The 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom is an ultra-luxury sedan available in regular or extended-wheelbase models that seat five by default. Most expected luxury features come standard, including 21-inch cast-aluminum wheels, an adjustable air suspension, front and rear parking sensors, power-closing rear coach doors, a power-closing trunk lid, soft-close power front doors, a sunroof, multizone climate control, heated front and rear seats, driver memory functions, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a leather headliner with wool and cashmere accent panels, and veneered picnic tables built into the rear seatbacks.

Meticulously engineered by Rolls-Royce and BMW, the 2010 Phantom Drophead Coupe perfectly blends the dynamic virtues of the German automobile with the style and grace expected of classic British luxury. Thanks to the rear-hinged "coach" doors, ingress and egress are far easier than in traditional coupes. The doors are impressively large and quite heavy, though one doesn't have to yank them shut, as they are power-operated. Although not nearly as spacious as the Phantom sedan's enormous rear quarters, the Coupe's backseat still provides plenty of adult-sized comfort for hours of high-class travel.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost's twin-turbo V12 is exceptionally smooth and silent. The benign first bit of throttle travel makes for smooth, lurch-free takeoffs, but lean into it and you unleash a smooth, steady, turbinelike thrust that continues to swell effortlessly into triple-digit speeds. The eight-speed automatic transmission is spot-on as well. The active air suspension goes about its duties with similar transparency, smothering bumps and ruts that would have you grimacing for a harsh impact in lesser cars. Despite a curb weight of 5,455 pounds, the Ghost never feels ponderous, and the light and precise steering makes maneuvering the big car a breeze, once you've gotten used to it's size, that is.