2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Review

There are no changes for the 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

The Phantom Coupe is exactly what you'd expect of a Rolls-Royce. It's decadently opulent, wickedly powerful, meticulously engineered and unapologetically grandiose. If you've got the cash, then step right up.

The 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe is a unique sort of two-door car. It weighs 200 pounds more than a Mercedes G-Class and costs $200,000 more than the average American home. It's also the only coupe with rearward-opening doors. This Rolls-Royce may be the two-door version of the Phantom sedan, but it is still an extravaganza of regal size, prestige and presence, and it's also more responsive to drive. If you want something truly special to put in your garage, this is it.

As you'd imagine, most of the creature comforts found in regular luxury cars are onboard the stately Phantom Coupe. But then there are the countless touches of class and extravagance that go that extra premium mile. Every surface is covered in rich leather, adorned in veneer or fashioned from chrome. The carpets are made of deep-pile sheepskin that'll have you bringing slippers along for the ride. The RR logos in the 21-inch wheels don't spin. The doors open rearward for a graceful entry and exit. The trunk opens with a two-piece "picnic" lid. Then there's the optional "Starlight Headliner," which turns the interior roof into a starry night with fiber-optic lights and holes punched individually by hand. Extensive customization options ensure that no two will be exactly alike.

However, much of that is available on the other Rolls-Royce Phantom models (sedan and Drophead Coupe convertible). Rolls has attempted to set the Coupe apart with driving dynamics that are a bit edgier than what its siblings offer. Stiffer rear dampers and modified spring rates firm up the suspension without noticeably affecting ride quality, and a thicker rear antiroll bar is said to reduce body lean in hard cornering. The steering wheel rim is slightly thicker and supposedly offers more road feel, and a Sport button on the wheel itself activates a more aggressive transmission mode. These tweaks don't exactly turn the Phantom Coupe into a sports car, but they do make for a more driver-centric experience than you'd expect from something that's 18 feet long and 5,800 pounds.

Of course, paying more than $400,000 for any car seems a little nutty. But then again, the Phantom Coupe is as much a "car" as the Queen is a little old lady. You're paying for the entire Rolls-Royce experience, including the ability to cruise down the road and draw glances from everyone with a working set of eyes. You may get a bit of that with an Aston Martin DB9, Bentley Continental GT or Maserati GranTurismo, but not in the same way. There is nothing else like the 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe on the road, and by George, for this much money, there had better not be.

The 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe is powered by a 6.7-liter V12 capable of 453 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels. Rolls-Royce estimates that the two-door Phantom will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.

Safety equipment includes run-flat tires, antilock brakes, traction and stability control, active front head restraints, front knee airbags, front side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Front and rear parking cameras are optional.

The 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe is really, really big. Driving it through tighter streets can be like piloting the U.S.S. Nimitz through the Erie Canal, requiring the driver to keep tabs on its wide body while simultaneously peering over the huge front end, which is visible in the distance like the bow of a ship. Thankfully, the optional split-view front camera provides a left-right side view of crossroads ahead. Given its size, the Coupe is definitely happiest out on the open road, dominating high-speed thoroughfares like a road-going ocean liner, though its sport-tuned chassis helps keep it settled on twisty roads. Despite our repeated nautical references, the smooth ride is not floaty, absorbing broken pavement with nothing but muted thumps.

Believe it or not, the 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe has a pretty nice interior. Almost every surface is adorned in beautifully crafted veneer, shiny chrome, soft cashmere or the sumptuous hides of between 15 and 18 Bavarian cattle. The dashboard has so much wood on it that you might mistake it for a clothes bureau. The driver is greeted by classically simple gauges and a minimalist control panel. The climate controls are mounted a little low on the dash, however, and they consist of strange thumb wheels instead of dials or buttons with a digital display. More complex functions like the navigation system are managed by an interface similar to BMW's iDrive system, with the trademark mouselike controller hiding inside the center console when not in use and the LCD screen disappearing behind the classic analog clock.

Thanks to the rear-hinged "coach" doors, ingress and egress are far easier than in traditional coupes. The doors are impressively large and quite heavy, though one doesn't have to yank them shut, as they are power-operated. Although not nearly as spacious as the Phantom sedan's enormous rear quarters, the Coupe's backseat still provides plenty of adult-sized comfort for hours of high-class travel.