The Sky

Pontiac Solstice GXP - Click above for high-res image gallery

Old saying: The flame that burns twice as bright burns only half as long. Having driven our share of Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters, we can't honestly declare them to be brightly burning flames. Oh, they have their good points, but the market's worst folding top mechanism and rampant parts-sharing to keep costs in check have taken their toll on the promising droptops. What we can say, however, is that every Kappa platform vehicle is fabulous looking. Even the badge job Opel GT and Daewoo G2X.

Which is why, however small, there's a tiny tear in our eye because of the news that General Motors is shuttering its Boxwood Road plant in Delaware. It makes sense: the bankrupt automaker has euthanized Pontiac and is looking to sell Saturn. Furthermore, sales of the cramped, near-trunkless (or very odd) roadsters didn't exactly keep GM out of the red. Speaking of color, the boys over at Saturn Fans report that the last Kappa to roll off the line was a silver Solstice roadster. We just hope that "Good GM" doesn't look at the end of the Kappa platform as proof that small, sporty, rear-wheel drive convertibles are a dead end. Regardless, reach behind the seat and grab a cold one to pour out for a dead, albeit awkward, homie.

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GM temporarily restarts Saturn Outlook

Saturn Outlook – Click above for high-res image gallery

Even though both the Saturn and Hummer brands are being phased out, General Motors has reportedly revived production of both the Outlook crossover and H3 SUV to meet consumer demands.



Last month, GM assembled 1,037 Outlooks at its Lansing, Michigan facility, which is where the crossover's Lamda platform stablemates (Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia) are built. A spokesperson for GM states that production was reinstated to utilize the rest of the Saturn-specific material at the facility, and that the automaker will continue to assemble the Outlook for a few more weeks.

Hummer, on the other hand, will produce 849 H3 and H3Ts to fulfill an order placed by a fleet company. GM's Shreveport, Louisiana plant will commence production of these vehicles on April 12, and the automaker says that this order will be completed no later than May 13. After that, the Shreveport plant will continue to only produce the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, though the fate of those vehicles is rather shaky, as well.

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2010 Saab 9-5 proves being born from chaos builds character

2010 Saab 9-5 – Click above for high-res image gallery

A funny thing happened on the way to bankruptcy court for General Motors. As part of a bid to have its red-stained slate wiped clean, it moved to divest itself of a number of brands in its bloated portfolio, with Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab all earmarked for sale or closure. However, only one brand inspired sufficient passion among both owners and those with the financial wherewithal to rescue it from GM's 'wind-down' apple polishers. Oddly enough, it was the tiny Swede that successfully swam out to the life raft. Saab, the marque with the smallest and oldest product lineup, lowest volume, and the poorest brand recognition among American consumers somehow found a way to survive.


How, exactly, did this come to pass? For starters, unlike any other of GM's death-row divisions, owners and fans rallied in dozens of countries, urging anyone who listened to "Save Saab." Now, we're not naïve enough to think that a band of loyalists were all it took to change the course of automotive history, but it's telling that there were no pitchforks and torches – or even a handful of picket signs – produced over the axing of the other brands. Saab remains a seldom understood, much loved brand, and we know that the displays of unity from Saab's scorned faithful stoked the fire of unlikely suitor Victor Muller, CEO and owner of Spyker Cars, as his team waded through a stomach-churning series of negotiations. After watching from the sidelines while bids by other small automakers and investment groups fizzled, the Dutch businessman and his team eventually pried the battered brand away from GM – but not before Saab had been partially liquidated.

While Muller clearly has an affinity for the Swedish marque, he insists it wasn't boyhood sentiment that drove the purchase – it was the company's robust Trollhättan operations and a raft of promising, almost-here product that pushed his team to persevere. That stream of shiny new tin begins with the car you see before you: The 2010 9-5. Click through to the jump to see if Muller and Company have good reason to be optimistic.
During our trip to Gothenburg, Sweden to drive the new 9-5, representatives vigorously pointed out that their new sedan positively brims with "Saabishness" despite being developed entirely under GM's corporate umbrella. We had to wonder: Could the same Detroit decision-makers that gave us the half-hearted Subaru-based 9-2 and the utterly cynical Chevrolet Trailblazer-in-drag 9-7X actually know enough about the brand to deliver a competent and authentic 9-5 as a parting gift to its new owners – a Saab Saab? As it turns out, yes.

