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that displays as a split screen on the dash.) Despite its length
the car has an unexpectedly small turning circle. Drivers of
pre-Phantom cars will find it an odd experience to see the hood
falling away towards the grille. From the driver’s seat you now
only see the mascot’s kneecaps, not the feet. Rear seat leg and
headroom are adequate but the relatively low fixed roof makes
it feel smaller than it is in reality. (In the Brooklands it is quite
a bit more spacious, although ingress is harder due to the lower
roofline and, possibly, the conventionally hinged doors.) Rear
seat occupants, however, are in the best place in the house to
partake of one of the Coupé’s distinctive attractions: the fulllength,
dimmable starlight headliner. The stars are plenty bright
even in daylight but obviously “shine” in darkness. Speaking of
darkness, the Coupé’s interior lighting is, as in the other Phantoms,
very elegant at night.
Interior appointments and functions are in the main identical
to the Drophead. In the Drophead, RR explained certain
design choices by alluding to the open car’s nautical, ship-shape,
uncluttered cockpit theme. For instance, the seat controls,
among others, were relegated to the center console where they
reside below a flip-up cover. This requires both front-seat occupants
to lift their arms to access the controls. In the Coupé, with
Audiophiles will appreciate the 15-speaker Lexicon audio
system with standard-issue 6-CD changer or optional iPod
connectivity. It is controlled by a single dial. A 9-channel amp
provides a healthy 420-watt output. (Details: US readers
may have noticed recent Hyundai ads that imply that their
new $40K Genesis sedan uses the same “Lexicon-branded”
[emphasis by ED.] audio system as the Phantom and wonder
how that can be. While the maker is the same, the systems
are different.)
The Sport button on the steering wheel.
a closed roof and immune from the elements, they are still in
the same place; somewhat inconvenient. As is the iDrive system.
There is no way to operate this complex and unintuitive system
to its fullest capacity without studying the manual, which you
can hardly do while driving. For a vehicle that will in all likelihood
be used as only an occasional car, this is cumbersome.
Complex car—complex manual.
©The ©The Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce
Owners Owners Club, Club, Inc. Inc.
Starlight headliner and brightness
control.
9072 THE FLYING LADY November / December 2008
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