The Luxurious Ride: A Review of the Rolls-Royce Phantom's Competitor - The BMW 7-Series

As we took to the road, the BMW 7-Series was clear to see that this was not just another luxury car, but a car that embodied the very essence of what it means to be a BMW. With its sleek design and sporty demeanor, it was impossible not to feel a sense of excitement and anticipation as we settled into our seats. The driver's seat was perfectly adjustable, with all the usual suspects available - from lumbar support to heat and massage functions. But what really caught my attention was the high-tech dashboard, complete with a stunning 12.3-inch touchscreen display that seemed to stretch on forever.

As we hit the road, it quickly became apparent that this was not just another luxury car, but one that had been carefully crafted to provide a driving experience unlike any other. The steering was responsive and effortless, with a keenness that reminded me of my own BMW S-Class experiences. But what really set this apart was its ability to balance sportiness with comfort, creating a driving experience that was both thrilling and relaxing at the same time.

One of the most impressive aspects of the 7-Series was its ability to provide exceptional value for money. With a price tag that paled in comparison to some of its luxury rivals, it seemed almost too good to be true. And yet, as we put through our paces on both twisty roads and motorways, it became clear that this car had something truly special. Whether accelerating out of corners or cruising down the highway, the 7-Series proved itself to be a joy to drive.

Of course, no review would be complete without mentioning the interior. And in this regard, the 7Series truly excelled. With its sumptuous leather upholstery and opulent trim, it was clear that we were dealing with a car of the highest order. The attention to detail was staggering, from the subtle stitching on the seats to the beautifully crafted wood trim. And let's not forget the pièce de résistance: the Crystal seat adjusters, which seemed to have been plucked straight from the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

As we made our way back to base, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment that our time in the 7-Series was coming to an end. But as we pulled back into the garage and I climbed out onto the pavement, I was struck by the realization that this car had left me with more questions than answers. Was it really worth the extra cash compared to some of its rivals? And what about its reliability and maintenance costs?

One thing was certain, however: the 7Series was a car that would stay with me for a long time to come. With its combination of style, performance, and luxury, it had proven itself to be a worthy adversary in the world of high-end motoring.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being asked to choose between two very different philosophies - one that prioritized form over function, while another that concentrated on providing a driving experience unlike any other. The Rolls-Royce Phantom may have won out as my personal choice for a long-distance drive, but I couldn't help but feel that the 7Series had something truly special to offer.

The ride quality was surprisingly good, especially considering it's a BMW. It did take some getting used to and there was an audible creaking sound from the rear seats at low speeds. You'd need to get used to these noises before you can appreciate the comfort levels of this car.

Another thing I liked about driving this car is its ability to adapt. There are 3 driving modes - normal, sport, and comfortable drive. The difference in responsiveness is quite noticeable once you're familiar with them. When you switch from normal to sport mode, all four wheels become active, giving it a much more engaging feel.

It's also worth noting that the exterior has received some notable changes compared to previous generations of this car. They've made sure that it looks like a BMW and not just a copycat Rolls-Royce Phantom. It's no longer a dull looking monolith on wheels but rather something that turns heads while driving down the road.

The interior is beautifully appointed with the usual suspects - heated seats, massage functions, ambient lighting, and some nice touches like a separate climate control panel for each passenger seat. However, it does feel a bit sterile compared to some of its rivals.

The rear legroom is impressive and comfortable enough for an adult to sit across from another grown-up without feeling cramped. The back seats can recline fully when using the built-in sleeping function which I thought was quite cool.

