It only takes driving about three and a half feet to realize that the Rolls-Royce Phantom is unlike every other car in existence. I’ve driven plenty of Rollers before but never a Phantom. And after barely a yard’s worth of driving I said out loud “Oh, I get it.” The Phantom is a completely unique experience, one that might not be for everybody, but it’s one that everyone should experience at least once in their life.
For 2023, Rolls-Royce updated the Phantom but Rolls doesn’t use BMW-speak, so it isn’t called an LCI. Instead, it’s the Phantom Series II. Some of the updates from Series I to Series II include an illuminated Pantheon grille, new headlight bezels with laser-cut starlight patterns, and an updated art gallery dashboard.
In pictures, the Phantom isn’t an especially pretty car but, in person, it’s striking like nothing else on the road. There’s something about its sheer size and imposing proportions that immediately let you know it’s not like other cars. Everything about it, from the design, to the paint quality, to the materials, and even the way it sits on its wheels feels like it’s another league entirely from everything else.
The car I drove was especially stunning. Its breathtaking metallic green paint combined with black disc wheels was just the perfect spec. It looked elegant but also badass in a way that only a Rolls-Royce can.
Once I set off, though, I realized that, despite its imposing looks and absurd levels of luxury, the Rolls-Royce Phantom isn’t a snobby car. The common trope is that Phantom owners don’t drive their cars, they have chauffeurs for that. However, the driver isn’t the chauffeur, the Phantom is. Even as the driver, the Phantom coddles you, it wraps you in warmth and comfort, turning the chore of driving into a luxurious pleasure. There’s an old expression among us automotive scribes, that good luxury cars make you feel more refreshed at the end of a long drive than you were when you started. That’s only actually true of one car—the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
