To that end Volkswagen offers its version of the ultimate full-size luxury car, the Phaeton W12. The name says it all. Sporting nothing less than a 6.0-liter 48-valve, dual-overhead cam W12 engine making 420 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 406 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm, it's a marvel of modern engineering. Of course, the W12's base price of $119,500 is not for the feint of heart.
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| If you get a little carried away with the options expect the invoice to approach the $136,000 mark. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
Check every option box on the order form including the $6,800 4-seater package, $2,610 comfort and cold weather package, $730 keyless access, $900 park distance control, $440 dollars worth of either Chestnut, Eucalyptus or Myrtle interior trim, and finally one of three Heliochrome paint schemes, starting with Apassionata Blue, Luxury Black, and ending with Papillon Silver (the latter featured on my test car), each adding $5,860 to the bottom line, and then tack on either the Navy Blue or Petrol interior at $760, and the price skyrockets to a very un-peoples' car $136,840. Of course, it's important to factor in you'll be driving one of the world's finest automobiles.
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| Even though it's one of the finest cars on the road, the Phaeton is still having trouble finding savvy buyers who appreciate high quality and very understated looks. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
But that's where I get confused. Sure a few fortunate souls will see the Phaeton as the ideal "cloaked" commuter, not too ostentatious for meeting the boss at the club for racquetball and drinks after work but still replete with every conceivable luxury feature to make getting their bearable. A quick look at the sales stats show that such people are hard to come by, with January adding up to a total of 6 units sold in Canada, February nearly doubling to 7 and March a mere 5. At this 18 cars per quarter rate the Phaeton might not even pass the Infiniti Q45, winning the luxury car scarcity crown. What's more, the lack of critical mass won't go far to get the word out on the street, which combined with a perceived value that my unsophisticated poll averaged at around $50,000 means residual values ought to be extremely low. This will be great for the savvy luxury pre-owned buyer who may be able to pick up one of the best cars in the world for a song and dance.