One thing that did surprise me was how much quieter it is at low speeds compared to some of its competitors - especially the Bentley Bentayga, which I had previously driven. This may be due to the way it handles road noise or perhaps just a design feature.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello welcome to the channel where I have a mix of cars old but mostly new they are all plush they are all serious they are all expensive they are all quiet they are all all luxurious so my colleague Matt Saunders and I he's going to sit in the back as passenger I'm going to go in the front as chauffer we're going to try all of them and decide which is the world's best luxury car we have assembled the world's most luxurious new cars and one old one to see what progress has been made and to test them we're going to Major on ride comfort in front and back and levels of noise isolation first up is the Bentley Flying Spur as luxurious as motoring names get so first of all welcome to the inside of the Bentley Flying Spur this is an aour trim Edition I'm Schaffer by the way my colleague Matthew Saunders is in the back instructing me to go where are we headed to sir we're going to go over the hill over the hill um and just see where this sits relative to the other stuff we've got mate Comfort wise I'm pretty comfortable back here I have to say the seat is good yeah um it's not too soft I'm not you know it's got a bit of lateral bolstering so I'm not moving around to much as you CH it around these Corners um the ride feels fairly connected it's not wafting is it it's not is it it's I mean I know Bentley's are the thing with Bentley's is they've got to do the luxury thing but then they also do nearly 200 miles an hour so they've got that they kind of somehow got to square both of those things and it is picking up some of these little ridges and stuff yeah I'm in the I'm in the eight ball mode but I'll move it to the go go to comfort mode I go to comfort we are now in comforable does control its body movements nicely doesn't it just come over a dip and a Crest and it's just settled and moved on yeah they are look and they they don't Define this as a limousine you know they've always said it's a GT right so I think it's important to acknowledge that yeah it's not trying to do the same thing as the as the rolls or the you know or even the i7 really is it's trying to be bentle I mean I think this is we did deliberately seek out quite a gnarly nasty surface didn't we why would you we shouldn't be surprised if all of these cars are less than perfect on it is it has got some Rippling going on this one feels connected to me but I mean at least it's honest you know it's an intelligible car I think this you sort of can understand what it's for and it's all feeding into one sort of character type and one one sort of role it's not doesn't surprise you you know you don't you don't sort of some of these other cars might be a little bit more comfortable initially but then sort of come unstuck at a moment I think this one has one of the more consistent sort of dynamic characters actually it's a bit more easy to well it's nice in the front I've got to say nice that's a bad L board isn't it it's better than nice it's everything's beautifully stitched together fit and finish is First Rate I've got to say it's got quite a lot of buttons which I like but is funny to find on a on a luxury car where they sort of try and make the design as clean and as Sumptuous as you as you like you know got big array of buttons on the center on the transmission tunnel fairly old school that must be deliberate mustn't it don't need to fit such a big mechanical lever as that anymore that must be a deliberate Bentley power suggestive well it's a traditional isn't it it's not trying to be too avangard no it's bit sort of old sort of TR to plane type five plane Gentleman's Club yeah sort of Maly yeah I mean pleasant pleasant there room got Lads mate bloody Lads and I've got all the knobs for adjusting everything what can you oh yeah do you get a is it the spur you get a little remote control for stuff that you can like it looks like a t a tiny little smartphone or tablet or something there's one down here but it's fixed I can't move oh okay got all the seat adjustment and there's it'll do quite a lot I don't know if it does quite the sort of seven series sleeping seat conversion yeah doesn't seem to do that much but I mean you know I've got load of adjustment yeah I mean like in in the old school chauffeuring way you would probably be the other side of the car wouldn't you because you'd have as much room as you want but for the purposes of the video to a show how much room he has and B so that we can both be on camera at the same time Matt sitting behind my driving position it's not a problem a lovely foldout table so I can play my nice backarat or whatever the hell I want to play you know rest my port on there I've always I don't know about the whole table thing because presumably it's like veneer topped isn't it or no it's Le or is it oh is it so it is quite so you could put stuff on there it may not slide around um there aren't any retention sort of recesses or anything I yeah I don't think I'd want to put anything that might slide on it too much but yeah rest the book on there a I like being able to hear the engine in that quite sule just s hums away it's quite good yeah right mate so if I set us at 50 along this stretch let's find a sort of a an Aver this will