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Volkswagen Phaeton
Car Review
Volkswagen Phaeton
The VW Phaeton is an excellent luxury vehicle, but will find it difficult swaying buyers loyal to other brands. The car deserves a fair shot based on its offerings, but is not likely to get it with badge snobs because VW has not been widely accepted as a luxury manufacturer.
Volkswagen Phaeton Car Review Summary
Volkswagen Phaeton
The Phaeton is one of Volkswagen's first attempts at breaking into the luxury market. The car is designed to hold its own with the best of brands in the luxury car market, but it may take time before the Volkswagen brand is accepted as a luxury manufacturer. The Phaeton is a relatively rare sight on UK roads.
The Phaeton, contains all the necessary elements to qualify as a true luxury saloon. which exhibits the full range of essential luxury saloon attributes. In short wheelbase form, the car is over five metres long. The car is powerful, well appointed, boasts a good build quality and a distinctive presence.
The Volkswagen Phaeton boasts competitive prices, and comes with a high level of standard kit, including a sat-nav system. The car provides good value for the money, and will pose a serious threat to rival brands.
The Volkswagen Phaeton impressive line of engines include the 3.0-litre diesel and 3.2-litre petrol models, both are excellent choices, while at the other end of the range the V10 diesel and W12 petrol models offer very impressive amounts of power. Between the car’s style and power Volkswagen shouldn’t have any problems winning over buyers. Especially when each car is hand-built at a factory in Dresden to the customer's exact specifications.
The car’s interior build quality is excellent and made with the finest materials. The car doesn’t get the stature that it rightfully deserves, and that means it loses resale value at a faster rate than many of its competitors.
Practicality
The Volkswagen Phaeton will be an expensive to buy and run. Reasonable insurance and low service charges will only slightly off set a high asking price, poor fuel economy, and the fact that resale values will be low.
The Volkswagen Phaeton cabin is spacious and will provide sufficient space to all of the occupants, even with a load of four adults. The boot is decently sized and is big enough for a few large items but without folding rear seats longer items won’t fit in the boot.
The gauges are clear, concise, and of high quality. Wooden trim, chrome effect and logically placed lighting, makes the cabin more classy. The fascia is uncluttered and the controls are both functional and practical as they are clearly labeled.
The Phaeton passengers will be comfortable thanks to the combination of comfortable, fully adjustable seats and plenty of head and legroom. The upper support, head restraint, seat length adjustment, and heated and air conditioned front and rear seats are standard. Opt for two individual rear seats, and the Phaeton offers 10-way electrical seat adjustment system along with a memory function.
The memory function allows the seat and steering wheel to move out of the way as passengers enter and exit the cabin, then move back into place once the door is closed. Access to the boot is just as appealing and can be achieve in any of three ways. You can open it by the press of a button near the steering wheel, by key at the rear, of by placing your finger on the VW badge on the boot.
Parking the Phaeton is made easier, thanks to parking sensors, standard on all models. When pulling into a parking space forwards, visibility is good but due to its saloon nature parking will be difficult.
Volkswagen Phaeton
Life Style
The Volkswagen Phaeton delivers excellent driver appeal. The car’s V10 and W12 engines provide an extremely fast ride. The Phaeton is a heavy vehicle, but the V10 diesel has a gross weight of nearly 3,000kg and can reach 62mph in less than seven seconds. The other engines may not deliver such dynamic performance but they do provide better fuel economy.
This is not a family vehicle. The car’s premium interior would not fair well at the hands of children. There are much more suitable family cars available.
This is not a first car. Even if a novice driver could afford it the car’s power on hand makes it an unrealistic choice for novice drivers, and it is too big, and it is unlikely that many new drivers could afford the Phaeton.
There's no denying that the Phaeton is a premium top-notch car, but despite Volkswagen's efforts, the car still has a slight image problem. The car lacks the premium badge to accompany its premium offerings. Volkswagen still hasn’t received the credibility that it rightfully deserves in this sector.
Volkswagen Phaeton
Security and Safety
The Volkswagen Phaeton is one of the most secure vehicles on the market. It scored a maximum five stars in both categories of Thatcham's New Vehicle Security Register (NVSR). The car’s standard security features include side laminated glass, an alarm with interior sensors, an electronic immobiliser; deadlocks; and anti-theft wheel bolts.
The car’s safety features include eight airbags; two in the front, four in the side, plus two curtain airbags. The car also comes with ABS; ESP; and HBA. The car provides a high level of safety kit.
The Finishing Touches
The Volkswagen Phaeton standard audio unit includes a ten speaker unit that provides 190 watts and an eight-channel amplifier. The unit delivers excellent sound quality. The system also includes a six-disc CD autochanger. Upgrades are available and come with a lengthy list of options.
All models come with a good level of standard specification. All models include electronic climate control; leather upholstery; CDC suspension; cruise control; adjustable electric front seats; and Xenon headlights. Models higher up the line come with a higher level of standard specification.
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