looking. Its outer edges are rimmed in LEDs and they look smoother than before.
Inside, the “Gallery” is Rolls-Royce’s term for “a reinterpretation of a motor car’s dashboard and instrument panel area”. Rolls-Royce encased the entire width of the dash in an uninterrupted swathe of toughened glass. Within this, there is an LED backlit 12.3 TFT instrument display and on the passenger side, space to display art beneath this glass. Even though the overall shape and design of the cabin seems so similar to the last-gen Phantom, this new one looks so incredibly premium.
The new Rolls Royce Phantom comes with Alertness Assistant, a 4 camera system with Panoramic View, all-round visibility including helicopter view, Night Vision and Vision Assist, Active Cruise Control, collision warning, pedestrian warning, cross-traffic warning, lane departure and lane change warning, an industry leading 7×3 High-resolution head-up display, WiFi hotspot, and of course the latest navigation and entertainment systems.
The eighth Phantom since its introduction in 1925 will go on sale early next year.
