Currently reading: 2022 Rolls-Royce Phantom gets new look and options

Goodwood’s range-topper gets a round of subtle updates to fend off the challenge from the Maybach S-Class

Rolls-Royce has updated its range-topping Rolls-Royce Phantom saloon 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’.”

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The eighth-gen Rolls-Royce Phantom is the second of the company's modern era. Is it still a world-beater?

Will Rimell

Will Rimell Autocar
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

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Nickktod 12 May 2022
I hope one can still get the bright finish grille too. Not very plutocrat wants to look like they made their fortune selling crack.
Nickktod 12 May 2022

*every

Moi 12 May 2022

I would have thought the Maybach and any Bentley would be a rival for the Ghost. Imho the Phantom stands alone in the luxury limo world. Nice paintwork and lights but those wheels, uhh.....

Anton motorhead 12 May 2022
Decadent, extrovert and expensive opulence. This is when enough is never enough, but boy do I love it