As Muller told us, GM finally started to 'get the picture' with Saab in 2005, back when it decided to develop the stunningly canopied Aero X coupe. Despite never making it to production, the arresting 2006 concept (only the second showcar in Saab's entire history) actually gave Saab a much-needed fresh design direction, the production adaptation of which can be clearly seen in the new 9-5.



While the 9-5 doesn't have the Aero-X's jet-inspired tilting canopy, clear acrylic gauges or its novel drawer-style trunk, it does have an expressive, modern design that's extremely slippery (.28 cD). Its face is clearly evolved from the Geneva concept, along with details including blue-tinged 'ice block' lighting, turbine-style alloys, and blacked-out A pillars that lend the windshield a similar wraparound look. More traditional Saab cues including the 'hockey stick' greenhouse surround and prominent C-pillars also make the scene. Overall, it's a deeply handsome set of clothes that we think will wear the years particularly well because it doesn't rely on fussy surface development, tacked-on aero addenda or a lather of chrome.

Make no mistake – this is a very big car whose clean design helps it hide its bulk. At 197.2-inches long, the 9-5 shadows its chief rival, the Audi A6, by nearly four inches, and it's more than four inches longer than BMW's new 5 Series. Dimensionally, the closest comparison we can draw is actually to the Buick LaCrosse, which is predictable because they both ride on long-wheelbase derivatives of GM's Epsilon II architecture, the basic platform of which also underpins the Opel Insignia and Buick Regal (albeit in a shorter form).



Despite shared architectures and similar drivetrains, the 9-5 looks, feels and goes down the road in a wholly different fashion than its TriShield relatives. Indeed, sampled back-to-back, you'd probably be hard pressed to find much common ground. That's not a knock on any of the models in question, but instead a testament to the efforts of both Saab's stylists and its engineers. Perhaps we shouldn't be terribly surprised – GM made sure that the Scandinavian team had considerable input into the dynamics of the entire Epsilon II family, an assignment that apparently gave technicians the proper perspective to ensure adequate differentiation and, well, Saabishness.

That coherence may start with the exterior, but it carries over into the 9-5's cabin, which is unlike anything else in GM's stable. Traditional Saab cues like a driver-centric dashboard, joystick-toggled eggcrate vents, green instrument lighting, and a console-mounted ignition (now push-button instead of key-based) are all present and accounted for, as is a nifty new round information display nestled in between the analog tachometer and speedometer. The latter can display everything from trip mileage to speed limits to an amusing altimeter-style speed readout that's more fun than functional.

There's even Saab's excellent 'Night Panel' function that extinguishes all non-essential gauges for distraction-free nighttime driving – something that's particularly welcome now that there's an eight-inch screen in residence. Unfortunately, the Night Panel switch looks exactly like other automakers' start buttons in both form and location, and while that won't be a problem for owners who spend a few weeks with the car, it's an ergonomic snafu likely to haunt the unfamiliar.

More praiseworthy are the center stack controls and the easy-as-pie touchscreen infotainment unit. The buttons and knobs are all logically arrayed, and we're quite pleased that Saab has avoided the temptation to fit an all-in-one controller like those popularized by German rivals. One thing that is remarkably Teutonic in feel, however, is the 9-5's somber dashboard. Particularly on the doors and in front of the passenger, there really isn't enough to hold one's interest in terms of trim. We're not advocating for wood (we hear a grain package will be available, however), but something to break up the darkness would help make the interior feel more premium, be it piano black or some sort of additional aluminum trim.



We sampled both the front-wheel drive 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder 9-5 (due this Fall as a 2011 model) and the fully accoutered, grips-at-all-fours Aero XWD flagship, and they both have similar interiors with one distinct difference: the seats. In the 'base' car, we found the buckets to be comfortable enough, albeit a bit short on lateral bolstering. The Aero receives significantly better furniture – its front seats manage to have much more robust lateral support while being supremely comfortable – and there's a bottom cushion extender for those long-of-leg. We think that Saab should offer these seats to 9-5 intenders regardless of how many cylinders and driven wheels they choose to pay for. After telling nearby officials as much, a flurry of subsequent conversations and smartphone emails would appear to indicate that they're at least open to making them an option.

