Finding the world's best luxury car - what's quietest and most comfortable?

[@sodazman]

I've driven many Bentleys, Merc S Classes and Rolls-Royces in my years as a mechanic. Honestly the most quiet car in the world was the Lexus LS400. It was literally "next-level" in quietness. You couldn't hear the engine or the even stepper motor when you adjusted the steering wheel. It was like being in your own bubble. It wasn't just having lots of sound proofing, it was engineered to be quiet from the ground up.

[@TermlessHGW]

Serious...? I've heard early 2000's Lexus is a great car but quieter, more refined than the big boys?

[@0HOON0]

LS430 perhaps even more so.

[@Mathew1985mathew]

Also hyuindai genesis is quieter than mb, bmw, audi

[@sodazman]

@@TermlessHGW Yes it's absolutely incredible what they managed to achieve back then.

[@jimj2683]

I call BS.

[@arabbrian]

A Mercedes S class is surely missing here

[@marquex3272]

Yes, where is the Mercedes Maybach ?

[@davekennedy6315]

​@@marquex3272that is far too FUGLY! Maybachs are truly HIDEOUS, maybe they're trying the save our collective eyes from such ugliness?

[@farhaanwilliams2012]

A Maybach would be interesting

[@kenneth61]

Or EQS.

[@sheunesumakoni577]

It lost to the bmw, they voted the i7 as the best German luxury car, that's why it's there instead of the S-class

[@flacjacket]

Correction: the rear tablet in the Bentley is not fixed, it pops out.

[@jmartini2387]

The selection of vehicles was... interesting. As Bentley now pitches the Bentayga EWB as their Mulsanne replacement, you'd think that would be chosen. The Range Rover is the wrong configuration (powertrain and wheelbase). No Maybach option, either.

[@justaguyfromeurope]

Yeah, a bit of an under-cooked video idea...

[@stamy74]

Nothing can come close to Rolls Royce Phantom when luxury and isolation from the outside world are concerned.

[@hansmaulwurf3831]

Maybach

[@Nemoticon]

The RR Sliver Cloud would be my pick. Obviously it is very old and very slow, but it has the most character and is arguable the most interesting of the bunch.

[@Uns46]

Same but no safety features tho

[@Nemoticon]

@@Uns46 Then don't crash, lol. I drove an Austin Mini all over he country for 7yrs and my 'safety features' was simply being observant and aware of my surroundings. The no.1 resaon why people have accients now is because they're all on their phones, lol. I don't need or want to be wrapped in cotton wool to be and or feel safe.

[@deadmarch101]

@@Nemoticonyou sound like a 120 year old idiot.

[@epbrown01]

@@Uns46Truth. I had a 60s Rolls-Royce and at 60mph with no seat belts the wood, metal, and Bakelite go from luxurious to nerve-wracking. Old guy in a white van t-boned me in it running a red light, all the while saying it wasn’t his fault because the city had changed the timing of the lights and he used to make 3 lights in a row.

[@mytinplaterailway]

Does it need them?@@Uns46

[@eugp4198]

Toyota Century:"hold my beer"..

[@dominicrusho]

The fact that they didn’t include the 2002 1.2 Fiat Stilo in this video is very disappointing

[@OpticalFetish]

A very nice car.

[@user0055]

Wow we live in a time where the Bentley is the best looking car

[@eroche913]

The Range Rover is the best looking. But not the best car, by miles.

[@user0055]

It's a good looking car as well, second place for me personally. @@eroche913

[@briankim6148]

@@eroche913 well styling is subjective and I think bentley looks the best but the range rover does look super nice

[@jaspaltoor2061]

​@@eroche913 All Range Rover look like cars 4 year old draw. Basically big boxes, hardly the best looking.

[@shogunero3.6]

@@jaspaltoor2061 they are the most elegant and classy looking suvs.

[@MikeWooshy]

The huge thud at 26:04, says the BMW isn't as cosseted as the competetion,

[@AMGrulz]

Can I just say...the person who decided that white text on yellow background was the way to go for the information blurbs needs to be sacked quicker than James May...

