The Best Chauffeur Car in the World
Rating the best chauffeur car in the world is down to one’s own perspective. To rate the best chauffeur car by price would be quite simple but to rate the best chauffeur car by the other factors such as usability, comfort, style and ride is a different story. For some clients the Rolls-Royce Phantom or Maybach would be too much of a statement and they would not be seen dead in one. For others who wish to make a statement the S-class Mercedes, BMW 7 Series or Lexus LS600 would be considered pale in comparison, possibly akin to the way the average man look upon a taxi cab. Taking into account all of these factors we have come up with a balanced view. A middle perspective which considers the view from the clients perspective, the chauffeurs perspective, as well as the frequency of journeys undertaken; We present our view.
1. S-Class Mercedes
We have purposely not named a particular model as we believe, across the board, the S-Class Mercedes is the number 1 chauffeur vehicle in the world. Introduced in 1954 the S-Class is considered the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz range. “Sonderklasse” is the German word for “special class” or “in a class of it’s own” and the “S-Class” was derived from this word. Time and time again, technological innovations from Mercedes-Benz has, by default, made the S-Class Mercedes the world’s best-selling luxury sedan. Although we have not named a particular model of S-Class, we are focussing on the long wheelbase versions and whether it’s the V12, V8, V6 or the most popular diesel version, we have to hand the trophy to the S-Class as it is the industry standard chauffeur car on this planet. For the most part, the PA’s for CEO’s, politicians, media figures, businessmen and big names in the entertainment industry, insist on booking the S-Class as they know what they are getting and they can relax knowing that they have made the right choice of chauffeur vehicle for their boss. From the chauffeurs point of view they can expect reliability and sturdiness and the cockpit hosts all the tried and tested requirements to ensure the passenger is driven in comfort and style.
2. BMW 7 Series
Now, we could spark off some serious debate naming the BMW 7 Series as our choice, as the runner up for the best Chauffeur car in the world. The BMW 7 Series encompasses all that the S-Class has and is another preferred choice for top business people being chauffeured around the world. The BMW 7 Series is BMW’s flagship car, and like the S-Class, BMW’s latest an innovative technologies and designs trickle down into their other models beneath. It was introduced in 1977 and is now on it’s 5th generation, so although the S-Class has been around over 20 years longer, the BMW 7 Series is also steeped in tradition. The BMW 7 Series is the chosen chauffeur car for the Olympics in 2012, and what also prompted us to place the 7 series as the runner up, is it’s huge presence in the Eco friendly trend towards significantly lower fuel consumption and CO2 emission vehicles. With BMW’s latest release the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, it is interesting that BMW co-developed the system with Mercedes, and it is exiting thought that BMW at some point will release its Hydrogen 7 worldwide, as BMW claim the vehicle is the “world’s first production-ready hydrogen vehicle” although a 100 vehicles have been produced to test the technology.
3. Rolls-Royce Phantom
We were very keen to put the quintessentially British Rolls-Royce marque into the number 1 slot. Our first Rolls-Royce Phantom was number 52 off the production line and quite simply we adore this vehicle. With the likes of Simon Cowell and Alan Sugar propelling the Phantom even more into the media spotlight, without deliberation, one could easily hand the title to the Lion King of chauffeur cars. However, lets face some simple facts. How many are there? In 2010, 2,711 cars were sold during the year. If you are going to Elton Johns party then the Rolls-Royce Phantom or Maybach is a must, but if your aim is to be chauffeured around London to various business meetings or events, then the Phantom is not conducive. If we were deciding what is the best car in the world then our results would certainly favour the Phantom but we are deciding here on the best chauffeur car in the world.
4. Bentley Flying Spur
There is one thing that most certainly kept the Bentley Flying Spur off the top spot, and that is its ride. It has a firm and sporty ride, and when you are chauffeured, you can really sense the Bentley want’s to go but do we really need the fastest four-seat coupe of our time for general chauffeuring. This Continental continues Bentley’s tradition of sporting Grand Tourers and if you were being chauffeured from London to Nice there would be no better choice. The Flying Spur, like the Rolls-Royce Phantom certainly turns heads, it’s styling is supreme, and the 6.0 litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine producing 552 bhp is rock solid. The Flying Spur is built to last. Hand built at Bentley’s own manufacturing plant in Crewe in England, the Flying Spur is an all round super chauffeur car.
5. Maybach
If you are looking at opulence then look no further. In other ratings for the best Chauffeur car in the world the Maybach is certainly at number 1, but in our humble opinion, the Maybach does not top the list. Founded in 1909 the luxury car manufacturer Maybach was founded by Father and Son team, Wilhelm and Karl Maybach, who built their first experimental car in 1919. Before 1940 Maybach produced many classic and opulent vehicles. In Tokyo in 1997 the Mercedes-Benz Maybach was presented at the Motorshow and the Maybach 57 and Maybach 62 caught the eyes of the world. Like the Rolls-Royce Phantom, consumers were offered various options to personalise their vehicles, and with 0 to 60 mph times of under 5 seconds, the Maybach was powerful in so many ways. There are more features in the Maybach than all the vehicles above, comprising of an endless list of luxury options, but we must bear in mind that the Maybach is the most expensive of all the contenders.
