Best and worst super luxury saloons: oddball pretenders to the Rolls-Royce throne
As Rolls-Royce hits 120 years old, meet the car makers that have tried to take it on – not always successfully
Rolls-Royce has often indicated, whether subtly or explicitly, that it believes its cars to be in a class of their own. Consider the marketing for the Phantom, for example, which included a short film with the tagline: “Unique has no rival”. Enough said.
The reality is that the luxury manufacturers most commonly considered as competitors to Rolls sell in far greater volume at lower prices. When it comes to uber-opulence, no one really comes close to the Goodwood-based brand.
But that’s not to say there haven’t been some interesting vehicles presented as alternatives to Rolls-Royces over the years. In the unlikely event that you have hundreds of thousands of pounds burning a hole in your pocket and feel a Roller is too passé, here’s a look at the kind of fare that’s been offered up. Spoiler alert: not all are hugely desirable…
Toyota Century
This piece of pure Japanese charm has been around since 1967, when it was first produced to celebrate Toyota founder Sakichi Toyoda’s 100th birthday (hence the name). And ever since then, the saloon has become synonymous with Japan’s elite, who appreciate the old-school ethic inside and out (lace curtains, anyone?) as they are being driven from appointment to appointment.
A refresh in 2018 wisely retained the retro design, but under the bonnet the Century was hauled into the modern era with a 5.0-litre V8 and two electric motors, replacing its old V12.
A hand-built manufacturing process and starting price of £150,000 ensure the Century remains a rare sight, but the fact this piece of luxury automotive individualism exists at all is something to be thankful for. And underlining the Century’s positioning as Japan’s Rolls-Royce, an SUV model was revealed in 2023 with Cullinan-aping styling and an estimated price of around £135,000.
Aznom Palladium
Italian coachbuilder Aznom described this outrageous 2020 creation as a “hyper-limousine all-terrain luxury sedan” intended to fill an “interesting and exclusive” niche. Well, we can’t argue with that. The car had an astonishing gestation, evolving from a previous Aznom luxury offering, the Atalux, which was based on a Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up. Yes, really.
With such unlikely underpinnings, the Palladium was a particularly curious machine – a six-metre-long giant, equipped with two or four-wheel drive, and featuring a twin-turbo version of Ram’s 5.7-litre HEMI V8 engine tuned to produce in excess of 700bhp.
Only 10 were ever planned to be produced, each to the specification of the buyer. Considering the unprecedented styling – an undeniably Rolls-inspired front blended with a truly remarkable rear, courtesy of its pick-up past – you might think 10 sales would prove an ambitious target.
But even with a starting price of $1.5million (£1.2m), it was sufficiently surreal to impress some, including one United Arab Emirates customer, who in 2022 was reported to have requested a Palladium with the 850bhp twin-turbo 6.4-litre V8 from the Ram 1500 TRX.
Aurus Senat
Hailing from Russia, the Aurus Senat luxury saloon was created in 2018 as the country’s new state vehicle under the direction of President Vladimir Putin. Given that Putin had no compunction about invading Ukraine, it’s unlikely he worried too much about upsetting the Rolls-Royce design team.
Three models have been developed – the standard Senat, the Senat Long and the Senat Limousine, with Putin’s own version designed to withstand ballistic and explosive attack. Under the bonnet there’s a 4.4-litre twin turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid powertrain developing 606bhp and 800Nm of torque.
Although it was initially developed for the Russian leader, the Senat has subsequently become available to buy, and is clearly becoming the model of choice for the world’s leading despots. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is a fan, and was apparently gifted one by Moscow earlier this year.
Aurus also offers a second model, an opulent SUV called the Komendant, which, unsurprisingly, looks suspiciously similar to a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Mercedes Maybach
While the Maybach name has returned to grace the most desirable versions of some of Mercedes’ most upmarket cars, in 2003 things were slightly different. Back then, Maybach was resurrected by Mercedes, after a long spell lying dormant. The standalone brand was meant to take the fight to BMW-owned Rolls.
Two different cars were offered – the 57 and 62, with the names relating to their length (5.7 and 6.2 metres). The former was intended to be owner driven, while the latter was more suited to those who were ferried around by their chauffeur.
Despite V12 power, Maybach never really took off in the way Mercedes had envisaged – a victim, perhaps, of its astronomical prices and the fact the cars, which resembled stretched S-Classes, just didn’t look special enough. As a result, sales were disappointingly low, so the project was binned in 2012.
Hongqi L5
From China, but sporting a retro look, is the Hongqi L5, which is described “as a perfect fusion of tradition and modernity in time and space, which endows the limousine with an unsurpassed grandeur”. Although inspired by Hongqi’s own CA770 state limousine from the seventies, the L5 has a distinct flavour of classic Rolls saloons in profile and at the rear.
The model was introduced in 2014, with an updated version revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2023. Incredibly, the new L5 is even bigger than its mammoth predecessor, with its vast dimensions – more than 5.9 metres long and 2.0 metres wide – pushing it firmly into Phantom territory. First deliveries are scheduled for this year.
It comes with a 387bhp 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, and will prove a classy choice for the target market of high-ranking Chinese state officials and fabulously wealthy businessmen. Those VIPs who want to show their patriotic credentials will need especially deep pockets, though, with the L5 wearing a monumental price tag in the region of £500,000.
Geely GE
If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, Rolls-Royce must have felt highly appreciated when this concept appeared at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show.
The GE bore a startling – some might even say uncanny – resemblance to the Phantom. The luxurious 5.5-metre saloon had one important difference inside however: a solitary rear seat, like a throne, for the Chinese captains of industry who couldn’t even contemplate travelling with anyone other than their driver.
By the time the GE reappeared at the Beijing show in 2010, common-sense had prevailed and the model was heavily revised, with a more rounded front and rear making it look (a little) less like a Phantom.
Click here for our list of the best luxury SUVs...