do here yeah all right that is 50 okay call that 58 Deb 58 that's quiet isn't it yeah copy that that is quiet all right what should we try next R rver yeah why not jlr their words here want to be proud creators of the most desirable Modern Luxury Brands this then is currently top of Jr's tree it's a full fat Range Rover in P 440e autobiography plug-in hybrid form and so to the rainow mate how much room do you have back uh enough mate not quite as much as I had in the Bentley has to be said the seat isn't quite as sort of big and it doesn't adjust in quite so many ways but you know it's comfy it's it's sort of fabric interestingly it's not all leather I sort quite I quite like it and I've heard other people in in the office say that they don't but it's sort of almost like a highend sup material and I I got like that and much as it's sort of more flat than some I'm not moving around on it which is there something to be said you slide around the top of it quite like the imperious view out and I know that's not relevant necessarily for this test but there's so many sort of low walls in the countryside in the UK or head r or stuff like that you get a great view over in a car like this don't you yeah it definitely also I'm sitting higher than I would be in a in a limousine so my view of the road ahead is clearer oh now that's interesting some people do feel a bit queasy when they can't see that it's important I think so I think with cars like this what the old they called it the old stadium seating didn't they I think you just you you may be a bit comfier in some ways because you can see out better yeah right I've put the terrain response into Auto it was in I think it was in Dynamic weirdly actually but it's so it so it now should plush down a little but it feels I don't know there is that kind of spro that you get I it's good word but you you get with airpr cars it's you know it has a bit of going on yeah to me it's not sort of um quite as plush as I expected it might be somehow it's it's it's got a little bit of the connected feel of the Bentley but because it's bigger and higher it's sort of moving around a bit more I can feel it um just sort of squatting a little bit on the back axle as it's riding but yeah it's got a lot to do it can tow three and a half tons and it can go you take on a shoot around around your fields and everything else I mean it's got It's also all season tires yeah it's an incredibly practical versatile car is it yeah it's it's pretty it's pretty nice in the front the material quality isn't up to Bentley standards you know there's no it's what is it it's I don't know it's like a sort of contemporary Swedish Hotel do you know what I mean in that in that sort of there's a there's wood here but it's kind of got little you must stay in a lot of those stripes what's that you must stay an aw lot a lot of contemporary Swedish hotels me yeah big iPad on the front not many not many dials but the heating ventilation controls do at least stay as big physical dials which you could you know with with your you get in from your shoot and you've got cold fingers you can still use them quite EAS yeah or just over that Ridge you feel that do you feel that in the back yeah there's a bit bit of a thump and a little bit of a secondary wiggle and yeah little lateral sh it's not as isolated as I think will find some of the others to beat me but well let's do uh let's do the I'll swing it around let's do the noise test and I suppose in a way because it's an SUV and has to do all the other stuff you sort of make excuses for it but jlr as it has just rebranded itself is pitching itself in the luxury sphere isn't it they think they are Hermes they think they are whatever the luxury goods are Louis Von blah blah blah so it's got to do the business isn't it well yes 60 DBS Bentley was what 588 so it's a little bit louder it's a pleasant car to be in the front got to say that's that's a big fact to me you know a lot you know most people I think certainly range driver customers are going to drive their drive themselves oh totally yeah and there is a longer one of course you could have if you're going to travel in the back which will give you a bit more room yeah what next big rolls new Rolls yeah yeah let's treat ourselves M oh yeah well you say that but we've seen the interior just wait just wait till you see this interior I don't know who specs their press demonstrators but well they've got an imagination from an aspiring luxury name then to the most famous luxury name in the car business the Rolls-Royce Phantom 8 is the latest and greatest in roll's line of luxury saloons so oh this is quiet isn't it this is this feels quite me this is properly quite this is this is sort of it is no exaggeration a to call this Splender isolation mate is it this is this is isolation yeah how much room have you got Acres just an enormous amount and there enormous amount of blue isn't there this is this is I'm going to paint my baby's nursery I hope it's a boy sort of blue yeah and there's a lot of it it's even in the bottom of the armrest C be down here mate there's a it's everywhere it is everywhere you got to like it you have I do I do like these cars and I know that they're slightly ostentatious aren't they they're a bit showy but that's so nice yeah it's sort of it's the automative equivalent of of evening wear isn't it it's it's your sort of extra special night out once a year I know they're big I know they're a bit bargy and everything else