Compare the2023 Rolls-Royce PhantomVS 2023 BMW 7 Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Rolls-Royce Phantom have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 7 Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

An active infrared night vision system standard on the Phantom helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard and even aims one of the vehicle’s headlights in the direction of the person or object. The 7 Series doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Phantom and the 7 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom weighs 785 to 1270 pounds more than the BMW 7 Series. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Phantom comes with a full 4-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The 7 Series’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

Rolls-Royce pays for scheduled maintenance on the Phantom for 1 year and -36,000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the 7 Series (4/unlimited vs. 3/36,000).

The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 188 more horsepower (563 vs. 375) and 266 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 398) than the 740i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 27 more horsepower (563 vs. 536) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 553) than the 760i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Rolls-Royce Phantom uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The 7 Series requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Phantom has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series (23.8 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Phantom has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the 7 Series. The Phantom’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the 7 Series.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Phantom can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The 7 Series doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Phantom EWB’s wheelbase is 21.9 inches longer than on the 7 Series (148.5 inches vs. 126.6 inches).

The Phantom has 1.4 inches more front headroom and .2 inches more rear legroom than the 7 Series.

The Phantom has a much larger trunk than the 7 Series (19 vs. 13.7 cubic feet).

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Phantom to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 7 Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, standard on the Phantom, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the 7 Series’ LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.