[@MassimoTava]

Was sunroof shade closed when doing measurements?

[@motorvatorv888]

Apparently not, you could hear the acoustics were a little different with the huge glass surface of the bmws roof being uncovered for example.

[@witton6475]

Somehow Matt Saunders makes the rear occupancy look less spacious.

[@JohnAdams-kc8wx]

At least he’s loading up the suspension more, which in theory should iron out more ripples….

[@Alexprim313]

Where is the Century SUV or at least Lexus Ls?

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

In Japan.

[@ThetPaingSoeWin]

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3 is such a rare piece to withness but replacing it with Mercedes Benz S class full grade or Maybach S560, 680 would make this vid a thousand times better

[@lukholosityebi4181]

For old luxury the Mercedes 600 is missing and it would show that rolls a thing or two. For new luxury the S maybach is missing as well.

[@jasminderbharij5861]

Rest assured the Brits don't want to embarass themselves. 😅

[@pranjaligandhare4963]

Very interesting comparison... Amazing content!

[@mikealanzo]

Very interesting profile... Amazing content! :) ;) :) ;) So... you come here often .... :) :) :)

[@Piketom1]

Absolutely agreed about the visibility you get out of older cars. It’s so much better than newer ones.

[@gazzebow]

Was that passenger seat in the Phantom bolted in properly? Wobbling all over the place!

[@ralphgill9982]

In terms of ride comfort, the Silver Shadow would make an interesting comparison. Crewe licensed Citroën's hydropnuematic suspension to give it the best ride possible.

[@gregorygant4242]

Yes, it was so good RR used and perfected it so well for today's times.

[@georgekoshyvaidyan7731]

Maybach is way more comfortable than 7 series

[@dane458]

You'd know?

[@seansiew5629]

Not when compared to Bentley and Rolls Royce

[@mohammadkamran5862]

I don’t understand why no one wants to do something like this with regular people luxury cars. Such as Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, BMW SUV, or Mercedes GLC GLE etc. I’ve been trying to figure that out as to which vehicle I can buy for quietness.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Stick with a camel Muhammed

[@Madhusudhan2029]

I don't know how you guys can do this review without a Maybach. I would assume you couldn't get the car for this test. If not, it's a big miss

[@Tides-of-Time-and-Space]

Was thinking the same.

[@erionhodaErionhoda]

not only the maybach but also the mulsanne

[@pmwaffle9348]

​@@erionhodaErionhodathose have been out of production for years

[@erionhodaErionhoda]

@@pmwaffle9348 true but they drive way better and smoother than the flying spur.

[@longtailgt]

@@erionhodaErionhoda Just saying, the new Flying Spur is a replacement for the Mulsanne.

[@davidhayes4814]

I really liked the inclusion of the 60 year old Cloud. I remember reading that the Silver Shadow was quite an improvement in handling and internal space (but not in sheer style).

[@zakelwe]

I wonder how many electronics will be working on all the cars in 50 years time ? Forgetting the i7, its battery will be dead. The old phantom will still more than likely going ....

[@spudmurphy764]

Great review, but, as a few others have commented, the sound quality was pretty poor - you need to get some decent microphones, chaps.

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

Put on headsets. It's all perfectly articulate even with one ear plugged in.

[@justthevoicebackup280]

This is the first time I've heard anyone say the Rolls Royce Phantom lacks dampening... I wonder if the Ghost with it's double dampeners would be better?

[@gordtulk]

Where would the Toyota Alphard rank in this group? (Is a minivan a car?)

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

Ecaxt where most expensive V class trim would fit in. Or some V class business conversion.

[@aurorajones8481]

22:01 My 23 WRX is 75 decibels at 65, my LC500 is 62 at the same speed on the same road. Just saying.

[@aurorajones8481]

Measured from my iWatch in the driver seat.

[@johnjoel8204]

in my opinion it was wrong to bring that specific range rover to that test. the right range rover would be the sv autobiography long wheel base. that is the correct trim to compare against these cars. otherwise your bringing a lower spec car to a very high spec luxury comparison test.

