Der Phaeton ist ein fantastisches Fahrzeug. Ich fahre einen Phaeton 2015 seit 5 Jahren und bin noch immer beeindruckt von der Qualität. Fahre ihn täglich... Und es macht noch immer Spaß wie am ersten Tag
@@eleonik76 I'd have to check, but I think most of the VW Phaeton's interior is trimmed in leather or wood. Although there may be foam-backed "soft touch plastic" on some surfaces that would otherwise be trimmed in leather on a Bentley or Maserati. Edit -- It seems that a leather dashboard was available but not for right-hand-drive Phaetons.
@@TassieLorenzo The dash trim on the Phaeton is called extended leather package. Nothing extraordinary. BMW had it optional as part of the "Complete leather package"for its E39/E38 back in early 2000s. And it was a premium leather. I've been in Phaeton,and with the exception of few bits and pieces,the quality of the plastics,the leather,the buttons and the metal surfaces are even worse than E46 BMW. Compare it to full spec E39 with comfort seats,full Merino leather,16/9 DVD screen and double glazed windows,massage seats and that VW looks like exactly what it is,a Passat with big engine and few extra "premium" options. Premium car doesn't mean big engine and extended options list,if it would be so,KIA and Hyundai would've nailed it by now. As long as you can find the same fabrics,plastics and leather quality as the ones in the Passat and Golf,we can't talk of premium here.
I bought perfectly preserved VW Phaeton in 2015 for just a 7500 euros. There was some company in liquidation and it seemed I was the only one interested into their car since in a auction 7500 euros was starting and final price. This car is just for my weekends driving and the very best part of it is that I enjoy its driving capabilities and interior but from outside it seems just as a normal Passat, Bora or Jetta. :) Mine even does not have any signs or model marks on the rear side and windows are a little bit tinted so from outside it is really everyday boring and older car. Perfect for us introverts who enjoy privacy but enjoy in long comfort driving.
Go for it! "The service bills arent" VW say, "If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen"! 😊 Personally I don't even trust a VW Golf compared to a Honda Civic mind you (I feel like my 13 year old 8th-gen Civic that basically just goes & goes and doesn't break is way more reliable than a Mk5 or 6 Golf would be), but I'd chance a Honda Legend and a Audi A6 is pretty much the same kind of thing. Phaeton a little more exotic than an A6 of course (not too dissimilar to the later A8?)...
Servicing bills for the W12 are not understated though, not even one bit. I have a friend who had both it and BMW V12 of the same era and the Phaeton was miles more expensive to run and keep on the road.
I drove a Phaeton W12 back in 2004 when I was delivering company car demonstrators. It was utterly amazing for the time. The 16 way adjustable seats are incredible, the ride is really good, and the whole thing felt like it had twice the solidity of anything I'd been in before. The heating has an ambient setting where the vent covers stay down and it wafts air into the cabin without blowing on the occupants (how uncouth!) and it took me about 150 miles to work that out. The original infotainment was good for the time too - I remember waiting to collect someone and looking up scores on ceefax! Of all the cars I drove in that job, the only competitor in terms of specialness to the Phaeton was an RS6!
There was a later Phaeton, the Phaeton D2, that was designed but never released. There are pictures of it online and videos on TH-cam. It's a real shame it was never produced as its external and internal design really would have provided a competitor to an S class, 7 series and A8. It's interior is particularly nice
@@iTzNitrOxZ thats not a phaeton d2 actually. Its a car based on the chinese a6 and is called phideon. It should resemble the phaeton but its not a real phaeton
The Flying Spur would be a more natural comparison Jack to be fair. My friends Dad has one, he’s had it for years. When he got it I was shocked how like a VW it was inside. Still got a lot of road presence though. I love the idea of the phaeton though, it was designed with a very specific list of criteria and the engineers struggled to meet them. I think it was Ferdinand Piech that come up with the idea. Unrestricted that can top 200 mph I believe. Good vid as always 🎉
only two (of ten) Piech's requirements were ever revealed: the Phaeton was required to be capable of maintaining an interior temperature of 22°C (72°F) with the external temperature at 50°C (122°F), while driving at 186 mph, and have torsional rigidity of 37kNm/°.
The Phaeton did cost as W12 version in 2000 about 200k Deutschmark which was one year later about 105.000 Euro. When production ended about 2012 a car cost about 140.000 Euro. It is the best German luxury car since the 600 Grosser Mercedes from 1963 no other car compares to it..
Yep. People who rule out a VW Phaeton or Toyota Century, just because it says "VW" or "Toyota" are nuts IMO! Or even a Nissan Cima or Honda Legend in the E class category.
