The tester was also complemented with a power operated boot lid and power closing doors: If the doors are lightly pushed against the car, an electric motor will close it into place automatically. My V8 model was shod with 17" alloys, but the large wheel arches are better served by the no charge 18" rolling stock.
Interior styling
When the passengers get onboard the large vessel, I mean car, sumptuous leather, real wood and a multitude of buttons and controls greet them. At first, I must admit that it can be a little overwhelming, but I found that it took only a short period of time before I was accustomed to the layout. Separate knobs can manipulate the important functions and switches, but many "options" are controlled by VW's version of BMW's I-Drive called the Infotainment System.
The front seats are very comfortable and have a nearly endless multitude of adjustments (18 to be exact). Both front and rear passengers are treated to the luxury of having heated and ventilated seats. The rear seats have sensors in the cushions that, through weight, detect the presence of a passenger. This sensor powers the headrest into an upward motion. The opposite occurs when the seat is emptied. The sunvisors are illuminated and carry mirrors as expected, however there are actually two: one is a regular mirror and the other is a magnifier. The 10 speaker sound system in the car is powerful and the sound is home-theatre like.
The interior space, especially in the rear, is as close to limo-like as any car could get without being a "stretch". The power-window controls on the driver-side, mounted on the armrest, are very low and far from the driver. I fail to understand why the armrest is not level and why the location of the controls could not be arranged in a different manner. The glove compartment is large but the door bins are tight and there are very few areas around the centre console to empty pocket contents into.
The Volkswagen Navigation system is one of the worst I have ever used. First of all, there are many CDs that need to be used to cover North America. Secondly, only about 2/3 of the screen is used for the actual guidance map. The other portion is for the command buttons. What happens is the controls on each side of the monitor are multi-purpose and therefore require instructions to know which one does what. There is also thankfully, a command that when activated only displays a map.
Technical
The Phaeton is based on Audi's A8L platform. The base engine, if you can call it that, is the 4.2L V8 shared with both the A8 and A6. It whips out 335 hp at 6 500 rpm and 317 lb/ft of torque at 3 500 rpm. The other power plant is VW's tour-de-force 6.0L W12 engine that delivers a pavement pounding 420 hp at 6 000 rpm and 406 lb/ft of torque at 3 250 rpm. The V8 gets a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and the W12 has to deal with a 5-speed version of the same type of transmission. All Phaetons are equipped with Volkswagen's 4MOTION all-wheel drive system with a Torsen centre differential.
The Phaeton is equipped with a height and damping adjustable airsuspension. It has four settings that vary between Comfort and Sport. The height settings are manually changeable at speeds up to 119 km/h. Once the car hits 140km/h, it will automatically lower itself. Once the speed is reduced to 80 km/h, it will rise back to the initial position.
Interior styling
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The front seats are very comfortable and have a nearly endless multitude of adjustments (18 to be exact). Both front and rear passengers are treated to the luxury of having heated and ventilated seats. The rear seats have sensors in the cushions that, through weight, detect the presence of a passenger. This sensor powers the headrest into an upward motion. The opposite occurs when the seat is emptied. The sunvisors are illuminated and carry mirrors as expected, however there are actually two: one is a regular mirror and the other is a magnifier. The 10 speaker sound system in the car is powerful and the sound is home-theatre like.
The interior space, especially in the rear, is as close to limo-like as any car could get without being a "stretch". The power-window controls on the driver-side, mounted on the armrest, are very low and far from the driver. I fail to understand why the armrest is not level and why the location of the controls could not be arranged in a different manner. The glove compartment is large but the door bins are tight and there are very few areas around the centre console to empty pocket contents into.
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Technical
The Phaeton is based on Audi's A8L platform. The base engine, if you can call it that, is the 4.2L V8 shared with both the A8 and A6. It whips out 335 hp at 6 500 rpm and 317 lb/ft of torque at 3 500 rpm. The other power plant is VW's tour-de-force 6.0L W12 engine that delivers a pavement pounding 420 hp at 6 000 rpm and 406 lb/ft of torque at 3 250 rpm. The V8 gets a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and the W12 has to deal with a 5-speed version of the same type of transmission. All Phaetons are equipped with Volkswagen's 4MOTION all-wheel drive system with a Torsen centre differential.
The Phaeton is equipped with a height and damping adjustable airsuspension. It has four settings that vary between Comfort and Sport. The height settings are manually changeable at speeds up to 119 km/h. Once the car hits 140km/h, it will automatically lower itself. Once the speed is reduced to 80 km/h, it will rise back to the initial position.