With the phantom in the snow. The pinnacle of automotive luxury is supreme even on the mountains

The statuette on the giant radiator grille is all salt and ice, but it floats as gracefully as it does on the Cote d’Azur. I’m holding the large and thin steering wheel and trying not to think about the fact that I’m driving seventeen million crowns on four wheels down a narrow path on a steep slope to an unknown destination, only to have to turn around just before the top.

Phantom has not run out of courage or skills and is still pampering me as if nothing happened, I have already stopped believing that I can get even closer to the top of Rysů, the highest mountain in Poland. I back off, but I never cease to be amazed at how capable this 5.7 meter 2.6 tonne curbside is on slippery surfaces.

I believe that, according to the car company’s wishes, every participant of the “Rolls-Royce winter fairy tale”, as the British call the several-day experience in the mountains, which is tailor-made especially for customers, should take away a similar impression.

“There is still a certain percentage of our clients who leave their Rolls-Royce cars in the garage over the winter and head out into the mountains with other pieces from their garage,” says Rolls-Royce’s Frank Tiemann, noting that events of this type can change that and present capabilities of cars of this brand even in demanding conditions.

At first glance, the phantom in the snow looks strange, but so that the owners in the mountains do not have to humiliatingly ask the local tractor driver to rescue them from the ditch, ordinary physics mainly works. At the same time, the features of these cars could be a model for other manufacturers nowadays, because the driver’s overview, fluidity and resistance to some pointless trends play a role.

First of all, it is easy to see from the phantom. It sits pleasantly elevated here, while still in the driving position. You can see the mentioned statuette and the corners of the body, and you can also check the rear bumper beautifully in the mirrors. After a while you feel like you’re driving a pretty compact car.

You will feel at home behind the wheel of Rolls-Royce cars incredibly quickly. Also thanks to the fact that annoying lane keeping, start-stop and other elements here either remain disabled even after the next start, or simply do not exist.

That the twelve-cylinder is unheard of, the quality of the interior is beyond anything in the automotive industry, the handling is easy and the style is unrepeatable, I already wrote about all this in the phantom test before the facelift, and all this will remain in my mind as a car fan for the rest of my life.

But what I admire the most about Rolls-Royce cars, and the phantom in particular, is the absolute emphasis on fluidity and the pleasant smoothness of the driving elements.

On a slippery surface, the first thing you need is fluidity. With any car, it is true that you will definitely not go further in a jerky, hurried style. Such impetuous “experts” are capable of getting stuck behind the wheel of anything.

Rolls-Royce does not drive like a car, but like a yacht. The torque delivery of the legendary 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12, which has up to 900 Nm of torque available from just 1,750 rpm, is like flowing honey.

The extremely smooth eight-speed gearbox uses the newton meters located below and lets the torque converter slip massively when starting off, and the car starts with a slight sway, very supple. And you can step on the gas pedal as much as you want. You won’t experience jerks or noticeable stress even during a quick start.

Thanks to this, the rear wheels in most cases have no chance of slipping. It’s an effect similar to a reduction gearbox in off-roading.

Driving also fits into the entire relaxation package. Rolls-Royce will not allow the driver to make any jerky, inappropriate movements. The steering wheel is large and has a very narrow ring, the steering has a long gear. You really have the feeling of steering, but for mysterious reasons the necessary feeling does not disappear and you can direct the car exactly to the apex of the turn.

Suddenly, at the last moment, I see a big retarder, in front of which I can no longer slow down. The way the phantom sailed over this trap is unbelievable. The chassis relies on perfectly tuned air bellows that constantly adapt to the driving situation.

They can hold a heavy car, but most of the time they focus mainly on the way they drive like on a magic carpet. As in the case of driving, the engineers have found exactly that wonderful moment when, although you are isolated from the outside world, you are still able to perceive the road as a driver.

Rolls-Royce also, unlike most manufacturers of premium and luxury cars, does not go overboard with tire width at all. On the contrary, it quite sensibly uses relatively narrow 255/50 R21 tyres.

Wider tires are theoretically better in the braking distance, but otherwise they have only disadvantages on snow. As confirmed by the specialized tests of the German ADAC auto club, narrower footwear has better characteristics when starting off and in corners, and it also resists aquaplaning much better.

As Rolls-Royce’s flagship, the Phantom is also the only model that remains rear-wheel drive. The smaller Ghost limousine is a four-wheeler in the new generation, the Cullinan SUV adds a ground clearance of up to 230 mm to the aforementioned features.

A direct comparison of cars on the same aluminum platform and with the same engine reveals the nuances that differentiate the models from each other. After all, Ghost is a car that is a bit more focused on the driver, especially in the sharpened version of Black Badge, it is a relatively unobtrusive car, which with its atmosphere wants to attract customers who desire a more dramatic presentation, including the sound one.

By the way, among the brands of the BMW group, Rolls-Royce has the youngest clientele on average, younger than BMW and even Mini.

Although every Rolls-Royce is a relatively tall car and has a higher stance, getting into the Cullinan SUV is even closer to the famous captain’s bridge. You have an even better overview of the surrounding events here, and you may be surprised to learn that the Cullinan is the smallest car of the Goodwood brand at 5.3 meters long.

In the fairytale environment of the Tatras, it is primarily the most suitable car from the portfolio, moreover, in the exclusive Frozen Lakes edition, which I had the honor of before, it is inspired by icy lakes.