actually I'm not sure how sophisticated that Bo my Bo to the ride is but I love how they drive I love the you know the big wheel with a thin Rim yeah they've made that a little bit a little bit Le a little bit less thin for this one one of theion yeah but you're right about the ride it's on a good surface it is beautifully quiet and isolated um on this well look I mean I'm sitting here I can see the seat backs wobbling around yeah I can feel the rear subframe moving around underneath me as well because it's so soft rigid it probably lacks a little bit of outright um wheel control doesn't it and damping isolation perhaps I just think when you catch an edge on this because because it's other so pervasively quiet you really hear it but but everything in the front is really beautifully put together and it's the only car so far that wafts isn't it it's waft isft Bley didn't waft Rover didn't waft no absolutely not so this is doing the classic wafty waft yeah and actually it feels it feels so quiet to me I'm going down this road at the same speed as the others and although I'm saying oh I can I can detect the as we you know we can detect this pit of SP here and there it's you know the loudest thing in the car would be my hands on the wheel if I yeah that's the real the real difference is just that background refinement is just pretty breathtaking wheel I did hear once somebody said the somebody from rollsroyce say that actually you know they train they train chauffers to feed the wheel between their hands between their fingers because actually if they if they Shuffle the wheel as it is and let it let it straighten up in their hands it's yeah know that's the noisiest thing in the car so they just you know so they they feed it which actually works well with a big thin RI and a you know light you've got some some of those lovely sort of uh you know lovely thin sort of gloves that those leather gloves that they have I'm sure that would probably dampen the uh squiding down there white like a snooker referee maybe you could have two jobs yeah exactly just pop my uh tray table out here electric tow table yeah there's a Telly in the back of the seat won't turn that on because otherwise we'll have grandstand on the video Yeah well actually I think the snooker championships is on at the moment so yeah they would be on but I've got the sort of old a generation or two old BMW based iDrive system with a smallish screen and then although these instruments are digital they replicate normal instruments yeah very well analog instruments really well my understanding is that a lot of rolls Phantom buers say that's what they want they don't want too much intrusion of stuff so we get proper plated buttons you know you know you're really in verified Tu away verified territory when when you get that CU Bentley do the rotating display thing as well so again you want to put the technology away and just drive your car without any intrusion yeah and now how important that is yeah yeah and that and that is luxury isn't it it being being left alone well exactly I think that is mod luxury it's it's the it's the you know the option to make the rest of the world just go away for a bit yeah have you got the sound meter I've got it yeah the HVAC is off so did thump over that a bit didn't it but it's not perfect on the surface man but I mean it's a big old lump it is a big car right so that's 50 54 DB that is quiet that's really quiet especially because the it's a logarithmic scale isn't it so it's not like it's four Deb it's it's a big different but then you just go that that that uh whatever that was road then it just sort of had a BK almost like a tiny little bump steer as it stepped sideways and yeah thump through and again cuz you're sat back here right on the RAR sub frin I think I think maybe I hear it more than you do mate and because just the contrast that it is you know it's that little bit more intrusive because because they do such a good job 99.9% of the rest of the time does it doeses it smell of Emulsion paint in here or is it just because I somehow associate it with this this or this level of this color and just go it smells like freshly it smells like you everywhere the King goes it like yeah just smells like fresh paint and flowers everywhere doesn't to me it smells like um you know I don't know breeding in a good way it's a great it's it is a great view I can just see actually I would prefer to see a bit less hump of Bonnet and a bit more Wings yeah just to help place it but steering so precise control weights are really Pleasant and light and tell to drive if you had one it would be such a shame to let somebody else drive it for you it would yeah it would and I my understanding is that they do a lot of people who own one will drive it most of the time themselves but now and again they'll hire a driver when they're having a posh night out or whatever and yeah I mean if it wasn't so conspic You' sort of drive on a lot if you had one do you there are ways that that it reminds you of the territory you're in you know these these big old DE uh SE pillar dillar things behind me you know they make those extra large and in some ways you'd say oh well I wish I could see bit more out of it but of course that's for your might that's for your a listers to hide from the paps you know you you know you haven't got to just put your big Chanel sunglasses on you can just hide hide behind the pillar yeah put the sun blinds up if you want right should we