Rolls-Royce Phantom has received multiple subtle updates to fend off the challenge from the Maybach S-Class.
Rolls-Royce has updated its range-topping Phantom with an array of subtle tweaks aimed at keeping it competitive against rivals from Mercedes-Maybach and Bentley.
The main tweaks include a slightly reworked front grille, which features a more prominent badge and a darkened finish and is now illuminated – as on the smaller Rolls-Royce Ghost.
A new, polished horizontal line between the daytime-running lights has also been added and gives the car a “new and assertive modernity, reflecting its driver-focused character”, according to Rolls-Royce.
The Phantom’s lights also get an upgrade, with laser-cut star-shaped motifs added for extra night-time presence.
There’s a new set of stainless steel wheels too, with triangular details, but 1920s-style disc wheels are also available.
Inside, a thicker steering wheel has been fitted but the rest of the cabin remains unaltered.
However, owners can opt for a new silver-white interior colour scheme called Phantom Platino, which brings a bamboo-derived fabric for the rear seats, while leather is used for the front seats.
No other modifications have been made, so the Rolls-Royce Phantom continues with the same twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 engine that it has used since its arrival in 2017.
Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said: “We are acutely conscious of our clients’ esteem for and love of their Phantoms. They felt it could not be improved; but while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of absolute perfection.
“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing’.”
Will Rimell