But does this mean anything at all to you, the person behind the
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| Phaeton is a wonderful cruiser, but please, don't pretend it's sporty at all. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
wheel? I'm confident in saying that the Phaeton could hang with an S-Class or an A8 down a winding road, but why would you want to do that? For one, it would be a disorienting task as the car is remarkably detached and isolated from the road, with little communicated through that big, heated steering wheel. Its suspension is adjustable for a sportier ride by firming the billows up, but for what reason, I'm unsure; why would you want to make your ultra-luxury sedan ride as if rigor mortis had set in on the dampers? It is best to leave it in the softest mode and just waft along, letting the Phaeton put its best foot forward in cosseting you and your passengers. Besides, all the electronics and mechanical mastery in the world can't veil the fact that the Phaeton is as big and as heavy as a small moon, so there's no sense in pretending it's a sports car. Treat it as an executive sedan, and you'll be very pleased with the result.
But
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| The hidden park sensors in front and back, make maneuvering in tight spaces a breeze. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
there's something else about the Phaeton, something that's not quantifiable in terms of features or numbers. It's something that can be felt in its presence, inside, outside, or while driving down the road. The main difference between a VW Phaeton and something like the S-Class, both of which are very large, very advanced German automobiles, is that one seems like a pitiless cyborg, while the other, dare I say, has soul. By sitting in it, driving in it, immersing yourself in this world of luxury, you feel that VW's engineers put their very all into it, acting on a totally different level than when they were working on a New Beetle or Golf. It's as if they were given the chance to do something special, something extraordinary, while other automakers view the super-sized segment as more of a chore. VW's engineers were set free, and it makes all the difference in the world.
In a way, Volkswagen jumped the gun on this one, big time; it
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| Even the smallest, most minute details received attention, such as the window shade pulls. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
wasn't ready for this kind of car. Yes the Phaeton is proof that VW can design and build a car that's equal or better than what most others offer, but this is only half the story. The "Transparent Factory" in Dresden, Germany, where the Phaeton is built, is nicer looking inside and out than the dealerships it's sold in, not to mention its in-house four-star restaurant and customer lounge. Compare this to your average VW showroom, which, more often than not, doesn't even offer complementary drinks and operational internet access. And while a sales associate might greet you upon entry, they probably won't be wearing an Armani suit, offering a freshly made macchiato to talk over, as with an Audi dealer. Certainly, it's often better than the BMW or a Benz dealership experience, where you don't get any service whatsoever, but that's a story for another day. Surely, VW dealerships are nice places, but they're just not posh enough to sustain a car like the Phaeton, nor its high-end buyers.
To me,
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| The world just wasn't ready for Volkswagen's best car. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
a nineteen year old with accumulated assets that total one fiftieth of this car's list price, the Volkswagen Phaeton manages to sit atop my list of most favoured cars. It saddens me that this review will not make a lick of difference in the grand scheme of things; I could wax lyrical well into next week about how fantastic this car is, but my road test won't stop VW from canceling the Phaeton in Canada in only a few months. I'll be overcome with joy if someone buys one because of me, but it's not like they'll be able to find one even if they wanted one, being that most Volkswagen dealers have essentially stopped carrying them. I suppose if you went in with a thick wad of cash a dealer would get on the phone and try to source one from another dealer or from VW's central HQ, but at the heavily discounted price you'd probably want to pay, it may not be worth if for them to do so. And because of that, one of the world's greatest automotive engineering feats will exit stage left, and as they do in the movies... fade to black.
