Ferdinand Piech’s last hurrah

The Volkswagen Phaeton is the first and the last full sized, S-class competitor to roll out of the Volkswagen group, sure you have the Arteon but we are talking about S-class competitor here. When the Phaeton was introduced it shared the same underpinnings of the Bentley continental, or rather the chassis of the Bentley was the exact same chassis as the phaeton.

What was the motive or idea behind making this car?

Don’t worry I know clearly that the Phaeton is not a stretched Passat with a stretched price tag, but let’s making things clear before geeking out about the huge amount engineering that went into this car. Ferdinand Piech wanted a car that would redefine the luxury segment and as the days of him being the chief engineer were coming to an end he wanted to produce one last car before he resigned, hence the Phaeton was born. Piech wanted a car that would do 187 mph on the autobahn and still maintain a steady temperature, the car was built like a tank with all the luxury and technology features from a class above. The Phaeton was limited to 150mph but when the restrictors were removed it could do a staggering 201mph, it should also be noted that even at such high speeds the engine was barely audible. When discussing about the phaeton one must note that a project like the Phaeton would have been hard to convince other officials to pass but the chief engineer being Piech a man of great value allowed for it be passed, for he was the man who saved Volkswagen from near bankruptcy, in 1993. Under his reign he introduced the dual clutch transmission. Now having some idea as to how honored the father of the Phaeton is let’s get back to the car.

Technical specifications of the Phaeton.

Petrol engines

Model	Year	Engine type	power	0-100 Kmph (S)	Top speed
3.2 VR6	2002-2008	3,189 cc VR6 15 degree V engine configuration	241 bhp and 315NM of torque	9.4 sec	230 Kmph or (148 Mph)
3.6 VR6	2008	3,597 CC VR6	280 bhp 370 Nm of torque	8.6 sec	250 Kmph or (155 Mph)
4.2L V8	2002	4, 172 cc	335 bhp 430 Nm of torque	6.9 sec	250Kmph (155 Mph)
6.0L W12 (420ps)	2002-2004	5,988cc	414 Bhp 550 Nm of toque	6.1 sec	250Kmph (155 Mph)
6.0L W12 (450Ps) W12	2004-2011	5,988 cc	444 Bhp 560 Nm of torque	5.9 sec	250Kmph (155 Mph)

Diesel engines

3.0 L V6 TDI 225 PS	2004-2006	2,967 cc	222 bhp 450nm of torque	8.8 sec	234 Kmph (142 Mph)
3.0 L V6 TDI  233ps	2007- 2008	2,967 cc	230 bhp 450 nm of torque	8.4 sec	234 Kmph (142 Mph)
3.0 L V6 TDI 240ps	2008	2,967 cc	237 bhp 500nm of torque	8.3 sec	234 Kmph (142 Mph)
5.0L V10 TDI	2003-2007	4,921 cc	309 bhp and 750 Nm of torque	6.9 sec	250Kmph (155 Mph)

Responsible for road holding, handling behaviour and ride comfort, the Phaeton Stock tire sizes are 255  45 on 28 inch rims at the front, and 255 45 on 28 inch rims at the rear. For stopping power, the Phaeton 6.0 W12 braking system includes Vented Discs at the front and Vented Discs at the rear. The Phaeton also had pneumatic suspension.

What caused the car to not meet the mark?

Well Volkswagen is a company associated with manufacturing sensible, relatively economical and practical car, the idea of a luxury car from such a company does not fit right in the pallet of many consumers, especially a VW that looks like a stretched Passat to the naked eye of many, to add to that no one could reason paying 65,000 pounds for a VW. Now Volkswagen wanted to sell a car to those who wanted all the luxury of a Bentley but couldn’t afford one, but what they realized is that in reality there is no such buyers in the market. The Phaeton was built in Dresden in an environmentally friendly glass factory the goal was to sell 50,000 units a year but that was never met. The Phaeton was first introduced as the Phaeton Long in 2002 and was sold till 2015 at which point was not reasonable to manufacture or launch any face lifted Phaetons as it would not meet Euro 6 standards, hence VW decided to stop production of the Phaeton completely.

My final thoughts.

The car was cursed by the badge not that VW is a bad name or company, but a luxury car from VW seriously? Till date people think it is a stretched Passat, and the sheer engineering effort is sadly lost, but for us car enthusiast who know what the Phaeton is will always be delighted to see one and one day to probably turn it into an ultimate sleeper (Sleeper is the term used for a car that looks unmodified from the outside but has a lot of power and completely modified engine). Hence the Phaeton is an amazing car in my eye.