Rolls Royce Phantom, the super symbol of ultimate luxury. For a car costing more than the price of a top end Merc S-Class and BMW 7 Series added up together, the Rolls has to be something special. As we all know, Rolls is now owned by BMW, so being a driver-oriented car, the Rolls has to have a makeover so that the front cabin appeals to drivers wanting to drive it like a sporty BMW.

But hell no. Just a look at the front dashboard makes you feel like you're driving in a century old coach built vehicle. Lots of walnut panels fill up the dash, and while many car makers flocking to the use of thicker, fatter steering wheels, the Rolls retains the use of a thinly, big 3-spoke steering wheel still belonging to the coach-built era.

Like the old BMW 7 Series, the Phantom has no gear shift selector on the centre column. Instead, following the imbeciles in the Merc planning department, they opted for a column gear selector just behind the steering wheel. Hey I have the same thing in my 1990 Toyota Liteace Van!

So we concluded, despite its driving dynamics, the driver's seat isn't a nice place to be in. So what about the back? Special? Yes definitely. First of all, to enter, you need to get past the suicide doors, which is erm...fascinating. Sumptous leather and wood greets you at every corner. A foldable table pops out and the top of the table unfolds out further and hey presto! You get a huge personal screen, larger than any seen in Mercs or Beemers. What an ingenious design.

And you thought that was the end? No. Lift your heads up and you're greeted with a ceiling of hand-stitched LED lights. Talk about star-gazing! What an idea. So this is what a Rolls is all about.



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The benchmark set for all luxury car makers, the Mercedes Benz S Class seem to have survived many generations of increasing competition. The indisputable choice for country leaders, affluent businessmen and mafia gang leaders, the S Class's interior has immense pressure to prevent their loyal customers from heading to the BMW or Lexus showroom.

In the latest facelift of the S Class, Merc has done little to change the rather bland interior. Safe styling filled with nothing but straight lines makes it suitable for all, but never evokes a special feeling for the cabin when one actually rides inside. The combined centre and driver's display panel is a direct copy from the old 7 series, and the controls on the centre console sends out needless reminders that you're on board a "smart car".

I actually like the display on the driver's information panel, and that it is a giant LCD screen that can display information of the trip computer over the speedometer. The "column stick" gear lever beind the steering wheel reminds me of a van, and the great guys and Merc still think that it is appropriate on a pricey car. As for the two colour schemes of the interior that you see below, take the fully beige one. Trust me, it really looks much better than the mix of black and beige. For a horrid example, check out the post of the Skoda Superb here.

In the rear, everything is neat and squarish, as what you should expect of a Merc. The seats are big, comfortable and supportive, and the centre stack with veneer trim separating the two seats means no third passenger behind. It seems like it's a trend to have only 2 sitting in the rear for luxury cars. Maybe people have grown in size but the width of cars haven't.

If only they utilised a pair of branded stereo headsets. At least Lexus had Mark Levinson. Why do you want one with a Merc logo?



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The Chairman W, Ssangyong's finest, never saw the daylights out of its own country. Currently still a South Korea only model, the Chairman W is priced to compete with the finest cars, such as the Merc S Class, the BMW 7 Series, as well as domestic competition from Hyundai's very own Equus.

Well, while there's little to fault about the Chairman's handsome exterior, it seems the Koreans/Chinese didn't know how to make a proper interior. Going away from the trend of straight cut fittings, the Chairman's interior follows a round theme, especially how awful looking the round centre-stack looks. The shiny aluminium trimmings on it make it look worse. The beige interiors look passable, while the black one is horrendous.

Looking like a car from the 20th century, Sssangyong continued the bright wood trimmings and black leather interior, a similar theme used in the first Chairman nearly a decade ago. Oh my. Black was such a colour of the past.

Luckily, there is a 7G-tronic gearbox, courtesy of Mercedes Benz, and a iDrive looking like knob in the centre coloumn to give it an upmarket feel. The quality of the rough-textured plastics used on the dashboard looks suspectible, but the nice felt material ceiling trimmings exudes class and luxury.

In the rear, the story is very much different. Sitting in the driver's seat felt like riding a cheap Ssangyong automotive junk. But at the back, it reminds you of one of those old school Cadillac or Lincoln limousine where one would lounge comfortably in the rear bench seats. I particularly like the headrests, which looks and feels like I'm on a first class aeroplane cabin. To repeat things, there is also an iDrive looking knob on the centre armrest at the rear. Though the black leather is not really to my taste, I would still rate this an excellent cabin.

If only they could include blinds to shut out the sight of the hideous front dashboard from the rear passengers. Then you can hire someone you hate to be your driver. And remember to ask him to keep reminding you that you're in a Cadillac...



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The Porsche Panamera might not have been for all tastes, but the interior of the car might have been a first class design since the anti-ageing 911 started looking similar inside out. One peek on the inside of the Panamera and you'd say WOW! What a fantastic new-age design!

Billed as a luxury sedan to compete with the likes of the Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche had to create an interior that exudes sportiness and luxury. The classic porsche sports with the un-adjustable headrests are retained. Plenty of nifty gadgets and nicely placed buttons align the centre-stack towards the dashboard. If there was one qualm, it would be the thin centre armrest for front passengers.

Things on the back are pretty much same as the front. The seats resemble the front seats so that no one can argue that they're are in a lesser comfortable one. The rear one seats 2, so that no one gets to sit in the middle and squash anyone by the sides during a corner.

Legroom and headroom on the rear are a little tight for a car of its length, but hey who cares? That's why you bought a Porsche not a Rolls right? Everything else of the interior is splendid, and this could be a car you could live with if you have deep pockets and willing to blindfold yourself to the drive way before getting into the car. If only Porsche exterior designers weren't so lazy... Click to Read more

The Superb is the cousin to the upmarket VW Passat, except that it's longer, spacious, cheaper and more practical in everyway to the Passat. Well, we used to think that for some reason, this might overshadow its presence, but not anymore. In the latest incarnation, the Superb has matured tastefully, and so has its interior.

Though still holding resemblance to the bland straight-cut VW family, it has too inherited premium quality finishes identical to a car many times its price. The interior hence isn't something you would call "exciting", but sure, it does make you feel you are on a business class suite on an everyday basis.

For one thing, we don't really like the mixture of the dark black top panels of the dashboard with the fair beige lower furnishings. The awkward use of dark walnut panels also gives the interior a rather sombre feel. Everything else, however, is splendid. You even get the airplane-inspired controls on the gear level, which also happens to appear on the expensive Audi A4 sedan.

The scallop-shaped back seats are comfortable for the even the most long-footed person, and the wide centre armrest on the rear seats means that the third passenger will not be seating in an uncomfortably narrow position where the protruding centre stack is poking his back.

All we know is: good car, good price, fit for the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.

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Nothing comes close to the Mayback in terms of its interior. Voted the best cabin to be in, the Maybach Zeppelin lives up to its name. Quilted leather, dark walnut trim, thick creamy carpets adorn its exquisite interior. At the back, a centre console separates both seats, and they even include custom made Maybach wine glasses. The problem is, where do you wash the glasses after drinking?

Still, we think this is the best cabin on earth. Heaven on wheels, this is it.

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