Those looking for the ultimate status symbol which offers grace, space and pace would aspire to own a Rolls-Royce Phantom. With their new Series II model making its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Auto Salon last March, Rolls-Royce hopes that its enhancements to the model will see it waft effortlessly into the next decade.
The modern-day Phantom was first introduced on January 1, 2003 and marked the first all-new model built by this British luxury marque since BMW purchased the brand.
The Phantom, despite its controversial styling, has been well received by the rich and famous around the world, and hence continues to be made, unlike the discontinued Maybach.
To keep up with the desires of their demanding customers, Rolls-Royce has made a few improvements to the Phantom with its Series II model, starting with its new lighting system. Gone are the old xenon headlights with round fog lamps, now replaced with new adaptive swiveling LED headlights, which have a glowing bar in the center that works as its daytime running lights. These clever headlights also adjust according to speed and weather conditions.
To complete the new nose, LED turn signals are positioned just below the main lamps. The styling is updated, but also very familiar. After all, apart from the new nose, the exterior remains unchanged.
Open the door and you’ll find an interior very similar to the one in the outgoing Phantom. However, there is now a bigger 8.8” screen for the infotainment system. The satellite navigation system now has 3D map display with landscape topography, and offers guided tours of popular cities and enhanced points of interest menus. To help you park wherever you go, a five-camera parking system is now also present for your easement.
Under the skin, there is a new 8-speed automatic gearbox, while the 6.75L V12 remains unchanged. However, CO2 emissions have improved from 385 to 347 g/km. Fuel economy for the Series II is rated at 14.8L/100km on the combined European cycle.
Power is rated at 453 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Despite its 2.5-ton girth, the Phantom Series II will sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 240 km/h.
Those performance figures are however for the Phantom sedan, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, and the Phantom Drophead Coupé.
The Phantom Coupe is considered to be the sporty version, and is hence a tenth of a second quicker to 100 km/h while its raised speed limiter allows it to travel 10 km/h faster.
So regardless of your taste, there is a 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II for everyone, if only it was easily attainable. There is no easy way of saying this; it is quite expensive. Pricing starts at US $396,970 (converted in Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate) for the short-wheelbase sedan, while the other models cost a bit more. The Drophead Coupé, for instance, costs US $469,900.
However, if you win a big lottery, this should be on your shopping list.
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The modern-day Phantom was first introduced on January 1, 2003 and marked the first all-new model built by this British luxury marque since BMW purchased the brand.
The Phantom, despite its controversial styling, has been well received by the rich and famous around the world, and hence continues to be made, unlike the discontinued Maybach.
To keep up with the desires of their demanding customers, Rolls-Royce has made a few improvements to the Phantom with its Series II model, starting with its new lighting system. Gone are the old xenon headlights with round fog lamps, now replaced with new adaptive swiveling LED headlights, which have a glowing bar in the center that works as its daytime running lights. These clever headlights also adjust according to speed and weather conditions.
 |
| With their new Series II model, Rolls-Royce hopes that its enhancements to the model will see it waft effortlessly into the next decade. (Photo: Rolls Royce) |
To complete the new nose, LED turn signals are positioned just below the main lamps. The styling is updated, but also very familiar. After all, apart from the new nose, the exterior remains unchanged.
Open the door and you’ll find an interior very similar to the one in the outgoing Phantom. However, there is now a bigger 8.8” screen for the infotainment system. The satellite navigation system now has 3D map display with landscape topography, and offers guided tours of popular cities and enhanced points of interest menus. To help you park wherever you go, a five-camera parking system is now also present for your easement.
Under the skin, there is a new 8-speed automatic gearbox, while the 6.75L V12 remains unchanged. However, CO2 emissions have improved from 385 to 347 g/km. Fuel economy for the Series II is rated at 14.8L/100km on the combined European cycle.
Power is rated at 453 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Despite its 2.5-ton girth, the Phantom Series II will sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 240 km/h.
Those performance figures are however for the Phantom sedan, the Phantom Extended Wheelbase, and the Phantom Drophead Coupé.
The Phantom Coupe is considered to be the sporty version, and is hence a tenth of a second quicker to 100 km/h while its raised speed limiter allows it to travel 10 km/h faster.
 |
| The Phantom Series II will sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 240 km/h. (Photo: Rolls Royce) |
So regardless of your taste, there is a 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II for everyone, if only it was easily attainable. There is no easy way of saying this; it is quite expensive. Pricing starts at US $396,970 (converted in Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate) for the short-wheelbase sedan, while the other models cost a bit more. The Drophead Coupé, for instance, costs US $469,900.
However, if you win a big lottery, this should be on your shopping list.
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