Volkswagen large-car Phaeton emerges as uber-luxury flagship
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
|
BERLIN, Germany -- In the center of Dresden, Saxony's picturesque seat on the Elbe River in eastern Germany, a glittering new automobile assembly plant with walls of glass and floors of parquet hardwood rises for three stories on grounds of a leafy botanical garden in Strassburger Platz.
Dubbed the transparent factory due its glass facade, this sparkling facility houses up to 800 technicians in white lab coats who each day mix modern automotive industry production techniques with hands-on craftsmanship from the Old World to construct up to 150 elite German touring sedans.
These handsome vehicles, each stretched generously to large-car proportions and filled with high-tech mechanical systems plus top-tier fittings of luxury in subtle leathers, rich woods and shiny metals, merit a rank among the finest big sedans in the automotive realm.
Yet the badge -- a circle of chrome prominent on the prow of the new cars -- comes as a surprise.
The marque bears stacked letters of VW, as in Volkswagen.
It seems that Volkswagen, long the bastion of small cars in the economy mold, blossoms in 2004 with a line that includes the brand's first uber-luxury car.
Phaeton is the name of VW's new full-size sedan.
Destined to become the new VW flagship, Phaeton amounts to an ultra-premium limousine riding on an extended 118-inch wheelbase and rigged with sophisticated mechanical systems and elaborate luxury gear.
VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is standard on all Phaeton models, along with premium equipment such as an air suspension with electronic damping controls (EDC), xenon high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights, VW's Climatronic interior climate system with humidity sensors and four-zone temperature controls, plus a deluxe digital audio system linked to 12 strategically-placed speakers.
Phaeton brings two big powertrain options.
Model nomenclature follows engine patterns -- Phaeton V8 and Phaeton W12.
Phaeton V8 contains a 4.2-liter high-output V8 producing 335 hp at 6500 rpm and torque of 317 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm.
The V8 connects to a six-speed automatic fitted with Porsche's Tiptronic clutch-less manual shifting feature and it generates a performance time of 6.7 seconds in a run from zero to 60 mph.
Phaeton W12 carries VW's remarkable W-shaped 12-cylinder engine displacing 6.0 liters and producing 420 hp at 6000 rpm plus 406 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm through a five-speed Tiptronic automatic.
The W12 powertrain is unlike any other, the result of Volkswagen's inventive cylinder geometry that combines two V6 engines in parallel arrangement for cylinders distributed in two V-shaped banks to forge the W-shaped 12-cylinder block, which explains the W12 designation.
With the 12-pack aboard, Phaeton quickens the pace to scoot from zero to 60 mph in only 5.9 seconds.
Top speed, limited electronically in both vehicles due to tire constraints, amounts to 130 mph.
With each, Volkswagen's 4Motion AWD system enhances wheel traction by continuously distributing the engine's power to all wheels in a manner that's completely automatic.
Normally, the system splits the torque, sending half to the front wheels and half to the rear.
However, when wheels begin to spin on slippery pavement, the device can instantly determine which wheels are maintaining traction and thus merit more of the engine's power. As much as 67 percent of the torque may be shifted to the front wheels.
The device scores as an ultimate safety system for controlling traction, but Phaeton also adds computerized controls to the oversized four-wheel-disc brakes, such as an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with emergency brake assist (BA), electronic brake force control (EBD), anti-slip regulation (ASR) skid control and electronic stabilization program (ESP), plus electronic park assist (EPA) and even a tire pressure monitoring system (TPM).
Other concessions for safety range from the strong unibody structure to ten air bags, including frontal and side-mounted air bags for both front seats, side-mounted air bags in the rear and VW's Side Curtain Protection (SCP) curtain-style air bags concealed in headliners above side windows, front and rear.
We pick out a Phaeton V8 at the transparent factory in Dresden and spend a day steering it on a winding course that leads through the hills of Saxony on narrow two-laners before climbing onto the A13 autobahn freeway for a high-speed romp into Germany's new capital city of Berlin, where we park beneath the Brandenburg Gate.
This drive-time experience shows off Phaeton as a superior machine of world-class stature with top marks earned for its enthusiastic performance, surprisingly agile nature and the plush and quiet quality of the ride.
Of course, it's utterly lavish in comfortable fittings for the big cabin.
Layout seems standard -- two big padded bucket seats up front and the rear with either a bench for three or two separate buckets separated by a fixed console -- but appointments go well beyond expectation, even for a vehicle aimed at the champagne-and-caviar set.
Phaeton's driver, nestled in a seat adjustable in 18 directions by power controls, is surrounded by ergonomic practicality. Every item you touch -- from the four-spoke steering wheel to a console-mounted shift knob, climate control switches in the center dash or power window buttons on the left door armrest -- seems like it was strategically placed to become an extension of the self.
Round analog gauges -- large ones for speedometer and tachometer and smaller ones for other measurements -- are arranged in a display with bold graphics. At night, the gauges light up in dazzling blue numbers and red needles on black faces in designs inspired from international air traffic controls for superior viewing in the dark.
Phaeton also stocks OnStar telecommunications with an easy-to-operate infotainment center and seven-inch color screen in the dash serving as CD switcher, navigation system, trip computer and interior climate controller.
Other standards extend from heated washer nozzles for the windshield to entry-exit lamps on all doors, a big sunroof in the ceiling and a trunk lid that closes with the push of a button.
VW undercuts other ultra-premium luxury cars with Phaeton prices of $64,600 for the V8 and $79,900 for W12.
|
| 2004 VOLKSWAGEN PHAETON VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Full-size luxury sedan
|
| Model Options: |
Full-size luxury sedan
|
| Wheelbase: |
118.1 inches
|
| Overall Length: |
203.7 inches
|
| Engine Size: |
V8: DOHC 4.2-L V8
W12: DOHC 6.0-L W12
|
| Transmission: |
V8: Auto/6 Tiptronic/DSP
W12: Auto/5 Tiptronic/DSP
|
| Drive: |
AWD 4Motion
|
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc
ABS/BA/EBC/ASR/ESP/EPA/TPM
|
| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 4 (side) + 4 (side curtain)
|
| Gas Mileage: |
V8: 15/22 mpg
|
| MSRP Price: |
V8: $ 64,600, W12: $ 79,900 |
|
|
|
The Big Lot! is dedicated to privacy, security, and service. Read our Privacy Policy.