I'm a VW guy having owned many starting with my first new car in '66, a Beetle. I love the Phaeton but was a little out of my budget when it came out. Today I own an Arteon, which I love.
Back in 2002, i had the pleasure of meeting Crewes Test engineers on the A5 just next to the EVO Triangle, look it up if you don't know. I was in the Father in Laws Lamborghini Urraco, and two heavily disguised Bentleys and a Phaeton pulled in to the Layby I was in. They were very interested in the Lamborghini as i was intrigued in the Bentleys and Phaeton. I gave one of the Engineers a Ride in the Lamborghini and he took me out in the Phaeton. I have to admit it never felt fast until you checked the Speed and a bit Floaty. Since I've always been intrigued by it. The Crewe engineers were obviously car enthusiasts, as they had obviously just been testing it on the once wonderful EVO Triangle ( now obliterated by Speed Cameras), and I had a good chat about the Phaeton vs Bentley, they were trying to balance the Bentley between a GT and a Sports car. All in it was Quite a Surreal Day which I'll never forget !!
Love the channel! Keep it up paisan! I remember when VW sold these things my dad and my friends dad worked for VW at the time. My dad loved it! He actually sold a good few of them and he would take one home ALOT!
This is like Chalk & Cheese. The Phaeton screams Audi A8 / S8 with touches of Skoda Superb. Amazing to think that the Phaeton was in Production until 2016
A better comparison might have been the VW Phaeton, Audi A8 and Bentley Flying Spur. Bentley GT body / chassis is quadruple layer or looked it when I saw them being assembled at Crewe. A8 would be my pick apart from the over light steering.
Just bought a 5.0 V10 TDi Phaeton for 3k€ did Software and managed 1000Nm torque. Put RS6 21 Inch wheels with 285 Pirelli tyres on. New Price was 120.000€ on my V10 with maximum Interieur upgrades. So it just lost 117.000€ in 20 years value... it drives amazing, extremly comfortable, quite fast, good fuel economy and safe for my children
I certainly agree with your comments about the car's styling, especially its elegance and presence. I also agree with your opinions regarding the interior. It looks great in the video on my phone, but I do remember thinking when I saw one at the motor show that some of the materials looked and felt a bit Golf-ish, especially the dash top. Don't buy one though; I've read horror stories of what can go wrong and that spares are becoming difficult to obtain.
there is an extended leather package that covers everything in leather. so that will kill the golfisness. There was also the option of a 3.2 v6 petrol MANUEL with cloth seats. Really rare, really pointless version, even worse than a S-Class Buchhalter (Accountant) but a nice way to upgrade your RS4 transmition from sticks to cables.
I really don't think there's any denying that the Phaeton does look like a big Passat, however, I also don't think that's a bad thing at all. The Passat of the time had lovely clean, stylish lines, and the Phaeton has retained that classy clean look.
The Phaeton W12 was clearly closer to the Mk1 Flying Spur, built on the same platform at the same factory in Dresden and with which it shared its interior architecture, if not the Bentley finish. It may have been a bit of a softie but the Phaeton is mainly remembered for its off-a-cliff depreciation. In the late noughties a guy who did our chaufering work bought an 18 month-old one for under £30k and thanks to that suspension the back seat was a lovely, quiet, relaxing place to be for the 100 plus miles coming back from Heathrow.
Not entirely true. All Bentleys were produced/assembled at Crewe. However, due to the great success of the Bentleys, they had massive capacity issues. Since this was not the case for the Phaeton, the Flying Spur was also produced in Dresden, but only for a limited time.
I'll be honest, did not think I'd find this interesting - but I did. Good job Jack. Normally I'd go 'meh' at a VW (get me a Jaagggg) but well... you made it worth the time.
The Phaeton has an understated luxury feel to it, slips under the, radar very easily! The GT on the other hand is truly more opulent, and a head turner for sure! A very interesting comparison Jack Sir, of two very different cars that share similar underpinnings. ✌👍
When I wrote my thesis at VW, it was full of Bentleys in the former "D1" buildings that were erected for the Phaeton. I was once asked to follow along to the track in Ehra-Lessien with a Phaeton that had the (turbocharged) Bentley engine in it- and a race seat. I asked to driver to please take it slow as I did not know where the track was. Ofcourse he couldn't control himself and drove at highly illegal speeds. Even though I was following in a Passat W8 I had lots of trouble following him- and headache thinking about my license that I was probably about to lose... It was BTW well known (or at least often said) at VW that even the Phaeton W12 can achieve well over 300km/hr unlimited, 307 was the most often cited speed.
