The Phantom VIII is arguably the most silent car in the world having been loaded with almost 300 pounds of sound insulation to keep its occupants away from the unpleasant noise of the outside world.
Many auto reviewers that have had the privilege of being exposed to the detailed features of the new vehicle are also of the view that the 2018 Phantom will be the peak of motoring pleasure.
For instance, Auto Car, in its report, says the all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom promises ride comfort and interior luxury of an unprecedented quality, as well as a greatly improved driving experience.
An auto writer, Drew Stearne, in a review onCnet.com, says it is hard to imagine the car world without Rolls-Royce, having remained a signifier of wealth, success, celebrity and status for a century.
Commenting on the latest Phantom, he says, “But even within Rolls-Royce, there is a hierarchy, and firmly at the top for over 90 years, the Phantom has earned adoration the world over as simply the best car money can buy. Now, it is time for the current Phantom to make way for Goodwood’s finest new endeavour, the Phantom VIII.”
Engine performance
In a report presented under jalopnic.com,Andrew Collins describes the Phantom VIII as the most silent car in the world. It is also presented as a penthouse apartment hitched to four wheels and a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 rated to 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, on tap from a burbling 1,700 RPM, running to the rear wheels through a ZF eight-speed transmission.
Rolls-Royce’s Engineering Director, Philip Koehn, says the new Phantom is 10 per cent quieter at highway cruising speeds than its already-sepulchral predecessor.
Quiet interior
Collins, who is Chief Test Pilot at the Jalopnic, says, “Incalculable effort was expended to create ‘the most silent motor car in the world’ including 6mm two-layer glazing all around the car, more than 130kg of sound insulation, the largest ever cast aluminium joints in a body-in-white for better sound insulation, and use of high absorption materials.
“Acoustic insulation from road noise has been helped by the employment of double skin alloy on areas within the floor and bulkhead of the space-frame. This is a feature unique to New Phantom. Further noise insulation by inserting dense foam and felt layers are between these skins to provide sound insulation not witnessed before in the car industry.
“In addition, high absorption layers within the headliner, in the doors and in the boot cavity have further aided insulation and reduced reverberation. Rolls-Royce also worked closely with its tyre supplier to invent ‘Silent-Seal’ tires – which feature a specific foam layer placed inside the tyre to wipe out tyre cavity noise and reduce overall tyre noise by 9db, meaning that conversation within the car is completely effortless.”
Exterior
The styling on the 2018 Phantom is said to be imposing, with the front having a new monolithic appearance that sets it apart from its predecessor while retaining its lineage.
An online auto journal, Car and Driver, says, “Despite looking familiar, this Phantom is nearly entirely new. It sits on Rolls-Royce’s new aluminium space-frame platform, officially dubbed the Architecture of Luxury, which will go on to underpin all of the company’s forthcoming models, including the Project Cullinan SUV.
It also says the vehicle’s 140-inch wheelbase is slightly smaller than the previous edition’s, with the overall length of 227.2 inches shrinking by 2.8 inches for the standard-wheelbase version.
“The Pantheon grille is larger than ever, but it fits more naturally into the surrounding bodywork. It also sits higher on the car, lifting the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament up higher still. It may not be initially to everyone’s taste, but the sheer modernity of this design should make it feel fresh for years to come,” says Collins.
Looking at the roof line, it has been simplified, making the lines of the car from front to back look like one long continuation of a single idea.
Safety
The car has a number of driver-aid features such as night vision, active cruise control, a four-camera 360-degree parking assistant, long-range sensors designed to detect traffic.
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