We noted plenty of space up front, and rear-seat legroom is positively mammoth, although that gracefully lilting roofline and a rather high bottom cushion means that headroom is limited for taller folks, and ingress and egress is a head-stooping affair (although not to the level of a Mercedes-Benz CLS). Tri-zone air-conditioning is an option, as is a twin-screen DVD entertainment package, so rear seat occupants should have few objections, even on longer trips.



One final recommendation: As appropriate as it might seem for a company steeped in aeronautics, skip the heads-up display if you can. While it imparts a wealth of useful information, we noted significant and distracting glare from the HUD's housing (cue additional executive conversations and emails). A fix is promised, and unlike the red-tape laden bureaucracy at GM, we actually believe an adjustment will be made in a timely fashion, so consider this a temporary warning.

But enough about the furnishings – how does it drive? We exited the parking lot at Gothenburg-Landvetter airport aboard a front-drive 2.0T six-speed manual transmission model and immediately felt at home. Despite being a large car, the 9-5 "drives small" – and not just when pushed. Even at everyday commuting speeds, its easy responses and good visibility make it feel significantly tidier of dimension – perhaps Volkswagen Passat-sized. There's none of that artificial forced heaviness that has creeped in to some Germanic rivals, but that isn't to say that the steering is featherweight, the brakes are soft or the gearbox is loose. On the contrary, the inputs are well judged, with a nicely weighted clutch with linear engagement, a gearshift that's orders of magnitude better than that of previous Saabs and a right-sized steering wheel that offers good precision and communication from the hydraulic rack-and-pinion setup beyond the firewall.



The direct-injected twin-scroll turbo four produces 220 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm, meaning that there's a slightly longer delay in reaching peak power than we've come to associate with some new DI engines of similar size. From where we sit, this is actually a source of entertainment and differentiation, as it subtly reminds us of Saab's 'big thwack' forced-induction heritage without resorting to actual massive turbo lag. Indeed, also unlike force-fed Saabs of yore is the conspicuous absence of torque steer, even with a conventional MacPherson strut front suspension on the base model. Saab indicates 0-62 mph arrives in 7.9 seconds, but surprisingly for such a small displacement engine toting a super-sized body, it feels a bit quicker than that, and it's good fun hearing the turbo whistle blow while keeping the engine in its powerband. Keep the throttle planted and the four-cylinder will run to 149 mph, with the V6 pushing to 155.

Regardless of how many cylinders you specify underhood, you can also get Saab's new DriveSense adaptive handling – it's standard on the V6 Aero and optional on I4 models. Basically, it's a three-position dial on the center console that optimizes the car's various systems for tailored ride and handling. Damping rates, steering weight, shift points and throttle mapping are all tailored to one of three modes Comfort, Sport or Intelligent. The first detent allows for more suspension compliance and a relaxed throttle for maximum fuel economy. The middle setting curbs power steering assist, raises shift points, makes throttle control more urgent, stiffens the dampers and, critically, sends more torque to the rear-wheels. As you might suspect, the third mode, Intelligent, seeks to find the best balance between the other two settings, and it succeeds. Of course, if you think you know better than Saab's engineers, it's also possible to alter the system's individual parameters through the touchscreen.



We didn't have the chance to sample a 9-5 without this trick bit of siliconry, so we'll need to try DriveSense on a wider range of road conditions to really judge its merits. Sweden has a beautiful network of rolling B-roads that threads through its densely wooded interior (it's not entirely unlike the Pacific Northwest), but its roads are in such good repair that we didn't get the opportunity to feel how it behaves over buckled pavement. Interestingly, we understand from Saab's engineers that the standard four-pot's setup is oriented toward a more sporting experience, so even though DriveSense appears to work as advertised, we suspect the base front-driver might be just as well without it. In fact, less supportive seats aside, we actually prefer driving the four-cylinder 9-5 to the Aero XWD.