[@papagen00]

Most Comfy Ride = Lexus LS 600h

[@hassanalihashmi5134]

Why has the Mercedes Maybach or S class not part of this test

[@BMH1965]

You missed an opportunity to sit in the most comfortable car - the RR Silver Ghost (the one with the Citroen suspension).

[@epbrown01]

That was the Silver Shadow.

[@dimitrisbastas739]

I don't know which is the best here, but the most beautiful is the silver cloud 3, by far...

[@geoffk777]

SO, two BMWs, an Indian Tata and a Volkswagon. Oh, and one Classic, real Rolls-Royce. Which, by far, was the most beautiful, characterful, elegant and posh car here. So the Silver Cloud is the only one in the group that's worth owning. The Chinese and Arabs love the ghastly German models (special points to the I7 for being the ugliest car on the road--inside and out--a 7-Series tradition since the 2001 E65 model). But anyone who loves luxury cars--especially British Luxury cars--will have the Silver Cloud here or nothing.

[@seansiew5629]

So a unreliable S class is better? 😂 keep dreaming about that w220 remake aka w223

[@mateuszklause9714]

Interesting comparison, but shouldn't you, check the noise in i7 with covered glass roof?

[@sevensixtysteve8662]

Amazing db readings from Rolls - it's hard to see how the Spectre could improve on that. Also, the Silver Cloud is a thing of genuine beauty. I am not sure I could say the same about any of the others with the possible exception of the Range Rover which I think conceptually gets closest to restrained elegance that I think defines a true luxury car.

[@Vaticancameos2]

Love this video, but can you guys PLEASE work on the sound mixing? Constantly have to change the volume when it cuts from music to pieces to camera.

[@tobiaslangstrom3689]

How on earth can you make a best luxury car contest without the Mercedes S-class or a Maybach?????

[@arpankar6609]

It's so sorrowful that Bentley stopped mulsanne! It's their best car! Hope they remake it....😞

[@reinier_m]

I miss a Maybach.

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

it's a dedault choice and a huge seller. Surely beats them all. Boring.

[@1maico1]

@@jedrzejgorski5437 The old Maybach 1997-2013 was a dismal seller. In 2010 157 Maybachs were sold worldwide vs 2,711 Rolls-Royces

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

@@1maico1 The w240 is gradually becoming as legendary and collectible as w100 with 3221 w240s produced 2002-2013 compared with 2677 w100s produced 1963-1981. Phantoms are a trash compared with with w240 regardless of their better sales because that's not the point of w240 as far is autonomotive history is concerned. Yet, be informed that that your 2010 RR figure includes Ghost so perhaps on the merc side, you should as S class to compare apples to apples.

[@wolvolad25]

On my 7th ad and I’m only at the rolls review absolutely ridiculous. Is there any content

[@ship1826]

toyota century is the best luxury car in the world

[@colinwalker436]

How do you quantify that?

[@nucky4094]

how tall is matt? are the suspensions supposed to be so good that he can’t hit his head on a bad bump?

[@siraff4461]

I Completely agree. Its not often I get to go in them these days but every time I get into a Phantom its special. Its so different from everything else. Its not just the measurable things like sound levels but the whole feel and ambiance of the thing - its all about luxury and hang the rest. Just as a true luxury car should be. The rest are still trying to play the sports game and be somewhat agile/etc - pointless in a barge anyway. If you want that get a GT car.

[@kevinburke8152]

My fav too. But it is the best alrounder. One the latest until the Septre came along. The BB has bigger brakes stiffer (larger dia.) Anti roll bars & Driver Assist Pack 3. Have you see the Onyx Conversion?

[@davidcolin6519]

"We sought out some gnarly surfaces". Jeez, you didn't need to go to the wilds of Wales/Scotland/W.H.Y. for that, you just needed to get out onto a UK road! I was, unfortunately, in the UK over the Christmas break and it was no longer a case of "Ooooh, this road is bad", it was more like "Oh! this is a smooth road". Literally, in one week of travelling around London and the SE, there was only one drive where my group weren't complaining about the dreadful condition of the roads. On one memorable occasion we were nearly thrown clean off an A road by the depth, unevenness and severity of a particular, one sided, dip.

