A number of years ago, the bigwigs at Volkswagen, including the good Dr. Piech, decided that VW should become a more upscale product. They figured that the best way to do so was to create the most expensive, most powerful, and most luxurious car. In other words, the ultimate People's Car the world has ever seen. Unfortunately for the bigwigs, the typical car buyer will always see VW as being a VW. That is to say, an inexpensive well-built car that is enjoyable to drive. Sales have been quite poor for the Phaeton since it was introduced in late 2003 as a 2004 model. It does not help that the car is only sold by a very select list of dealers who have to purchase a second Phaeton as a courtesy car for the Phaeton owner. Many dealers were interested in the prospect of having a Phaeton on their lot but this news dampened their spirits.
This car has sparked heated debates on why Volkswagen would create such a car and many discussions have ensued to determine whether Volkswagen has achieved this goal. This very exclusive part of the automobile market is reserved for the select few manufacturers who have been building cars for a long time in Europe. Others have done so by proving themselves through technology, craftsmanship and refinement. Although Volkswagen has these attributes, they were truly earned over time by its counterparts Audi and Porsche. The people at the helm of Volkswagen may have overshot the potential of a supercar from a "regular" manufacturer. In a time where the upper crust carmakers are building smaller less expensive cars (BMW 1 series, Mercedes A-Class and Audi A2), Volkswagen has decided to complement Golfs with Phaetons.
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Volkswagen believes that the age of the typical buyer will be between 50 and 55 years of age and have an average annual household income of $375,000. For a car that has a base price of $99,600 and that can easily climb north of $150,000, it seems a little optimistic. The tested Phaeton retails for $109,370. This price includes a $360 excise weight tax, $7,000 for the Comfort and Cold Weather package, $1,680 for the Technology package and lastly, $730 for the Keyless access.
Exterior styling
From far, the Phaeton looks like an overgrown Passat. This is the reaction that most people will have when they see the car. This is in fact a compliment as the Passat is considered to be quite an attractive car. The car definitely has distinctive features with its circle-in-square taillights, quad tail pipes and headlights with pronounced brows.
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The Phaeton is equipped with proximity sensors at all four corners. They are very useful for a car of this girth. There are light emitting diodes (LEDs) on both extremities of the dash, as well as in the rear above the back glass. They go from green, for OK, to red with a buzzard for: You are very close. The only drawback is that when a car is stuck in traffic for example, the sensors pickup all the vehicles that surround the car. It happened on one occasion where a truck pulled up very close to the Phaeton and the warning light went double yellow. I am worried that for some drivers, this could become a distraction when driving in the city. The rear sensors, by the way, only function when the transmission is in reverse.
