Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe (07 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 04 June 2009
As irrelevant as it is, it's impossible not to be charmed by a car like the Phantom Drophead. Based on the Phantom saloon launched in 2003, the Drophead is another bullseye for owners BMW who have perfectly captured the classic Rolls feel but in a thoroughly modern package. The production cars are staggeringly close in detail to the 100EX concept car of 2004, right down to the brushed steel bonnet and teak decking. This gargantuan convertible which is shorter than the Phantom saloon but still longer than two Smart ForTwos is surprisingly quick thanks to a powerful BMW-designed V12 but its main forte is cruising along in near silence. You'll need deep pockets to get your hands on one though. It costs more than £300,000 and even at that price there's a lengthy queue.
4.5 out of 5

Other Rolls-Royce reviews

1 out of 5

Running costs

You don't splash out on a £300,000 convertible and then fret over whether you can afford the insurance. But for what it's worth, the Rolls falls into group 20, the highest available and the 377g/km of CO2 makes it an expensive company car. There are some upsides: fuel consumption is only bad rather than terrifying, a gallon stretching 18 miles which isn't much worse than you'd manage in a BMW M3, and the Rolls only needs servicing every 25,000 miles. But you could probably run a supermini for a year on what it will costs to buy four new tyres for those 21-inch wheels.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Two years or 25,000 miles.

Warranty

Four years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£475.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

0.5 out of 5

Green credentials

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    377

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

With a theoretical average of 18mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 377g/km, the Drophead Coupe isn't going to win any prizes for its green credentials. Owners can reassure themselves that the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood has signed up to a number of 'green' initiatives, even if their car is a high-emission vehicle. Having said that, 377g/km from a 6.7 litre V12 engine in a car weighing more than 2600kg is a good achievement.

Find the exact engine and CO2