[@richardwilson57]

I have to point out that the tyre pressure can really make a difference in this sort of test…….. Mercedes used to offer a pSI level suggestion for comfort..

[@Kwm-519]

Seat comfort - silver cloud or latest phantom ? I have also found old cars had significantly softer seats. Not sure why is that

[@ayushmankar4100]

Where are Mercedes Maybach S-class , Audi A8L , Lexus LS500h & Mercedes Maybach GLS600 ?

[@CarsofGlasgow]

Lexus LS as thats not German, the i7 is the voted German luxury car winner

[@ayushmankar4100]

@@CarsofGlasgow Bro ! Here the video is talking about world's best luxury car . It is not specific to Germany only .

[@CarsofGlasgow]

from their previous content the i7 won. I would agree the maybach merc s class could be in there but I guess they wanted an EV luxo saloon in the test and the Phantom was going to win regardless@@ayushmankar4100

[@davidmulligan42]

How many times can you say "sort of" in 29 minutes? Good reviews, though. Where I live, I like a quiet, luxury car that leaves me feeling a lot less stressed after a commute. Given my choice, I'd take the Phantom.

[@eroche913]

Seems mad that Bentley haven't replaced the Mulsanne with a proper full size limo

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

Bentayga ewb. Just like Toyota century SUV.

[@JBOsurf]

ls500? And how can you do this test without an S Class?

[@vicwu1660]

The passenger too tall ls500 won’t fit😂

[@alextoft9199]

What track is playing at the beginning here

[@constantinnescu1564]

Thank you for the video . By the way I noticed how tight was the back seats passenger în the Range Rover. May I ask ? how tall îs he ?

[@nkyabosi4827]

Aurus Senat ?, were you not able to get a hold of it ? Must have been to exp for a show

[@andoletube]

The Aurus Senate is so fully featured it will wind down the window automatically at 60mp/h and push you out.

[@kaustubhnarkar]

Bentley for me , it feels like home. Not too loud and quite quiet and high-quality buttons and switches.

[@stephanemandelert4321]

I am quite confident that the surprise about the noise of the BMW is because you didn’t measure “peak noise” while accelerating the car, this is where the difference between the electric and the others will be glaring.

[@LewieMac]

So… where’s Maybach?

[@jamiep61]

One of the best Autocar Videos you have Filmed 😊

[@aurorajones8481]

14:30 What fools. They put a digital cluster for the gauges to replicate real gauges. Im sorry have you seen rich ppl collect watches? The real watches with real mechanical hardware. Thats missing here. Instead of a beautifully stunning guauge pack built by one of the worlds finest watch makers they give us a game boy screen. What garbage. As a luxury owner i don't want a screen. Screens to me are cheap, plastic and frankly will depixilate delaminate and fail. Rubbish.

[@GadgetyMV]

Great to include the SC III!

[@symmetry08]

Best vehicle or platform for Luxury car is van actually, for city driving and for overall packaging. But most people are traditionalist when it comes to shape.

[@wizardofthenorth8352]

Anyone know which road / county they are driving in? Peak district? TIA

[@markbennett9787]

I’m going to finish watching this video, it’s stultifying stuff, the guy in the back seems to be unable to let go of the grab handle and they’re doing all of 50mph. I started reading « Autocar »magazine 70 years ago and still have cuttings from those days stuck in a well thumbed scrapbook. I used to love reading the constructive road tests and would sometimes even read the same reports in « Motor » for comparison but this production is dreadful and I also agree with the people who are questioning why you haven’t included a Mercedes. Plato, Butler-Henderson, Needell, Rory Reid , Chris Harris, Clarkson et al and even dear old ( like me) Quentin Willson where are you ?

[@wonderfullife3567]

It's kind of strange to compare Bentley and Phantom to RR p440 and not P540ewb.

[@jerehada]

Love the devotion to Welsh mountain roads like when did you last see a limo there!

