Compare the2023 Rolls-Royce PhantomVS 2022 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.

Both the Phantom and 7 Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Phantom has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 7 Series’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom weighs 595 to 1620 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 battery on the Phantom is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Phantom’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The 7 Series’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 228 more horsepower (563 vs. 335) and 333 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 331) than the 740i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder. The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 174 more horsepower (563 vs. 389) and 221 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 443) than the 745e’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 40 more horsepower (563 vs. 523) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 590) than the 750i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8. The Phantom’s 6.8 turbo V12 produces 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 627) than the M760i’s standard 6.6 turbo V12.

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 11.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series 745e’s standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 12.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Phantom has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series’ standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 20.6 gallons).

For better traction, the Phantom has larger standard tires than the 7 Series (255/50R21 vs. 245/50R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Phantom has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the 7 Series. The Phantom’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the 7 Series.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Phantom EWB’s wheelbase is 22.1 inches longer than on the 7 Series (148.5 inches vs. 126.4 inches).

The Phantom has 2 cubic foot more passenger volume than the 7 Series (116 vs. 114).

The Phantom has 1.3 inches more front headroom and .2 inches more front shoulder room than the 7 Series.

The Phantom has a much larger trunk than the 7 Series (19 vs. 14 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.