Top of the World

[warot]

How many times have we seen this. Il take the Phantom maybe only because the 53 isn't out yet

That is an excellent picture. Although contraversial, I believe that the Phantom has the more "appropriate" face for this price range.
You will not believe how big and intimidating this car is until you see it for real.

 

[SDNR]

That is how I feel Warot. When the Maybach was first launched I really liked the idea of it - an ultra-luxury Mercedes-Benz but I never really liked the interior much - in spite of it's obvious quality, I felt it looked too Mass-produced, it also lacked a sense of true taste and style. I was hoping for something that was as elegant and exceptional as the W100 designed by Paul Bracq in the 1950's - I wish they had got Bracq out of retirement for the design of the Maybach - the thing really needs an inspired sense of luxury that the French have a natural understanding of. Sadly the Maybach is as superficial as it is uninspiring.

So I was looking forward to the launch of the Phantom - desperately hoping that BMW wouldn't completely wreck the image of the world's most famous luxury car. When the Phantom was launched I thought it was hideous - the large square grill was similar to that on the Rolls-Royce Camargue designed by Sergio Pininfarina in the mid 1970's, a car that I have never much liked the look of.

However, I really liked the "austere" interior of the Phantom, I thought the designers had really captured the essence of a Rolls-Royce very well - it has a civilized air about it that the Maybach lacks IMO.

As time has gone on, I have grown to appreciate the bold looks of the Phantom - it has drama and mystery about it - whereas at the same time I have found the Maybach less and less intriguing - and the Exelero is just plain ugly IMO.

I feel that in the US, the Phantom is viewed in a slightly different context to that by which it was conceived. In the US, the Phantom represents wealth - plain and simple; when I see the Phantom in Hip Hop videos I can't help but think it's out of its true context. The Phantom is more Edward Elgar than Snoop Dog. American pop culture tends to reduce everything to its lowest common denominator - the social nuances and subtle class distinctions are lost - who would have thought that a Rolls-Royce could actually be cool- but hey, if you can afford one then who cares..I guess.

 

[warot]

Interesting point rnds... very glad to have a car expert like you. Like you, the Maybach didn't really interest me at all, the outside anyway. It does look like an S-class (i was hoping it would be a bit more unique). But the interior, well more the technology impressed me. Apart from that, the car didn't do much for me.

The Phantom on the other hand, really caught my attention. Rolls-Royce, no matter how far they go back are big and luxurious. They are the royal family of all cars. The Phantom is just a modern interpretation of the past trends. The interior, although not as high tech as the Maybach is from another world. The details are amazing. BMW stayed true to the older generations (e.g Steering wheel). Unlike the Maybach, the Phantom feels like it was handbuilt just for you, which is how a car of this price should feel.

In my opinion, the Rolls Royce is truely the king. However, like you said, the American pop culture turned it into a bling machine, even though it shouldn't be.

 

[Centurion]

RNDS
Tough question. It now stand between the Phantom and the Arnage*you know how I feel about the MM*. Both cars are crown jewles of luxury cars, no other cars are better than these when it comes to craftmanship and quality. Waht distinguishes these cars is the exteriors and both cars send out different messages.

Phantom: Out of the way I'm a tycoon and own three mansions, one in Rennes, Montecito and one in Saint Tropez. I work 18 hours a week and can buy up this whole street if I want.

Arnage: I'm a snobb and have exquisite. The fridge in my living room is filled with Dom Perignon bottles and Dunhill cigars. Please don't touch my car.

Another thing which i like with the Arnage is that it is a drivers cars. It would look crazy or silly if I rolled up through town in a Phantom leaning in the drivers seat, pumping rap music and without anyone sitting the rear seats.

What really makes it hard for me to chose is these two pictures. Here you can see the cars in their best shapes and I don't really know which one I should vote for, do you?


Note that the Phantom looks fantastic in the picture because of the quality of the camera and that the car had just been polished.
Phantom:

 

[warot]

Another thing which i like with the Arnage is that it is a drivers cars. It would look crazy or silly if I rolled up through town in a Phantom leaning in the drivers seat, pumping rap music and without anyone sitting the rear seats.
QUOTE]

Welcome to Rap city...
I don't think we consider any of the three a driver's car... even though their accelerations are amazing

 

[audi_rudy]

rr phantom please this car has so much presence when this car rolls up everyone turns to stare at it if a maybach pulled up only a few people mostly car people would no what it was

 

[Lemantech]

Mayack may have all these cool features but at the end of the day its just a elongated mercedes...where as a RR or Bently hqve that old classic kind of appearence and they have so much presense that it like your surroundings are airless.

 

[SDNR]

Few have been as critical of the Maybach 57/62 as me, but I'm about to be a huge hypocrite because I think this 57S is simply awesome.

 

[warot]

Few have been as critical of the Maybach 57/62 as me, but I'm about to be a huge hypocrite because I think this 57S is simply awesome.