try an old one oh yeah I can't wait for this I am really pleased we managed to bring this next car along it is a 60e old Rolls-Royce silvercloud 3 which will show us just how much progress has been made or not since it was first on sale for 55,000 in 1964 so welcome to the silvercloud 3 man W I love the view yeah the B is it's and it's much narrower than a phantom as you would imagine for an old car isn't it just there's an intimacy to this that a phantom just does not have but I've got loads of room back here mate in terms of leg room I'll have you know comparable amount and it's beautifully done all the all the um all the solid wood it's like I don't know if it's oak or walnut or but it is all it's not veneer it is absolutely but it is still there's some sort of Market Tree on this mate as it's joined the top bit is joined to this bit so it's clearly it's clearly you know joined together very very nicely oh you've got to give the brakes a bit of sh oh and then it doesn't yeah okay so dynamically I think it's fair to say things have moved on in the past how old is this car 50 63 63 what's that but it's still nice it's still pretty charming and actually it's pretty it's reasonably quiet yeah I mean this is on 15in Wheels um the next smallest is a 21 in on design so it ought to ride you kind of think it ought to ride naturally really well obviously it's it's also got a live axle and I think still leaf springs at the back yeah um so and it's got 65,000 miles on it and exactly you know it's got some fatigue over the years I don't think it's the ride you notice though it's the isolation you notice you know I mean this is a noisier cabin because you can hear the wind and the you know and the and the service of the road more I think that's the big difference isn't it yeah yeah inevitably arrow slipperiness and just the ceiling around stuff is not as good as on a contemporary car is it I wonder about that that front passenger door it sort of there might be a bit of a leaky seal on it or something old cars are like that I me yeah but still mate I mean it's so nice and that's there is that Rolls-Royce DNA that comes through to the modern one this big you know this big thin rimmed wheel that is very easy to it's very easy to place the car it's very accurate yeah yeah there is some there is some wind noise from over there so there are no headrest oh yeah I mean obviously I haven't got a seat belt you haven't got a head restraint this is you know 1960s safety safety engineering but I haven't got I've got a really clear view I can see right over right past your ear mate I can see almost as much as you can yeah and like we were saying in the Range Rover I think it makes a big difference I'm so much more comy because I can see what's coming yeah it's Pleasant though I could do a lot of miles in this and there's not that many cars of that age that you'd still be happy today to say oh yeah fine I'll you know drive to Wales and back and I think you could make it comfier I think the O you know Joe the owners put it on radial ply tires when it ought to be on Cross Plies that will make difference to the ride he's got he's got the rear tires at 32 psi he could go lower with those probably I think that's manufacturer setting but have you seen these IND indicator stalk yeah it's ABS it's the my it is the nicest indicator stalk I've ever seen I know it's only little plastic bit on the or Baker light or whatever on the end but it's just this tiny thin needle of a stalk just fantastic yeah the C DS I drove not so long ago it was very similar mate elegant yeah slim yeah I wonder how they felt about this kind of is it Baker like this material looks like it that's it I wonder how they felt about that at the time right 50 mph the engine's laboring a bit more yeah but whenever you're ready mate we'll do the we'll get over this brow and do the noise should yeah unfortunately that wind noise just kicks in at about 45 better than it was mate yeah so 67 DB it's quite a lot noisier is it a lot louder unsurprisingly yeah but not not unrefined is it you don't mean but even even by modern I don't know what would what would do 607 7 Debs at 50 these days uh cuz cars do you know City cars and super Min andly noisier than average super mini would be doing that yeah probably more road than wind whereas we're more wind than Road I guess yeah but still lovely just yeah if I was you know Duke of Edinburgh I could I could put up this I think and then visibility is really good as well it's lovely I love that about old cars you know you can see it's it's one of the nice things about my old Defender actually mate is that it's you know you get a great view out and when somebody's in the back because somehow it is a more cozy intimate space it feels like a you know a family yeah it's more of a shared experience and there's loads there's loads of comfort in this seat this this this seat has to be twice as soft as the next one I've tried yeah and I think you sort of it's easy to underestimate how much you get extra ride comfort you get yeah that's true from a seat that just properly you know because it's you so next mate uh let's try the um i7 shall we full electrified experience going to be interesting to see that how much differ yeah yeah I'm glad we've done it in this order to know just what testers and the car buying public thought of the silvercloud in 1964 you could read it in the autocar archive which you can get access to with a subscription to the magazine available