Volkswagen Phaeton

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Volkswagen Phaeton

Manufacturer	Volkswagen AG
Production	2002–present
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style	4-door sedan
Platform	AWD
Wheelbase	2881 mm - 3001 mm
Length	5055 mm - 5175 mm
Width	1903 mm
Height	1888 mm
Related	Audi A8 Bentley Continental GT Bentley Continental Flying Spur
Similar	Mercedes-Benz S-Class BMW 7 Series Jaguar XJ Nissan President

The Volkswagen Phaeton (pronounced "fay-ton") is a large luxury sedan manufactured by Volkswagen. It currently serves as the flagship of the Volkswagen line-up, competing with other high-end flagship sedans such as the Jaguar XJ, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It presumably takes its name from Phaëton, the son of Helios in Greek mythology, or harkens back to the early days of automobile production, in which phaetons were a recognized class of vehicles.

1 Overview
- 1.1 Models available
- 1.2 Powertrain
2 American market
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Overview

The Phaeton was the idea of Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch, who perceived the addition of such a flagship as a means to burnish the Volkswagen brand. The decision to release the Phaeton was, in part, a response to Mercedes' decision to compete directly with VW in the low end A-Class marketplace in Europe.

Initial development of the Phaeton began with Piëch giving his engineers a list of ten parameters the car needed to fulfill. Most of these specifications are not known to the public, but the motoring show Top Gear reported one of them: that one ought to be able to drive the Phaeton all day at 186 miles per hour (300 km/h) when the exterior temperature is 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50°C), and the climate control system should not let the interior temperature stray above 71.6 degrees (22°C). Piëch requested this despite the Phaeton's top speed being limited to 155 mph (250 km/h).

The Phaeton's platform, the D3 platform, is shared with the Audi A8, Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. D3 platform is constructed from high strength steel while Audi A8 is made in a different factory, on a different platform, using an aluminum space frame.

As of 2005, the Phaeton has the longest wheelbase in the Volkswagen passenger line.

The Phaeton is hand-assembled in a distinctive eco-friendly factory with a glass exterior, the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden, Germany. This factory also assembled the Bentley Continental Flying Spur until October 2006, when assembly of the Bentley was transferred to Crewe, England.

[edit] Models available

V6 & V6 TDI
V6 LWB (Long Wheel-Base)
V8 LWB
V10 TDI
W12 LWB

(For complete options visit Specification levels of the Volkswagen Phaeton)

[edit] Powertrain

As of 2007, the Phaeton is available with the following engines:

Displacement	Power output	Torque	0-100 km/h	Top speed
Petrol/Gasoline
3.2 L (3189 cc) V6	177 kW (241 bhp)	315 nm (232 ft·lbf)	9.4 s 4-seat: 9.7 s LWB: 9.7 s 4-seat LWB: 9.9 s	239 km/h (149 mph)
4.2 L (4172 cc) V8	246 kW (335 bhp)	430 nm (317 ft·lbf)	6.9 s	250 km/h (155 mph) (Limited)
6.0 L (5998 cc) W12	331 kW (450 bhp)	560 nm (413 ft·lbf)	6.1 s	250 km/h (155 mph) (Limited)
Diesel
3.0 L (2967 cc) V6	165 kW (225 bhp)	450 nm (332 ft·lbf)	8.8 s 4-seat: 9.1 s	234 km/h (145 mph)

Only the 4.2 L and 6.0 L gasoline (petrol) engines were available in the United States and Canada (2003-2006MY). All Phaetons shipped to the United States and Canada were electronically limited to a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph).

The 3.2 L V6, 4.2 L V8, and 6.0 L W12 engines are all available in short wheelbase and long wheelbase versions with 4Motion permanent all wheel drive as standard. The V8 models have a 6-speed automatic transmission, and the W12 models have a 5-speed automatic. The 3.0 L V6 TDI is only available in short wheelbase configuration with a 6-speed automatic and 4Motion.

The Phaeton also features an advanced traction control system, anti-lock brakes, electronic differential lock (EDL), engine braking control (EBC), electronic brake distribution (EBD), and electronic stability program (ESP) with brake assist.

Note: The electronic differential lock (EDL) employed by Volkswagen is not - as the name suggests - a differential lock at all. Sensors monitor wheel speeds, and if one is rotating substantially faster than the other (i.e. slipping) the EDL system momentarily brakes it. This effectively transfers all the power to the other wheel.^[1]

[edit] American market

Volkswagen Phaeton

The Phaeton has not sold well since entering the United States in 2004. 1,433 Phaetons were sold in 2004 after Volkswagen responded to initial sales by offering a US$10,000 buyer incentive. Just 820 were sold in the United States in all of 2005, leading the company to announce that sales in the American market would end after the 2006 model year. The rare W12 models have been held on to by niche collectors and are hard to find in the used car marketplace.

Car and Driver reported in October 2006 that Volkswagen had discontinued the Phaeton in the North American markets due to insufficient sales and dealer image issues.

However, in March 2007, after significant changes in the company's leadership and the return of Dr. Piech's influence, the car (since refreshed for the European market) was reported as slated to eventually return to the American market.

Other reasons for the Phaeton's initial demise in these markets was the hefty price tag, which was in part due to currency fluctuations. This put it in competition with luxury sedans that were already well established in the American market, such as the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Customers have been slow to accept a luxury Volkswagen, perhaps due to their historical perception of Volkswagen as being an "economy" marque. The British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson summed up the Phaeton's commercial failure by pondering "To what question is the answer a £68,000 Volkswagen?". Clarkson also said on Top Gear the Phaeton was the only car he would buy if he was in the market for a big saloon car; "It's that good."

[edit] Trivia

Volkswagen Phaeton rear quarter

Volkswagen has registered 100 patents on various innovations in the Phaeton. One such patent is for the 4-Zone Climatic Air Conditioner, which allows a separate temperature for each quarter of the vehicle, and is draft-free.

The 25,000th Phaeton was built in early September 2006; half of all Phaetons are sold in Germany, (13,108 up to November 2006).

The Prime Minister of Portugal, the Pope and North Korean Officials are all chauffeured in Phaetons as was former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder. He also received the very first Phaeton in 2002, when he opened the factory in which the cars are built. His first use of the car was at the World Trade Conference in New York in 2002.

Pope Benedict XVI was given a new Phaeton W12 by Volkswagen in October 2006.

The Government of Hong Kong replaced its E38 BMW 7 Series fleet with 35 Phaetons in October 2006.

Taiwan’s leading motoring magazine, "Car Magazine" [1]" crowned the Volkswagen Phaeton "Taiwan’s best luxury sedan" in its tenth edition Automotive Buyer’s Guide 2005.

The Phaeton has a drag co-efficient rating of 0.31.

With the speed limiter removed, the 6.0 W12 Phaeton can reach a top speed of 201 mph (323 km/h) as attested by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear; Clarkson said that it was "totally smooth and stable" even at that speed, and that even at 201 mph, he "still could not hear the engine."