By Leftlane Staff
Friday, Mar 24th, 2006 @ 4:05 pm

CNNMoney got a chance to compare the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the Maybach 57S. Rolls Royce is an icon of tradition, wealth and privilege. Maybach lacks the well-known history, “but also the baggage, of Rolls-Royce ,” writes Peter Valdes-Dapena. “After all, not everyone with a morbidly large bank account wants to rub it in the faces of the plebes.” Both cars are surprisingly capable, albeit very different from a sports car. “You do not drive the Phantom. You control it and it carries you, as if gliding over the ground, around turns, in and out of traffic,” writes Valdes-Dapena. “The big car simply responds to your requests, entered through the appropriately wide and spindly steering wheel. Curvy roads can be taken at a chase scene pace and the big car handles it with aplomb.” On the other hand, there is no “waftability” in the 57S. “You are driving this car and you know it.” Also unlike the Phantom, “the Maybach 57 S offers no design allusions to a bygone era of luxury.” Instead, it has a modern interior a kind of “art-techo” look, says Valdes-Dapena.

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