Ghost or Phantom? Deciding which to rent can seem as hard as choosing which ocean beach to spend the day on. If you want to drive it yourself and feel connected to the car, rent the Ghost. If you want pure calm, comfort and to sit back and disengage, rent the Phantom. Both are Rolls-Royce, and so there are similarities. They are calm, surefooted, confident and carry the same brand promise. They are both a highly stylized way to make an entrance or see-and-be-seen in the Hamptons or Miami. But there are notable differences. The Ghost has a shorter wheelbase than the Phantom, and so it feels smaller, more nimble, and more connected to the driver. The Phantom is about eight inches longer, and so it feels like a limo or yacht. You almost want a driver to sit back and enjoy.
Like all Rolls-Royces, power and grand scale are a given. Both the Phantom and the Ghost have a 6.75 liter twin-turbocharged V-12 engine. The Ghost has a more hands-on, feel the power, ride quality whereas the Phantom feels soft, isolated, and disconnected from the road with the road imperfections ironed out. Both the Ghost and the Phantom are built on Rolls-Royce’s own architecture. They don’t have the feel or identity of re-badged BMWs, like the first Ghost.
The Ghost has a starting MSRP of around $373,000 while the Phantom is up at $530,350. The Ghost seems smaller than its 218.8-inch length, because it feels so easy to control and drive. The Phantom, on the other hand, stretches out to 227.2 inches.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost
The all-wheel-drive Ghost Series II is Rolls-Royce’s most driver-focused V12 car. It has a big thin-rimmed steering wheel that demands a relaxed grip, free of the driver’s death clutch or white knuckles. The Rolls-Royce Ghost will do 0-60 in about 4.6 seconds, per Kelley Blue Book.
If you’re renting a Black Badge Ghost, you’ll see trim of cool black instead of a shiny chrome. The power rises to 591 hp, which is greater than the Phantom’s 563 hp. This Ghost’s air suspension feels firm, which can feel brittle and find small road textures, and the seats are tight and supportive. The car never feels sporty or fun in the sense that people associate those terms with, say, a German car.
The Phantom Takes Gliding to the Next Level
The Phantom’s acceleration isn’t as impressive - about 5.3 seconds to 60 mph - but it’s not how fast it goes but rather how it gets there and what the experience is. You get 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, and an eight-speed gearbox driving the rear wheels. Instead of hearing the powerplant, you feel it. There is no other sound, just the illusion of the road passing underneath. You sit back in thick, soft, supportive leather. It’s a splendid way to drive and to be driven. On a Hamptons summer weekend, a Phantom can become your parlor on wheels, allowing you to choose your own mood, elegance or serenity.
It’s best to pretend that the road surface has been replaced with warm air on a summer day when driving the Phantom. Bumps and road texture are so smoothed that you need air quotes to use the words. The seats are softer and cushier than the Ghost and there’s a sense of serenity. The sheer size can be intimidating in traffic, but the rear-wheel steering makes it more manageable.
Who sits where matters, too. If you’ll spend the trip in the back seat with clients, the Phantom is going to be the natural pick. For the chauffeur-driven, the Phantom is the perfect ride. But Ghost is fine, too: If the back seat is the most important thing, you can opt for a Ghost with an extended wheelbase and 170 mm (about 6.7 inches) of extra legroom for you and your clients.
Rent a Ghost or Phantom
For New Yorkers who want to rent a Ghost or Phantom, one local rental company asks you to bring your own full-coverage auto insurance. Under NY law, you’d owe no more than the cost of the repairs to the car or the fair market value, whichever is less. There’s no loss-of-use charge and extra-driver fees are capped at $5 per driver per day. New York doesn’t set a cap on the daily cost of the damage waiver on cars with an MSRP over $50,000, but it says the price must reflect the fair market value of the coverage.
In Miami, Florida law makes the rental car company’s liability and PIP insurance primary up to state minimums. Still, a rental car company can shift that coverage onto your own auto insurance, but only if the contract has the required language and it’s printed in at least 10-point type. If you don’t read the contract carefully, you might not realize it makes you the primary.
When you are driving and want to feel part of the drive, a connection to the road, rent the Ghost. When you need to disengage and let others drive, let yourself be driven and enjoy the serenity of the ride, rent the Phantom. There’s no bad choice: It’s just a matter of mood and style.
