VW Phaeton

[Audidothat]

So I had a lift today in a VW Phaeton W12, was only in the car for 40 mins but the route took in urban and motorway driving.

I have to say I was quite impressed and now struggle to understand why they never sold in great numbers.

Is the simple truth because the A8 exists and/or the price never sat well in buyers psyche .....? Either way surely they are good value now.

Anyone on here ever had one?
Does the W12 behave the same in the A8, it is a wonderfully smooth engine.

Also, oddly enough whilst out in it, we passed a W12 Passat Estate!!! Now there is a rare vehicle. Both drivers had a wave, which was lovely to see!

[Dezzy]

Never had one but a neighbours father did and I asked if he minded I had a poke around, he was happy enough and was interested in the 8. It was nice but just felt like it was missing something that the 8 had. Very nice car though and I keep an eye on them . Buy one

[steamship]

Originally Posted by Audidothat

Is the simple truth because the A8 exists and/or the price never sat well in buyers psyche .....? Either way surely they are good value now.

I know this is the best review of the car, but I think it gives an idea why it never really took off:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2v0-OdN78g

As they say in the video, the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz just did it better. That, and the fact this was a 'peoples car' with a 86k price tag.

They are very rare beasts indeed, as I have only ever seen one and it was the 3.0 TDI.

[tintin]

It was a good review (any review with Vicky B-H is worth watching ). The Phaeton is a classic example of supplying something that there really wasn't/isn't demand for.

Volkswagen - unless my German's got really bad - means Peoples Car and this couldn't be further from that. Where's the market for it, and who would want it?

It's an interesting technical exercise - and a second hand bargain - but that's no reason to have made it.

[IT]

Firstly, the Passat only came as a 4.0 W8, not a W12, making it an even more insanely rare engine.

More so given its horrific unreliability, so to see one on the road, working, it really a rarity

The biggest thing with the Phaeton is that its a limo. Its made from Steel. Yes, that very heavy stuff that the A8 isn't.

That adds quite some bulk to its weight, which if you look at its performance figures and MPG against the equivalent A8 model are quite laughable.

On the plus side, it makes body repairs cheaper and easier I guess.

So, its a higher than A8 spec, with old school steel technology. It was also old drivetrain, lagging behind the D3 by some miles.

E.G. A 2005 W12 Phaeton is basically running D2 W12 running gear through an old 5 speed box, where the A8 was comfortably into its 3rd year of 6 speed boxes by then.

So, not only did joe public not really know where it fitted it, it seemed VW were conflicted too.

But, the nail in the coffin is the Board level price tag just didnt sit well with the VW badge on the key ring. Its like the old Skoda superbs. They were brillient cars, superly specced, but the badge (and the grill) both took a lot of getting past despite the seemingly excellent value.

[tonupkid]

Forking out the hefty price for the Pheaton got you a car, which to anyone who didn't know better, (and that's just about everyone,) was a VW Passat.
There was one perfect customer for the Pheaton, and that was Andy Street, the then boss of the John Lewis Partnership.
It made me chuckle to I saw him on TV being wafted about in this decidedly luxurious limo that was to all intents the peoples car that the badge declared it to be.

[briang9]

Glasgow Cooncil have one as their official car, guess that's a car paid for by the people then..only pic I could find is..well, not very good

[tc4332]

Is that Reg legal?
i thought that a "zero" alone wasn't a number.

[Audidothat]

Originally Posted by IT

Firstly, the Passat only came as a 4.0 W8, not a W12, making it an even more insanely rare engine.

Didn’t realise what you meant at first but then noticed my typo, yes I meant a W8! Did they put that in anything else?
There is a blue saloon one that lives just off of Tottenham Court Road in LDN, the one I saw today was a gold estate.

Despite the total weight of the car the W12 in the Phaeton must be very unstressed, apparently it ‘only’ pushes out 450bhp. Bit like the NA V10 in the S8 but with different delivery.

Anyway I quite liked but it.

[briang9]

Originally Posted by tc4332

Is that Reg legal?
i thought that a "zero" alone wasn't a number.

I believe DVLA issued zero plates directly to a handful of authorities in the UK many years ago, specifically for civic use, been on their car for years, they also have V0