VW Phaeton
Volkswagen is not exactly a manufacturer renowned for producing luxurious cars. Now do not get me wrong, I am a great fan of VW and respect thier cars for their practical, technical and safety features. However, Volkswagen has shifted a gear or six by producing their first large luxury saloon, the Phaeton.
Proving the old saying ‘anything they can do we can do better’ the VW Phaeton is available with a choice of two petrol and one diesel engine. Not for the light hearted though, being a 4.2 litre V8, a 6.0 litre W12 and a new 3.0 litre V6 TDI which uses common rail technology, boasts more power than the previous unit and is the first VW engine to comply with the stringent Euro V emission legislation. You are probably wondering why on earth are VW making such large cars with big hearts in a time when the message is banging out to go green. Well truth of the matter is simply because they can in order to fulfil the still incredibly high demand for luxury powerful cars. Not wishing to scare myself too much, I opted for the Phaeton 3.0 litre V6 TDI 4MOTION as my test car for the week.
This really should be re-named the phantom, as this beautiful car is very very fast despite its large dimensions and like a phantom, quickly disappears from sight taking just 8.4 effortless seconds to reach 62mph. Top speed is an acclaimed 146 mph yet fuel consumption is surprisingly good with 30.1 mpg on a combined cycle. Where you may get clobbered is insurance group of 16 and VED as CO2 emissions are 248g/km. That rather blends into insignificance really as this car costs £40,595 and aimed at top high flyers who will think nothing about running costs nor the wide range of optional extras that are on offer.
The Phaeton is unmistakably of VW pedigree inheriting many characteristics yet has powerful looking extras putting it at the head of the family rather like the Godfather. This particular model can be ordered in either a short wheelbase of long. My road test car was the long version that not only gave far more interior room for the rear passengers, but accentuates the cars luscious looks. Beautiful bodylines cascade from front to rear, with full colour coded bumpers door handles and heated, electrically adjustable and folding door mirrors. Chrome strips entwine around the body while the large 19-inch alloy wheels cements its mighty presence.
The interior of the Phaeton is exactly what a luxury car should be. Full of state of the art technology, an abundance of driver aides and, of course, the compulsory splattering of walnut veneer including on the rolling air vents that automatically opens when hot or cold air is required. The heated leather multifunction height plus reach adjustable steering wheel is home to the cruise control, on board computer and stereo options for the six-disc CD interchanger. More leather wafts up the nostrils from the upholstery and the air conditioned front seats come with an optional 18-way electric adjustment – over the standard 12 – complete with memory, lumber support and massage function thus eliminating any back or bottom aches on long journeys. 4Zone electronic climate control keeps everyone cool calm and collected with the rear passengers even having thier own controls. Sat nav system on a 7 inch colour screen should help reduce arguments and if you have to make that call, the Phaeton has been geared up with Voice Activated Mobile Phone Preparation which includes Bluetooth interface.
To enhance driver comfort is rain sensing wipers, bi-xenon headlights with dynamic curve lighting, automatic dimming rear view mirror and heated windscreen washer jets.
The rear passengers can seriously travel in style with all the extra room from this long wheelbase version. The added advantage is the children are further away from you so their arguments are less noisy! Anyone who is privy to use a chauffeur will have no excuse not to work whist being ferried around, as a passenger for the rear interior is so comfortable. The Phaeton is also practical with sunblinds for the side windows and an electric sunblind for the rear window. There are also numerous storage solutions including concealed bins in the centre armrest, door pockets and for the rear passengers if the middle seat is not being used, another armrest pulls down with more storage binnacles. Shopoholics will be ecstatic thanks to the very generous boot space but this could benefit from a power operated button as it is quite hard to hang onto all the shopping bags and open the boot manually, or am I getting ahead of myself here?
Driving the Phaeton is simply a dream with speed sensitive power steering giving precise response to the driver and the front and rear parking sensors guiding you beautifully into yet another parking bay. The six-speed automatic transmission has been specifically designed for cars like this Phaeton that deliver high torque so it has to be strong yet compact enough to cope with the 4MOTION system. It comes with the option to go into manual mode using the + and – on the gear lever or using the optional extra steering mounted Tiptronic levers. To ensure a smooth ride at all times even over our increasing number of potholes, the Phaeton is equipped with Continuous Damping Control air suspension, automatic self levelling system and a choice of four suspension settings from comfort through to Sport. Then there are three different chassis heights automatically set according to the speed at which you are driving the Phaeton, However, the driver can override the system for a bit more fun.
As in typical VW trend, the Phaeton is fitted with 4MOTION four-wheel drive, which is an industry first for this class of car and offers significant advantages in the ride and handling department over traditional rear wheel drive systems.
In case you do get a little too excited, the Phaeton is one of the safest cars to be in thanks to ABS, EBD, HBA – Hydraulic Brake Assist, ESP including EDL – Electronic Differential Lock, ASR – Anti Slip Regulation and Engine Overrun Torque Control.
For the more defiant motorists, the Phaeton comes with driver and front passengers airbags, front and rear seat side impact airbags plus curtain airbags system. The whole body is very rigid to withstand impacts, as are the aluminium doors that also contain side impact bars for further protection. The front seats have active head restraints; all five seats come with adjustable seatbelts plus pretensioners and ISOFIX mounting for the two outer rear seats.
The Phaeton is one of the most secure vehicles on the roads today scoring the maximum five stars in both categories for the Thatcham’s New Vehicle Security Register. These include central locking, an alarm, electronic immobiliser, deadlocks and inclination sensors to prevent the vehicle for being towed away. Does this mean you can park on double yellow lines and nobody can move you? Dare I risk it? No best not. This Phaeton is far too spectacular a car to be stuck on a tow away truck.
Enjoy
Jackie Violet – Female First