Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé a head-turner on UAE roads

It wasn't just any Rolls Royce. It was the masterpiece Rolls Royce - what the manufacturer terms the ‘driver focused' version of the Phantom, the glorious Coupé.

In truth, it is a bit intimidating. It is huge, nearly six metres in length, and you sit so far behind that long bonnet and the Spirit of Ecstasy at its peak that it feels a bit like sailing a yacht. Mind you, everything about the Phantom Coupé is gargantuan in scale, but also completely in proportion. The top of the bonnet is as high as that of a Jeep, and the Coupé is just shy of two metres wide. However, with time and familiarity comes confidence, and once you are used to the scale of the Phantom Coupé, it gets to be a lot more fun.

Fun? Of course! Our vivid ‘Yas' blue Coupé was an absolute riot, drawing amazed and envious looks wherever it went. And it went everywhere we did - during our (all too brief) stewardship of the car, I made a determined attempt to use it as I would any other, going shopping, out to lunch, off to buy the papers and a pint of milk. I can say with certainty that it will fit into the underground parking at a mall, can be parked in a normal-sized space (though it does stick out a bit) and provided you're careful of the overhangs, it's no more difficult to manoeuvre than say a full-sized Tahoe. But of course, the experience is on a completely different planet.

Most driver-focused model

The Phantom Coupé is actually the third version of the car, following on from the original four-door Phantom saloon, and the spectacular Phantom Drophead Coupé. Noticeably different in the two-door is a shorter wheelbase, and Rolls Royce claims that the greater rigidity achieved in the handcrafted aluminium space-frame chassis means the Phantom Coupé is the most driver focused model within the Phantom range. Along with revised suspension tuning and components, this promises to deliver a more sporting interpretation of the Rolls Royce experience.

Providing the shove to back up this claim is the familiar twin-turbo 6.75-litre V12 engine, here producing more than 450bhp and a thumping 720Nm of torque. This is enough to propel the 2.5-tonne model to 100kph in a little over five seconds. As ever, tuning for torque rather than absolute power has a big impact on the relaxed nature of the drive - Rolls Royce states that 75 per cent of the available power from just 1,000rpm and max torque is delivered at 3,500, so throttle response is both instant and impressive even when you're just trickling around. Such depths of reserve become playfully addictive, and you find yourself actively seeking opportunities to enjoy the sensation for its own sake.

The electronically controlled air suspension is recalibrated to work with the tauter chassis to provide a sportier, more responsive feel and the steering is tuned for greater feedback. There's even an ‘S' button on the wheel that changes the gearbox settings to hold on to ratios for longer, further increasing performance and dynamic feel. It also sharpens the throttle response.

The self-levelling air suspension continuously adjusts to driving conditions, enabling you to place the car accurately through bends. The steering has modified Servotronic assistance to provide increased road feel. The net result is surprising in many ways - refinement was always a given but that it can be combined with something approaching real agility is a considerable surprise.

The surprise arises mostly from the sheer size of the Phantom Coupé, which achieves an effect rather similar to that of the Burj Al Arab. There, the external design is such that you have very little idea how tall it really is, due to the fact that each ‘stripe' is actually two stories high, rather than the single floor we see. As a result, you are distracted into thinking the hotel is only half the height it really is.

So too with the Phantom Coupé, although it is 25cms shorter than its sedan sibling, such is the perfection of the proportions that the gigantic 21-inch wheels don't look out of place at all, and it's only when you open the door and climb in that you really appreciate how large the cabin is.

The inside story

And the cabin is a very nice place to be indeed. My car was finished in a soft ivory leather, with beautifully book-matched Tuscan Ash Burr veneer across the entire dash and door cappings. All the switches were deeply chromed, and though there is technology in shed-loads, it is not at first apparent where. The only choice the driver has to make is the direction of travel, forward and reverse being the only options on the column-mounted gear selector. In reality, there is a version of parent company BMW's clever iDrive system concealed in the centre console, and the display for this is only revealed when the panel on which the clock sits is rotated to reveal another side - all very James Bond-like!

The doors are another aspect that intrigue. Rolls Royce calls them coach doors, and they are rear-hinged to enable easier access for both front and rear occupants. The massive seats glide elegantly and silently forward at the touch of a button, and the sheer size of the cabin ensures that even back seat passengers can stretch out and relax. The doors can be closed electronically by another button set just beside the window behind the windscreen frame, but be warned - if the car is significantly inclined sideways, the heavy doors can swing over and close with a hefty thump, potentially causing real damage to the unwary.

The final highlight on our test car was the (optional) brushed stainless steel bonnet. Most of the rest of the car, chassis and body panels included, are made from welded and super-formed aluminium in order to save weight, but the bonnet and windscreen surround are a hand-finished delight unique to Rolls Royce. Once you've figured out just how to release the bonnet catch, it rises magisterially to reveal a gratifyingly old-fashioned engine bay.

Driving around in the big Coupé was an absolute delight. It was immensely practical, and achieved all the mundane tasks we asked of it without demur. And it turned more heads during its tenure here than any other car that has graced my little drive. Though the sense of relief at handing the keys back with the car unmarked was tangible, it was also tinged with sadness.

Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé 

• 2-door, four seat Coupé, front engine, rear wheel drive.
• Engine 6.75-litre V12 (453bhp)
• Power 453 bhp, 750Nm of torque
• Transmission six-speed automatic gearbox. RWD
• Performance 0-100koh 5.6 secs, 250kph
• Top speed (goverened)