Analysing the Rolls-Royce Phantom Series 2

The Rolls Royce Phantom Series 2 is out. And after watching the official release video, it’s hard to see the changes.. Rolls Royce did not even bother to address any of the design flaws of the original renaissance. It has the same V12 engine and the same suspension and I imagine it will offer the same supple and impeccable ride to its passengers. Up front, the changes are single strip LED fog lights replacing the previous circular design. The grille also has supposedly been changed to a single piece unit as opposed to the previous three-piece unit. I say supposedly because I have compared it with that of the previous car and I can’t see any difference. At the rear end, there is a restyled bumper. The cars bold and sharp lines have also been slightly smoothed to given the car a sleeker appearance. Those are the major changes.

There interior is exactly the same. All together with the aforementioned design flaws.  The cup holders in front have issues: they cannot be used properly if the ashtray is in use. They have a tray-like cover which you can put things in. Unfortunately whatever you put in this tray will have to be removed before you can use the cup holders. It is more likely that they will be tipped over considering that cup holders are mostly opened on instinct without looking. The controls for altering ride height are located at the lamp cluster behind the rearview mirror. This is too far and not intuitive. The buttons to open the two glove boxes are not on the boxes themselves neither are they next to the boxes. They are situated to the right of the central volume knob. The controls for activating the side-view cameras and central locking are also located here. All this is unintuitive.

The front seat adjustment and memory controls are located under the cover of the central arm rest. This is counterproductive considering you cannot rest your arm and body when adjusting for a comfortable fit or posture.

Also, the umbrella release mechanism is not well thought out. The umbrella eject button is at the bottom of the umbrella hole. What this means is that you will first have to use your thumb to push the eject button before taking the umbrella which has popped out slightly. This button should be at the top of the umbrella hole so that when it is pushed, the umbrella will eject into the grip-postured hand of the chauffeur. I am surprised this wasn’t fixed considering that the Phantom’s baby brother, the Ghost, has this mechanism. A less elegant but more efficient alternative is to do away with the eject button altogether by using a spring loaded mechanism in the umbrella hole itself.

And then the tables are perfectly useless. They are too small and too far away from the passenger. And if you do manage to find some use for it, then know that you may not use the LCD screens. This is because the rear of the LCD screens serve as the table surface. So it’s an either or situation. This is akin to the Bentley Flying Spur’s armrest or cup holder layout. This either or trends in interior layout is quite common in luxury cars and to be honest, it’s baffling considering that they manage to fit every amenity in smaller cars without an either or arrangement but they are unable to accomplish the same sensible arrangement in the extra interior space afforded by these large vehicles. And it’s doubly confounding when you consider the asking price for these cars. The point of these cars is to provide ultimate comfort but they fall short. The cup holders for the rear passengers in the Phantom are just above the central transmission tunnel so you’ll have to really bend to reach your glass or bottle. There is really nothing comfortable about this.

When all is said and done, it’s still the same Phantom. It is just a facelift. And it is for this reason I wonder why they called it the Series 2 especially when you consider that the Phantom is due to be replaced in 2016. To me, naming the facelift as Series 2 is nothing but than an elegant waste of a very good name. Unless of course the Phantom’s replacement will not be a Phantom. And that in itself is a phantom. 

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