It's not that there's anything wrong with the 300 horsepower (at 5,500 rpm), 295 pound-feet of torque (at 2,000 rpm) turbo V6. We've loved the torque-vectoring all-wheel drive since we first sampled it in the 9-3 Turbo X, and the six-speed automatic is largely commendable in its smoothness, although we do wish the paddle shifters worked when the gear lever was left in 'D.' Overall, the Aero may be more accomplished, but it's also not as engaging, in part because the addition of power and an automatic gearbox encourages less interaction from the driver and in part because at 4,464 pounds, it's significantly heavier than the 2.0T (3,472). While certainly not out-of-line for its class (particularly given its massive equipment list and all-wheel drive), the Aero's weight and grippier Haldex setup mean that it just doesn't feel as tossable as its FWD counterpart, even with its standard 'sport chassis' setup that includes a bigger front anti-roll bar, stiffer springs and a 10 mm lower ride height. Interestingly, V6-equipped models utilize a totally different suspension setup than the four-cylinder model, one that includes GM's new HiPer strut front suspension and a linked H-arm setup out back.

Rounding off the more polished V6 model is a note about noise: The 2.8 is seriously quiet – almost too quiet. With a quoted 0-62 mph time of 6.9 seconds, it's the quicker car, but if you're really that concerned about off-the-line snap, there are swifter offerings in this class. In short, the 2.8 Aero is a really fine cruiser, and it's the better bet for inclement weather, but enthusiasts would do well to sample the front-drive four-cylinder model first.



As a bonus, the four-equipped 9-5 figures to be much less expensive. Saab has already stated that the 9-5 Aero will retail for $49,995, and at first glance, the Aero seems to be priced uncomfortably close to that of its more prestigious European rivals – the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E Class all start in the same neighborhood. But it's important to note that at that price the 9-5 comes loaded to the headliner with features like sat-nav, moonroof, lane-departure warning, active bi-xenon headlamps, park assist, heated and cooled leather seats, iPod integration, 19-inch wheels and a heads-up display – all items that can easily add another 10 grand to its competitors' bottom lines. If you want to go for the full Saab smörgåsbord, there's the aforementioned tri-zone HVAC and rear-seat entertainment packages, Harman/Kardon audio, along with some rather nice (if unnecessary) Brembo brakes that we sampled on a test track (what's a Swedish car launch without the obligatory 'moose test'?). Oddly, the bigger binders actually require downsizing to a unique 18-inch alloy, as they don't fit under the turbine 19s. Alternatively, we understand that the base 9-5 2.0T will retail for somewhere in the neighborhood of $38-39k, and even with a few options, this package strikes us as a much more compelling buy, pricing out against much smaller cars like the A4 and C Class.

In our interactions with Saab's new leadership, we were pleased to find that they have a rich appreciation for what the Scandinavian brand stands for – and just as importantly, a plan for what it can and should be. While it's clear that Muller and company don't view theirs as a brand that should be all things to all people, the wider market seems to be finally cottoning on to many of Saab's traditional strongholds, placing an increasing emphasis on small-displacement engines, forced induction and foul weather performance. That bodes well for Saab's strategy to find profitability not by blending in with the mainstream, but by sticking to its oddly endearing knitting. After a belated birth following much disorder and chaos, the new 9-5 paints a promising future for Saab, and we can't wait to see what it can develop as a fully independent company. Skål!
source by autoblog.com

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2008 Saab Turbo X

2008 Saab Turbo X – Click above for high-res image gallery

Turbocharging has been as much a part of Saab's DNA for the last three decades as jets. Saab didn't invent turbocharging, but the Swedish brand has probably embraced it more completely than other carmaker. With 2008 marking the 30th birthday of the first production Saab 99 Turbo, the gang in Trollhattan decided to celebrate with their meanest and fastest iteration yet. As we close out the 2008 model year, our Swedish friends are now starting to deliver the direct descendant of that first turbo, the 9-3 Turbo X.