over at the magazine shop.com meantime to the last of our group we wanted one car from the dominant three executive car makers Audi BMW or Mercedes to see how they'd go against the true luxury Brands and then there was only one choice the BMW i7 has wowed us and a good many Dynamics engineer we've spoken to with its Supreme comfort and isolation full PlayStation experience we're suddenly in the book Rogers 22nd century whatever it is got be a certain age didn't remember that I tell you what though there is a plushness to this car at ultra low speed which some of the other ones don't have isn't there I'm not imagining it this the super low speed Rod coming out of the car park then super low speed ride is good really really soft yeah yeah very pillowy and of course unbelievably quiet cuz there's no engine at low speed I mean I know we're only doing 25 mil hour but his I st there not just the noise but the ride is feels isolated it's a bit of a overlap but yeah it's not it's not soft is it but the the seats are really soft yeah uh in the front well mate I mean I get material I don't know I've got about 35 different materials to pick from some weird sort of kryptonite kind of Crystal on the dash you got your little Crystal seat adjusters is you Crystal seat adjusters Crystal um um High Drive controller which is nice because it's not all on the touchcreen but there is a big touchcreen it's well it's well fin fit and finish is good no question but I don't know I mean I think if you uh well imagine coming back to this in 60 years time as we have with Joe's rollsroyce and I don't know I suppose we would look at it and go well that was very of its time and it is good to WR it feels like a BMW to drive which is which is good it feels like you know the way S series was always that bit more alert than an S-Class yeah still retains that weight distribution and and you know the and the keenness of steering and you just felt like a another grownup BMW this this does have that Vibe there's a bit more surface noise coming through now isn't there and there was at low speed but yeah it's that compromise they've got to find isn't it it's got to be a BMW within its class but it's also got to be a very effective limo generally how much room you got loads me yeah as much I would not quite as much as in the Phantom but yeah close and you know plenty of headro loads you know great visibility with a massive great glass roof and and um got lovely you know pillowy headrests and you know the sleeping seat on this side does all that so you can convert that and go really really reclined with it oh I I've seen that yeah you could just go basically flat can't you have a kit if you wanted yeah it's like business class a longall flight yeah it's kind of it's It's modern but not sort of not modern in some ways it isn't needlessly sporty is it it's not sort of doesn't have a modern agenda somehow if I do go a bit faster I know you won't be keen on that because really know but it just it's got nice clean steering it turns sweetly dynamically it is the I going to say dynamically it's the most most rewarding car here probably yeah in a way of driving at a you know not fast but at a a quickish Road Pace where I mean the Rolls-Royce I prefer to drive but I would be driving it slower and I'm just and I'd just be enjoying yeah there's more duality in there so you you hit sport mode suddenly the four-wheel steering system really starts to to come in I think and it it it's it handles really does right so as soon as we get over here we'll be at 50 mil hour so that was quicker than it was in the yeah wasn't it yeah okay we're at 50 that's interesting we're a bit louder than I thought we'd be 59 so that is just louder than the Bentley isn't it just that is a surprise actually CU that Bentley I thought had a fairly connected ride and some road noise that is interesting so the rolls is qust by a long way the new rolls-royce's quet is by long yeah surprise surprise yeah it feels it doesn't it and I think that's also part of making its own problem because when when it does hit stuff it's just that background you know such a against such a quiet background yeah yeah so all right as the passenger what is the greatest luxury car in the world I'm going to drive you right now to glind board operate house in Sussex we're in Wales that's 4 hours from here I would say down the M4 bit of the a23 along the lanes if I'm going to be driven and I'm choosing I think I'm still going for the Phantom mate because I know on roads like this you can find it out as we've learned yeah but I also know that when you get to normal roads it does that lovely wafty thing and the background noise level is so low and doesn't really very often find edges to trip over um and if I'm going to the Opera mate I'm going in Rolls-Royce right yeah absolutely well if I'm driving you I'm driving that as well that so it's a unanimous Choice back or front so there you have it a unanimous choice that the Rolls-Royce Phantom is still the finest luxury car on earth now if you're sitting in the back of one of fancy reading about exactly why you can read Matt saunders's written Verdict by subscribing to autocar magazine at the magazin shop.com that verdict includes input from leading Dynamics Engineers you can also find us over at autocar.co.uk and while you're here if you would up thumb this video and maybe subscribe to the channel we would like it more than you realize thank you for watching see you next time\n"