Tour the shiny new Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II: the US$700,000 Mercedes-Maybach rival can be done up in silk with bespoke artworks, with picnic tables and blackout curtains – and isn’t electric

Nov 3 , 2022

The 2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II. Photo: NetCarShow

Rolls-Royce’s flagship sedan boasts a 563-horsepower V12 engine, 12mpg in the city and a 60 decibel noise level offering ultra privacy in its vaultlike confines

This 2023 edition and rival to Mercedes-Maybach has some extravagant add-on features like a champagne cooler, Spirit of Ecstasy masthead and elevated footrests

When carmakers are spending billions to produce and promote electric vehicles, it actually stuns a little when someone unveils something that’s unapologetically un-pluggable.

That phrase aptly describes the 2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II. The longest-running nameplate of the 116-year-old brand, Rolls-Royce’s flagship sedan boasts a 563-horsepower V12 engine, 12mpg in the city and a price tag that, for most buyers, will approach US$700,000 (gas guzzler tax included).

Its opulent braggadocio will be booed in some social sets, and its infotainment systems fall a hair off the mark in general finesse, compared with those of industry leader Mercedes-Maybach, but Phantom II well maintains Rolls-Royce’s status at the pinnacle of luxury on four wheels. More than a car, it represents an entire lifestyle. You won’t just feel special when riding inside the Phantom’s vaultlike confines; you’ll feel superior.

So what’s it like exactly? We take a look at all the luxurious amenities and features …

Monarch minded

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II (2023) has a market price of about US$700,000.

Phantom II proffers few changes from its previous generation, apart from revised headlamps with 820 tiny bezel-cut stars surrounding them, new wheel options and a slightly shifted grille. The focus here is on letting clients do pretty much whatever they want to make the car feel like their own.

You can commission your own art or the art of a favourite artist for the dashboard; you can order the interior done completely in silk if you like. Now, that is very old-school cool. Uplighting on the Spirit of Ecstasy masthead (US$4,950), elevated footrests (US$6,300), refrigerated champagne cooler (US$3,500) and picnic tables in the rear covered in wood veneer of your choosing (US$4,100) are some of the more conventional options.

The dark emerald green Phantom I drove 470km (290 miles) from Los Angeles to Las Vegas last week weighs in at US$650,000, which includes such things as a US$14,500 “rear theatre configuration” and US$1,650 “commissioned collection umbrellas in cashmere grey” (actual weight: 5,643 pounds). Its Gotham skyscraper grille advertises to all that it owns the road; 22-inch forged black disc wheels (a US$13,000 option) recall the dark deco cars mobsters drove during Prohibition. Unapologetic, indeed.