Driven: 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom

The trick to driving the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom isn't pressing it to its lofty top-speed limits. It's not screeching its massive tires until the neighbors in Holmby Hills hear you hauling out toward Palm Springs, either.

After a weekend driving the 2009 Phantom, I realized the key to driving it: letting the car float gracefully along the highway at 80 miles per hour, while avoiding ratty Honda Civics that seem to dart out in its path.

Do they not SEE a 6000-pound, custom-white-painted Goliath? It's hard to imagine anyone, anything not seeing the Phantom, a decided throwback to the way cars used to look. There's just nothing like it in the automotive world--save for the aged Bentley Arnage, which will be replaced soon enough by a new fleet-footed Bentley sedan. It's an utter traditionalist from its thick D-pillar, to its sloped trunk, to the wide bands of chrome that could blind the Palomar telescope, all the way in front to the winged Spirit of Ecstasy hood trophy, which kindly and thoughtfully tucks itself into the hood when the car is parked. Inside, the Phantom's a touch more modern, thanks to digital additions like iPod inputs and navigation screens--but tons of lacquered black trim, chrome pulls and switches, and the wide swath of wood that embellishes the bridgelike dash keep the vibe distinctly Victorian. You may not love it, but it's hard to hate the Phantom's devotion to its moment in time. (Which is approximately 1928, we think.)

Reserved and regal on the outside, the Rolls Phantom's a real performer beneath, thanks to BMW-engineered powertrains and suspension pieces. BMW owns Rolls-Royce these days, so it's no surprise to find a V-12 engine derived from the German automaker's vast engineering works under the hood. The Phantom's sheer mass blunts its 453 horsepower off the mark, but 60 mph arrives in just 5.7 seconds. A top speed of more than 155 mph seems credible, and the Phantom merely hustles harder as speeds grow. At 100 mph on the interstate, its engine is utterly serene, its six-speed automatic shifts almost invisibly (or phantom-like). The suspension is multiple links and control arms and self-leveling shocks all around, which gives it an ethereal ride quality: it's not bothered by very large road rash, and hardly lets on that something's amiss underneath its tall tires. With a huge-diameter steering wheel and feather-light feel, the steering won't urge you at all to attack corners--the $340,000 price tag certainly doesn't condone it--but the Phantom does respond to inputs on the brakes and steering diligently, if not rapidly.

Luxury knows no bounds inside the Phantom. Literally, hundreds of options await the driver or chauffeured owner who chooses a Phantom over the Arnage or, shudder, the Maybach sedans. The driver and front passenger perch high enough to see the hood figurine and to peer over the Phantom's massively wide and long hood, and the seats themselves are comfortable. The rear seats offer a little less headroom than you might expect, since they're also raised for a better view. It's the creature comforts and quality that will astound all four or five occupants: there’s room for wooden picnic tables and enough legroom to cross at the knee even when they’re lowered from the backs of the front seats. Sheets of cashmere and leather are applied everywhere that wood and chrome are not, and even in “base” form, the materials are regally chosen and applied by hand for incomparable fit and finish. Rolls-Royce will match and fit just about any material a buyer might choose, from alligator hides to exotic wood species.

Along with the custom finishes, Phantom owners can revel in standard features such as automatic climate control, a sunroof, and a Lexicon audio system. The options list is maddeningly extensive: one can choose wooden door caps, a lovely touch, or order built-in drink cabinets for the back doors. The usual satellite radio, Bluetooth and DVD screens are available, as are 20-inch wheels, custom pinstriping, and custom-tanned leather seats. The sticker price of Motor Authority's Phantom test car? A cool, collected $438,330, including all of the above plus leather trim for the dash, all sorts of special wood trim, and a steel-and-wood console with dual drink holders.

Palm Springs never saw such luxury as the Phantom we piloted back out of town, toward Los Angeles and back into safe hands with Rolls' delivery people. After a few hours, protecting the Phantom's pricey panels grew tiring. Does every clunker and project car have GPS aimed at its door panels, we asked? And is it really appropriate to have drive-through dinner while listening to Sir Mix-A-Lot in its rear seats? Or is that just a sort of smudging ceremony to make us forget ever driving something so luxurious and so large?

All of those things are true. If they're just as true in the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, we're eager to find out with a firsthand drive of that luxe sedan, too.

Motor Authority says: The imposing 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom warps your eyes back in time, even while it drives smartly alongside today's swiftest luxury sedans.