Saab Turbos have come a long way over those three decades. The original 99 Turbo extracted 143 horsepower from its 2.0L four-cylinder engine to twist the front wheels. Most Saabs today are still powered by turbo four-cylinder engines driving those same front wheels. The Turbo X, however, adds two more cylinders and two more drive wheels. It also has nearly double the power and torque of that first effort. Fellow Autoblogger Dan Roth spent the day thrashing the Turbo X at a media preview a couple of weeks ago. We've now had the chance to spend a full week with Saab's newest baby in everyday use.
When press vehicles get shuffled off from one journalist to the next, occasionally things get bent or broken. Transmissions get destroyed, cars slide off on-ramps, and sometimes engines need repair. That means that the cars that we're scheduled to drive sometimes have to be canceled. Such was the case last week when the Audi TT we were expecting failed to arrive, leaving us trying to find a replacement for an upcoming weekend road trip. Fortunately, the GM press fleet manager called up less than 24 hours later to let me know the Turbo X had just arrived in the fleet. Barely 24 hours after that call I was signing for the keys to the sinister looking black Saab.

The Turbo X is the newest derivative of Saab's mainstream 9-3 lineup. The 9-3 is built on the same global Epsilon platform used for most of GM's mid-sized models. In addition to the 9-3, Epsilon is used for the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura, Opel Vectra and others. Although the next generation Epsilon II debuts this summer with the Opel Insignia, The Epsilon I used for the Turbo-X is still a fine architecture.

For 2008 the 9-3 got a major visual refresh, primarily in the front. The new face draws a lot from recent Saab concepts like the Aero X. The three port grille now looks much more aggressive and has more visual distinction than the previous edition.

Anyone familiar with Saabs of yore will feel instantly at home in the Turbo X. Like almost all Saabs, the key goes in the center console aft of the shift lever. By my fourth day with the Turbo X, I was almost consistently remembering not to reach behind the steering wheel. Unfortunately, the car that GM sent over was saddled with the six-speed automatic rather than the three-pedal shift-for-yourself gearbox. Saab does provide manual shift switches on the steering wheel, however, so you don't have to use the gear shift.

The air vents at the outboard of the dash and top of the center stack feature a little joystick in the middle that allow you guide the air where you want it to go. The temperature of the air coming out of those vents can be individually managed and automatically regulated for each of the front seats via the knobs lower down on the stack. Unlike many other current the GM products, the On-Star buttons are located just above the climate control knobs instead of on the rear view mirror. Front and center in the top of the stack is the same standard issue double-Din radio used on most other mainstream GM models like the Malibu and Aura.

At a starting price of nearly $42K you might think a head unit with a nav system should be a standard offering, but as is so often the case, that's a $2,145 extra. Regardless of its feature set, the standard radio sounds decent and is straightforward to use. As in all other applications of this unit, it also has the standard 1/8" plug on the front allowing you toplug in your iPod or other audio player (for the four of you out there using some other brand).

Aside from the odd-ball location of the key, the only other quibble we had with the interior layout was the location of the release for the steering wheel adjustment. The wheel is adjustable for both reach and rake. Unfortunately, the release is so far down the column, that after making an adjustment and trying the re-lock it, the steering wheel usually ends up moving again.

One button unique to Saabs is the Night Panel switch. Pressing the button at night switches off all the dash lighting except for the speedometer and even switches off the tachometer. Another thoughtful feature of the interior is the ribbed rubber inserts in the bottom of the storage cubbies in the center console. Cell phones and iPods placed in these compartments no longer slide around when cornering.

One element that certainly can't be faulted on the 9-3 is the seats. They were extremely comfortable over a three and a half hour drive from Ann Arbor to Yellow Springs, OH. Up to three combinations of seat and mirror positions could be stored in memory, which was handy as the test unit had an odd quirk that was likely a software bug. Every time I got out of the car and closed the door, the driver side mirror dipped down to look at the ground. Being able to just press the memory button restored it back to it's previous position. Once correctly positioned though, the Saab seats do a great job of keeping the driver correctly oriented during hard cornering allowing full mental effort to focused on positioning the car instead of the posterior.

Mechanically, the main thing that distinguishes the Turbo X from its lesser 9-3 siblings is the higher output 2.8L turbocharged V6. Compared to the Aero, the X picks up an extra 25 hp and 32 lb-ft of torque (now at 280hp and 295lb-ft). This engine is a smaller displacement variant of the 3.6L high feature V6 used in a range of GM products worldwide and, as always, it's smooth running and in this form has plenty of torque in the meat of the rpm range.

