Rolls-Royce continues its triumphal march around the world, and even in the UAE, like nowhere else, these cars are in great favor. And when you are offered a ride in the three best representatives of the RollsRoyce Phantom family - a limousine, coupe and convertible, it is absolutely impossible to resist, believe me. Let someone chuckle: "Test drive on the RollsRoyce in ladies' performance - nonsense!". But we decided to prove that even such powerful cars become “cute and obedient” in gentle female hands. The main thing is to find an approach ...
Prelaunch Preparation
What Russian doesn’t like fast driving? Oh, Nikolay Vasilyevich Gogol would know what he was talking about! Honestly, the writer was not lucky, because in his time they still rode on horseback triples. And our top three cars from the Rolls-Royce Phantom family were already waiting for their riders at the main entrance of the Burj Al Arab hotel.
All those invited to the test drive were warmly welcomed by representatives of the Rolls-Royce dealer in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates - AGMC - Frank Timann, Corporate Communications Manager in the Middle East and Europe, Natalya Norikova, Marketing Manager and Mohammed El-Arishi, Manager business development. A sweet breakfast was followed by a sweet conversation, and, finally, vigorous and determined testers set off. Each driver from among the journalists of various Dubai publications was given a briefing, the position of the main pens and buttons was explained. The main discovery for all of us was perhaps the huge black umbrellas hidden in the front doors of each Rolls-Royce, which are mined from there to protect the passenger from heavy rain. How prudent they are, these Englishmen! True, the rain, on the day of our test drive, which occurred on April 6, was not planned, and the "sun of fire", we went in the direction of Jebel Ali.
At the wheel of the entire “Phantom” trinity, on behalf of the editors of Russian Emirates, Ilona Smirnova, our advertising and marketing specialist, had to puff out for almost half a day. And her first words were: “For the first time I sat behind the wheel of an elegant and luxurious Rolls Royce, I realized that all my life I was mistaken in my firm belief that the girl should sit in the back seat of this chic car. It is so comfortable, convenient and functional that I I don’t even feel like I spent so much time driving. "
"Ship" on the road
Our first car was the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe. In his striking perfect proportions, “muscular” body, as it turned out, the latest technological solutions. Despite the ultra-modern look, the Phantom Coupe retained such key features of the Rolls-Royce design as a long hood, large-diameter wheels, a short front and long rear overhangs, and a classically upward-looking silhouette. Doors that traditionally open towards traffic, it turns out, provide a higher level of security, and also allow passengers to look more elegant while boarding the cabin.
We fully enjoyed the comfort of a magnificent coupe, its smooth running and power. With such impressive dimensions, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is so inaudible that it seems that you are flying above the waves on an ultra-modern yacht. The heart of the Coupe is a 6.75 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine equipped with an advanced direct injection system that delivers high power combined with incredibly low fuel consumption. As it turned out, only the Coupe has a sports mode button on the steering wheel that activates a new gearbox program. This feature gives the driver the opportunity to experience the sporty character of the 460 horsepower under the hood of the Coupe. The horsepower and I were not very zealous, remembering the radars installed on every kilometer of the Sheikh Zayed highway. I did not want to exceed the permissible speed limit, even on such a handsome auto.
The next test was a convertible. Red, elegant and, even to the touch, kind of silky. In a word, a dream! I’m sure that any girl dreams of having a ride in a convertible at least once in her life, and even more so in that! To hair - in the wind, so that everyone looked around and sighed enviously. In general, Ilona and I had dreams come true - and our hair fluttered in different directions, and everyone looked around, giving way. Of course, not every day in the center of Dubai there is a delightful trio of Rolls-Royce, and a girl sits behind the wheel (!) Of the most beautiful of them - a convertible. After asking Ilona how she feels, I hear in response: “It’s interesting not only to drive a Rolls-Royce, but also to watch how others react to such a car. I am very pleased when the owners of Hummer, Lexus and other premium cars , only having seen Phantom in the left lane, they are in a hurry to give me the way, and when maneuvering respectfully miss. "
While Ilona was following the road, which, by and large, was not necessary to follow, since all the cars that were nearby were really trying to respectfully change lanes, skipping our cavalcade, I examined the interior of the car. What do you say? Another dream! The softest leather, wood with a rich texture and chrome elements that add additional accents create an indescribable feeling of luxury and comfort in the cabin. Even the rugs are made of some specially grown wool. We were lucky - the weather favored a ride behind the wheel of an open-top car. It was not hot and a lot of fun.
To stop for lunch, we stopped at the Montgomerie Golf Club and then transferred to the largest and heaviest-looking Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine. Here, our fellow journalists have already taken up driving, and we allowed ourselves the luxury of feeling like VIPs, sitting comfortably in the back seats.
By asking numerous questions to the AGMC managers who accompanied us on the trip, we found out that Rolls-Royce customers were given the opportunity to choose from more than 44 thousand body paint options, order a unique skin color or an unusual tree for interior decoration, use embroidery and inlay to personalize their car or create a romantic atmosphere with the option "Starry Sky", lighting for its owner about 2000 stars on the ceiling.
From heaven to earth
But all good things come to an end, our trip has ended. We returned to the starting point - the hotel Burj Al Arab, and we could only try to briefly express all our enthusiasm to the organizers of the test drive, as there were many who wanted to talk, except for us. Still, the journalists gathered. Men were more interested in mechanics, we were interested in aesthetics and tactile sensations. Our Ilona said goodbye: “In Rolls-Royce, everything was thought out not just to the smallest detail, but literally calculated by centimeters: the first thing that shocked me was not even the steering wheel and interior trimmings made by hand and leather or natural wood, but such a banal thing "like wool rugs on the floor. They are so soft and their pile is so high that the sole of the shoes simply sinks into them."
There is nothing to argue and add. The Rolls-Royce Phantom family is luxury, comfort, delight! What else does a real woman need? In general, we liked it. And, you know, it’s very good that Rolls-Royce are cars for the elite, those who are able to appreciate them.
I’m sure that any girl dreams of having a ride in a convertible at least once in her life, so that her hair - in the wind, so that everyone around looks around and sighs enviously. The softest leather, wood with a rich texture and chrome elements that add additional accents create an indescribable feeling of luxury and comfort in the cabin.