Would you still take that over a Phantom? My answer is still no

 

[Merc1]

Mr..."I used to be RNDS",

What made you change your mind about the 57S compared to the regular Maybachs?

M

 

[SDNR]

Apart from the fact that it looks particularly good in that photo, it is a really amazing piece of engineering - the Arnage T is incredible too, but this thing is astounding.

 

[wltsm]

I think the Bentley wins here, it has old school luxury, then the RR, and the Maybach comes last!

IMO the Maybach is just a big S class!

 

[vw12]

got the chance to see a maybach 65 in person. it actually doesn't look good. my vote went to the RR. I like how it harks the RRs of the old days.

 

[Carbon]

Picked the Bentley because it would be the car I'd want to have most out of the 3 (not that I'd want to drive any of them).

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Well, I've been lucky enough to see all these cars. The RR Phantom, both the MM 57 and 62, both Bentley's, the Arnage and the Flying Spur, ....so here's my take on all of them:

RR Phantom: WoW.... what a car. Seen the car, touched the car, ..sat in the car too....and my gosh, this car is something else!
The word Presence has become synonymous with the Phantom. The first word that comes to mind when I think of the Phantom is presence.
The styling is big, bold, brash....and brilliant. There really is no comparison to this car except its predecessors. Interior is lovely to look at from the back seat...and those rear seats... they may not look super-comfortable in the pictures...but trust me, they are nice and comfortable in real.

MM 57 & 62: If it weren't for the recliner-seats in the 62, I would pick the 57 over it, ....because after finally seeing the 62, ..gosh, it really does not look nice in terms of it proportions and design. Never liked the design of it, and as many have said, it's just too S-class-ish. Funny thing is, it's got the front of the W220 S-class, ..and the rear of the W221...so it's really caught inbetween 2 styling generations...and yeh, the end result isn't too pretty in my eyes. Interior technology is great (from what i've read)..but design seems a little too S-class-ish again. I guess they just played it safe with these MM's.

Bentley Arnage: Very nice car indeed. I always viewed Bentley as the sporty alternative to the RR, ..and I'm guessing that's how it was when the two companies were together. But that's kind of changed with the RR Phantom now having a sense of sportiness to it (in my eyes anyway, because of the stance of the car at that image of effortless motion), while Bentley's have gone the opposite way and tried to look more luxurios and aristocratic (and there's nothing wrong with that ofcourse). Always liked this car, ..but it's getting old in the design department now, ..especially that Drophead Convertible, gosh that looked very aged when I saw it.

Bentley Flying Spur:Well, firstly, let me say that I don't like the Bentley Continental GT, so when I saw the press pics of the Flying Spur, I wasn't impressed at all. It was the Continental GT, just with 4-doors, ..so I had a negative impression of the car from the pics I saw. BUT..... when I actually saw it in the metal, that impression was turned on its head. I saw it at the motorshow and I literally said "wholey sh!t, ..thaaat's the Flying Spur?!" ..and i stood there for a few seconds as my brain went searching for that folder in my memory which said the Flying Spur looked crap, ..and once it found the file, it instantly deleted that comment, ..and put 'damn, wat a big-ass car, and nice too'.


So to rate these cars in order:

1. Rolls-Royce Phantom : Pure Presence, ...unmatched by anything else out there.
2. Bentley Flying Spur : Big suprise when I finally saw it. Like it much better than the Bentley CGT.
3. Bentley Arnage : Always liked this car, superb interior. But starting to age a bit now.
4. Maybach 62 : Not a fan of the styling or proportions of the car. Interior gadgets are impressive though.
5. Maybach 57 (although, I'd put the 57S ahead of the MM 62) : Engine and exterior enhancements of the 57S are nice. Standard MM 57 is better proportioned that it's better sister (j/k), but still not so appealing to me.

 

[Zafiro]

Probably the first time I see MB loose big time in one of our polls.

 

[LaArtist]

wow this cause for a celebration..

 

[Beemer B773ER]

wow this cause for a celebration..

Hahaha... typical. MB gets trashed in this comparison, ...and you just down-play the whole thing and laugh it off. Can't seem to accept things at time huh, and swallow this result.
Must be hard for you seeing BMW and Audi close the gap big time on MB in these past few years.

Show respect where it's due, and acknowledge that more people on this forum think the RR Phantom is better and more appealing than the MM 57/62.

 

[LaArtist]

I think that that both the RR and the Bentley is more appealing than the MM.. no doubt.. i voted for the bentely..
But i thought that we should celebrate..cause like just me said..this is one of few thread where bmw has one over MB on this forum.. so lets celebrate..

 

[Beemer B773ER]

I think that that both the RR and the Bentley is more appealing than the MM.. no doubt.. i voted for the bentely..
But i thought that we should celebrate..cause like just me said..this is one of few thread where bmw has one over MB on this forum.. so lets celebrate..

OH.. well, in that case:




MB got trashed..!!! P.A.R.T.Y...!!! There You go, there's your party.