Unfortunately, if you're cruising along with the revs at around 2 grand, a quick stab at the throttle incites a momentary pause as the turbo spins up to generate some boost. Once that happens though, the Turbo X just leaps forward and takes no prisoners. The single turbo layout and lack of direct injection are probably to blame for the lag here. Getting more power typically requires a bigger turbo to generate more boost, and the resulting increase in inertia usually brings with it lag.

Hopefully next time around GM will see fit to use two smaller turbos that spin up faster and still generate the same or more combined boost. Migrating the direct injection system from the bigger 3.6L in the Cadillac CTS would also help as the engine could then run higher compression without risking knock. That would further fatten the bottom of the torque curve and improve overall responsiveness.

That responsiveness wasn't helped by the automatic transmission, at least in its default mode. The programming obviously was optimized to get the utmost out of the EPA driving cycle and wanted to keep the engine revs down. When pulling out to pass it wasn't particularly inclined to downshift and launches were less than thrilling.

Conveniently, Saab actually builds in a very simple solution to this behavior. Next to the radio is a button labeled with an 'S' and a little gear shift icon. A quick press of the button switches the transmission shift logic to Sport Mode and makes it behave the way a performance-oriented driver would row a manual box. Shifts are sharper and happen NOW. The other thing it does is downshift during decceleration inducing some engine braking. The result is that on corners the transmission is now in something closer to the optimum gear for accelerating out the other side. If someone could just figure out which bit to flip in the powertrain control so that sport mode was the default when starting the car, it would be much more in keeping with the character of the car.

Easily the most annoying aspect of the Turbo-X is the exhaust note. It's not annoying all the time, just in the range from about 2,000- 2,400 RPM. Like far too many "sporty" cars today, the exhaust has a droning sound in that range. Above and below that range the tone is fine, but in that region it has a constant low frequency sound that is just plain awful. It's not like a rumble or roar that implies power, but more like the coffee can mufflers you find on so many tuner cars.

This might not be a problem were it not for the fact that 70 MPH in 6th gear equates to about 2,100 RPM. That means that cruising at the legal speed limit on most American highways subjects occupants of the car to this sound. I did find a work around, though. Popping the shifter into manual mode and downshifting to 5th brings the speed up to 2,500 RPM and the sound magically disappears along with some extra gas.

While I didn't have the opportunity to really thrash the Turbo X on a track or push it too hard on the road, the cross-wheel-drive system demonstrated its worth every time the car accelerated. Even with all that power, the Turbo X never exhibited even the slightest hint of torque steer. Like Acura's Super Handling-All Wheel Drive and BMW's xDrive, the Haldex system vectors torque to the wheels not only with the most grip, but also to help the car go in the direction that the driver is requesting. Signals from the stability control system are fed to the drive control, which helps reduce the need for braking the wheels and also cutting engine torque.

Accelerating through corners or on-ramps, the Turbo X always felt neutral and went directly where it was pointed. For a sporting car like this, the Turbo X has a good ride for everyday commuting without pounding the occupants. During my driving, the car averaged 22 mpg, which probably would have been 1-2 mpg more if I had left the transmission in 6th on the highway. Saab claims a 16.2-gallon fuel tank, but before I filled the tank the gauge was reading empty and the cluster showed a distance to empty of 10 miles. However, the tank would only take 13.7 gallons. Since I wasn't inclined to drive the car until it died, I'm not sure if the gauge was just being really conservative or there is an error somewhere.

Overall, the Saab Turbo X is a fun car to drive and, aside from the exhaust note, is a great long distance cruiser. The only option missing from this car was the nav system, while the automatic transmission, Touring and Cold Weather packages bring the bottom line to $45,305 including destination charges. You can get the Turbo X in Jet Black Metallic, Jet Black Metallic, Jet Black Metallic, or Jet Black Metallic. Is it worth $45K? Only the buyer can decide, but for Saab-o-philes or anyone looking for a fun sport sedan, it's certainly an eminently viable option.
source by autoblog.com

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Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

We were lucky enough to ride in the concept car two years ago, when the now Phantom Coupe was called the 101EX. Our words that day were "You have to build this car." And we've been waiting ever since the end of that sentence for this day to come. It was evident even as a concept that no other coupé -- with two syllables, please -- promised such a return to Jazz Age glamor, when a gentleman motored from Antibbes to Monaco in a Hooper bodied Phantom II to visit that Polish countess he'd had his eye on. So, when Rolls-Royce called with the invite to Goodwood to drive the new Phantom Coupe from England to Crozet, in the South of France, it would be our chance to see if the promise was delivered. Follow the jump to find out.