[@steved2008]

Why have you picked the biggest bloke you could find to try out the rear seats ?

[@christophernicol4762]

Great, great video. Thanks!

[@rjdavies1982]

Looking at that Cloud III it just looks stunning. Decades of legislation (improving road safety of course) has meant we have lost delicate beautiful car design and are left today with a mass of amorphous crumple zones on wheels.

[@Mathew1985mathew]

It is so hard to make this test with mb s, bmw 7, audi 8, lexus LS, rr ghost? Do it please!

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

Boring. Watch German journalists for such stuff.

[@Sunshinehappy_and_the_Coolgang]

Would've given this two thumbs up if they did a full complete review and cranked these cars around a race track to finish.

[@stuartkennedy4570]

Where is the merc?

[@Chris.Davies]

Real World Answer? Any and every Lexus LS400 ever made.

[@gaycha6589]

S Class?

[@gonncalomariamonteiro4176]

Wonder how a Citroen C6 would stack up with this bunch...

[@rare6499]

Great video, Silver Cloud for me. Absolutely beautiful car.

[@rajkohli81]

Range Rover should have been the LWB, at the very least

[@jonothanhayman2932]

Weird how Matt hardly ever let go of the grab handle in the back of the RR.

[@katmac532000]

A contemporary Swedish hotel. Mmmmm another set of car testers in touch with the real world.

[@svenskenh644]

How do you mean?

[@stefanbakker164]

What about the RR Spectre ⚡️😉👍

[@AlvaroMRocha]

Where's the clas-S reference?!!!

[@jameshicks3064]

Having had the privilege of being a passenger in many luxury cars including several rollers I think without a maybach for comparison you can’t pick a number 1 from this list.

[@qwerty69600]

Phenomenal pronunciation of the word "Hermès" haha. JESUS.

[@janjander152]

Fun comparisons. The Rangie had the vegan interior and the plug in hybrid is the heaviest version by a bit.

[@Hisgarage919]

Range rover is best daddy of suv

[@cabra2365]

I have fond memories of driving an EWB Phantom (and a Phantom drophead)... the very definition of 'waft'. The only thing I've driven that gets close is the Queen Mother's 1973 XJ12.

[@srb9375]

Brilliant review chaps

[@timothyburnside3229]

RR Cloud is old world class and charm! They just stood out and look at the quality of a 57-year-old car!! Not knocking the Phantom or the Bentley, both outstanding and of current Models Phantom wins but would rather compare Mulsanne than Flying Spur just closer in price and better comparison!

[@WSOJ3]

EQS Maybach SUV?

[@sutats]

Range Rover P440e Autobiography Economy: 322.7mpg. WOW!

[@g.m3399]

A Toyota century is missing here.

[@markmawer]

The Roller was so quiet it made the exterior look like greenscreen!

[@alfamonk]

I'll take the noise measurements with a pinch of salt as there are so many variables here, but nice comparison. Should throw in a real-world NVH champion in there for references, maybe a C5X hybrid with laminated glass?

[@a.n.3284]

Just cram the Phantom interior into the Bently and add some technology titbits from the Bmw 7 so we can call it a day. Perfect, just perfect. ❤

[@johnkotlarz4466]

Wow..! The Rangey got 322mpg..! Colour me impressed..!

[@WatchKek]

Technicalities with press departments aside how can you do a comparison of this calibre and omit the S Class (normal or Maybach)? That would've been amazing, still a great video

[@scott8919]

Simple... they either forgot or couldn't get one for testing.

[@mziwendukuntsele671]

Where's the Audi A8 Horch, Genesis G90, Mercedes-Maybach & Lexus LS?

[@byzaha1238]

Exactly

[@jedrzejgorski5437]

Hooch is in China. Maybach is the default winner of this comparison even without being present. And lexus what...? Who buys LS anymore?

[@StephenJohnson-jb7xe]

I think being in the back seat of the Range Rover would drive me nuts, the top of the window was lower than eye level.

[@Megatronman1]

And what about a Toyota Yaris?

[@epbrown01]

That I7 was like a sensory deprivation chamber.