The executives at Rolls-Royce will be pleased to know that Consumer Guide honored the 2012 Rolls-Royce Phantom Sedan as the top-rated U.S.-sold vehicle, giving it a score of 84. But they also must deal with this reality: The 2012 Bentley Continental Flying Spur tied the Phantom with an 84 score . . . and is less than half the price. While Rolls officials can boast of the brand’s prestige and that their cars are largely handmade, Bentley is no slouch. Queen Elizabeth herself has planted her royal heiny in the back seat of a Bentley. The Flying Spur’s starting price of $184,200 makes the Phantom Sedan’s $380,000 price tag seem outrageously bloated.
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Consumer Guide editors give the Flying Spur perfect 10s for room/comfort front, room/comfort rear, and interior details. It scored a 9 for acceleration, which is amazing considering that the car weighs more than 5,500 pounds. Much of the vehicle’s cost goes to the turbocharged 12-cylinder engine. “How smooth can a rocket launch be?” writes Consumer Guide Publisher Tom Appel. “Pretty damn smooth, apparently. Silky shifts, profound power, awesome engine noise.”