The Phantom Coupe is a large car. This is not surprising -- it's a Rolls-Royce, and it's based on the Phantom, which is an even larger car. But parked among other Coupes and Phantoms, it didn't seem so big -- not even when we had to stand on tip-toe to sit in the seat. But at one point, when we pulled into a gas station in France, we lined up for a spot between a Golf cabrio and a Renault, and all of a sudden it felt like we were trying to park the Death Star. Incredibly, even once we had slotted in, there was plenty of room to open the massive suicide doors and retrieve the French chocolate we'd been craving.

The sleight-of-car is due to the magic Rolls-Royce has in making its vehicles drive a lot smaller than they are. The Phantom Coupe has the same dimensions as the Drophead Coupe, at 18.5 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, but a half an inch lower due to the hardtop. For comparison, we drove the Phantom EWB right after getting out of the Coupe. The EWB is ten inches longer than a regular Phantom, which is itself ten inches longer than the Phantom Coupe, and there was practically no difference. You look in the rearview mirror and you can see that the guy in back is a lot further back... but the cars feel the same size. In the Coupe, at no point do you think you're driving a car that is 17 inches longer than a BMW 760Li. Speaking of length, though, that back seat isn't anywhere near as spacious at the one in the BMW, but there's room for an adult to be comfy long enough to get wherever you'll be going, which is probably from your penthouse to the club, or the yacht, or the Michelin three-star restaurant...

Since it sheds the convertible top, the Coupe also benefits from a gas tank and trunk that are both 25-percent larger than its droptop sibling. Filled up, the fuel gauge said we could go about 635 kilometers on the 100-liter (26.4 gallons), and we were told that you can fit four bags of clubs in the 395-liter boot.

Underneath, the car features the 6.75-liter V12 that well heeled customers have not stopped loving. Chassis-wise, it's the stiffest Rolls-Royce in the lineup, and utilizes different spring rates, stiffer dampers, a thicker rear anti-roll bar, and steering tuned for more response. The car also sports a 49:51 weight ratio. With all that, its 453-HP and 532 lb-ft pulls 5,798 pounds of car from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, on to a governed 155-MPH top speed. Imagine being able to sit on the back of a white rhino and hit the gas, you'll get the feeling.

Inside, the car is pure Rolls-Royce: an uncluttered, leather-stuffed, organ-stop- and violin-key-ornamented suite. There isn't really much going on, but it's almost all there. Some of it is hidden, like the seat controls under the center armrest, which is a minor issue, and the media screen controller, which is a good thing. The dash is little more than a speedo in the center, a gas gauge to the right, and a Power Reserve meter to the left, which we guarantee you will never have cause to look at, unless you're drag racing Astons up Mont Ventoux.
But let's get to the pièce de resistance inside the car: the starlight headliner. Sadly, the northern latitudes of our locations meant daylight came so early and stayed so late we were never in the car at night. The darkest it got while we were actually driving the car was during the Chunnel ride from Dover to Calais. We turned on the headliner in our boxcar, and frankly, it wasn't that impressive. It made us go "Ah, neat... lights..." On the last night, however, Paul Farraiolo, president of Rolls-Royce NA, swiped some keys so we could experience the headliner in the dead of the Alpine darkness. And then it made us go "Ah. I see. Lights!"

There are 1,600 fiber optic lights placed in the headliner, each one created by one woman -- by hand. It comes with what was called a "rheostat," but what laymen would call a "dimmer switch." At its lowest setting the headliner is twinkle, twinkle little star. At its highest setting, there's a lot of light. It's soft light, not like the klieg lights in some other luxury cars, and probably bright enough to read the paper by. It really will be good for more than a few oohs and ahhhhs. It was a tad odd to be sitting in the driver's seat at 2 am and have the car lit up like the dining room. Rest assured, though, that that Argentine model you're taking to dinner next week is going to love it.

We asked a Rolls-Royce honcho on the first day, when we'd drive from the factory in Goodwood to the Champagne region in France, what he really wanted us to get from the car. They wanted us to see how easy the Phantom Coupe is to drive over long distances. With six hundred kilometers ahead of us, we'd have plenty of time to find out if he was right.

Well, he was. In fact, he was almost too right. The car is so easy to drive, so comfortably over long distances, so uncluttered in presentation, and asking nothing in return, that, dare we say it, at one point... cruising effortlessly at speeds you don't want to know about down the French autoroute... the car... ceased to feel special. That's right. It felt so much like driving our living room that we began to feel as special as we do in our living room... and although we like our living room... it just doesn't make me feel all kingly.

How can we say this? Let us count the ways: the car doesn't register anything but the mightiest of bumps, lumps, and holes; the steering is just-right responsive for a big luxury tourer, requiring neither laser focus to keep things straight, nor being so lax that you need to turn the wheel before you actually want to turn the wheels; the only thing there is to play with are the climate control knobs, which, not being digital, could involve a bit of finessing to get the temperature you want; and the last thing: when the windows are up, the outside world ceases to exist.

The windows on the car are two slabs of glass that sandwich a thick slice of glazing material. Journos at another publication wrote that they noticed the windshield wiper motor noise. And we noticed it too, as well as the furious amounts of wind gliding around the massive front end and A-pillars. But all wiper motors make noise, and all vehicles feature some sound effects from wind. The reason you notice them so much in the Coupe is that there is nothing else to hear. The car is so well insulated, and the windows are so thick, that there's no road noise, you don't hear cars and trucks next to you. It's you, the wind noise around the A-pillar, and... the crickets. That's it. So when you roll down the windows, the volume inside the car jumps a noticeable number of decibels, and you remember, "Oh yeah, there's, like, stuff out there." Yeah. It's called the Earth.

It was day two in the car that returned the feeling of privilege to us. We had another 600 kilometers, but this time it would be over back lanes and B-roads. And it was then that we discovered the "S" button on the steering wheel, also called "The Roundabout Button." It doesn't do much: it changes the gearbox programming, dropping you down a gear immediately, and then kicks down gears faster, holds gears longer, and increases accelerator pedal response. But it has a much larger affect on the car than those changes would imply. Come to twisties, and the car jumps out of corners and bolts for the next one. Imagine that white rhino mentioned earlier, after doing 0-60 in 5.6 seconds in its basic guise, then put on a pair of gold Nikes like the kind Michael Johnson wore in the 1996 Olympics, and gave you a look like "Let's get it on!" It's hard to believe, even while doing it. If anything -- or rather, if there are any other Coupe buyers who drive like us -- we can imagine a few of them ending up in walls and ditches. The car hurtles out of turns and down straights, but there is still the issue of 6,000 pounds needing to enter and get around the next turn, and you could end up having so much fun that you forget about a silly little thing called physics. By the end of that day, all was rosy in the world again, and we felt as just special as we thought we should.

There are things I could complain about, like the BMW 7-Series key and the finicky iPod integration. But I won't. People buying this car simply don't care. Issues like that are on the list entitled "Things Phantom Coupe Buyers Don't Give One &%$#@! About," and just after gas prices and insurance premiums, they are numbers "Whatever" and "Did you say something?"

What you need to know is this: the car is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. All promise has been fulfilled, and it has all the grace, presence, manners, and gawk factor that you would expect from any Rolls-Royce. What's more, when you decide to give it the Big-Brown-down-the-back-straight treatment, the car goes. It's big and drives small. It's massive and goes fast. It's luxurious and uncomplicated. It looks great and will get you looks -- and crowds -- all day. And remember, get a model close to that starlight headliner and it's a done deal. The only catch is that you'll need $400,000 before taxes, options, models, and Polish countesses. But honestly, is that too much to pay for a leather-lined ticket to the promised land? As far as we're concerned, no. In fact, we'll still take two, thank you.

One last note: Rolls-Royce had a few words to say about the RR4, the first being "Don't call it a baby Rolls-Royce. It will be noticeably larger than a 7-Series, and it will be more expensive than any Bentley." When Tom Purves, CEO of Rolls-Royce, was asked "Even the Arnage?" his answer was "Any Bentley." So there.
source by autoblog.com

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