Drove the W12 Phaeton when it came out. Simply awesome car for the money at the time. Obviously the W12 version of the Audi A8L sat between them and was deservedly successful.
fascinating stuff Jack. I was also one who thought the Phaeton was a fancy Passat until I happened to see the two cars side by side one day. the Phaeton is so understated that you could swap the VW badges for something obscure and few would notice.
There was a long wheelbase top-end Skoda of about the same age (?), which looks pretty similar to this generation of Phaeton and makes me go 'ugh' every time I see it... I think with the later CC design of the Phaeton VW redeemed themselves somewhat.
The Paeton looks awesome, i'd love to have one of those in my garage, honestly i think i prefer it to the Bentley. Bentley's interior is nicer, but i LOVE low profile cars, the fact the Phaeton has a VW badge is actually a plus for me.
Here in the US the Phaeton never caught on, they were $120,000 new and VW stopped selling them here in 2006. They usually sell for around $12,000 now, and in the $30,000 range for a low mileage, perfect one.
I worked in VW dealerships service departments for much of 40+ years in service, fortunately at the time the dealership I was at opted to NOT take part in the option to sell the vehicles new. Inspite of the fact we NOT an authorized service point, one got towed to us under warranty. It was a nightmare to service, the "special parts and service hot line" were no help and we had to figure it out on our own. We did get repaired though. It was at the time, comparable to an upper line "S" class Mercedes in build quality and features. It would be a great used car buy, if spares weren't so difficult to obtain. VW of the US would rather forget this vehicle as support today is virtually nill. Most dealers in my area really don't want to work on these especially if it's got an electrical issue; all they want to do is basic maintenance. BTW, trim for these vehicles is next to impossible to obtain and ultra expensive if the party that has it knows this fact. Personally, I thought they were neat vehicles and not so bad with the easier and cheaper to maintain v8 engine.
Phaeton, my absolute favourite car, fell in love at the first drive when working for a distribution company, for six yrs. when I left I received a leaving gift. A chauffeur driven ride home in one, 7 miles of absolute joy
For me that I 've never driven either of the Phaeton or the Bentley, the Phaeton is by far the more interesting and steals the show....possibly the best VW ever (and I am not into VWs or luxury cars at all)
I remember the first time I saw a Phaeton just months after its official lounch in a car exhibit.... It was in full spec with white soft leather and black wood all over inside .... Side by side, the S-Class also new , seemed to be "cheap" .... Especially in the interior which seemed a lot more opulent and classy in the Phaeton Only the Maybach seemed at the moment as a real competitor that could surpass it... The thing is, the same S class which was built in big numbers, now we can mostly find in scrapyards because of poor quality and rust.... While Phaetons, which were then far less in number, are now still going on and far more likely to see on the streets... Proof of top quality and durability from Mr. Piech' s perfectionism... Hats on to him 😁
Oww, ouch. Grey plastic. That’s the ultimate curse in a luxury product. I don’t accept plastic anywhere upmarket, and certainly not in grey. Nor would I accept grey leather seats. Just no. If I pay extra, it’s to enjoy life, not to get depressed.
It's a VW not a Maserati. Reserved is the style. :) I love a red or tan Alfa Romeo interior myself, but Alfa have dropped both of those options on the Giulia sadly, leaving only black leather available to slimline inventory.
I must say, I think I'd rather have the Phaeton. The fact you get so much for much less in price, while also being a bit under the radar so to speak with it's luxury is quite appealing. For having over 200k on the odometer as well, what a great example it was. Having driven neither mind you, might change my opinion after getting behind the wheel. Thanks for another lovely episode, always look forward to and get excited when an number 27 video pops up in the sub feed!
You should have looked in the trunks. As I understand it, both cars share a wonderfully complex and over-engineered hinge mechanism for the trunk lids.
Agree. I own also. W221 and W222, which I drive daily, are far down from Phaeton feeling. That's why it's very interesting to read comments about Passat-ish and Golf-ish materials from people, who never had this car)
@@pi1posh I think its the way the materials are textured that make people think its just like a Passat or Golf inside. They do look similar you have to admit, but in terms of quality of course they're worlds apart.
Honestly it seems like not big difference but its big. Same with phaeton and a8, more lightweight and better mpg allows to use bigger engine more freely, also a8 d3 got new w12 and phaeton got older one from d2 audi
The Phaeton looked a bit like the Passat. That was not a mistake but on purpose. It upgraded the Passat and lifted it into a higher market. That was the main purpose of the Phaeton. Ferdinand Piëch upgraded the image of VW just like he did before with Audi in the 80s. He built a special "gläsene Manufaktur" in Dresden where the Pheaeton was handbuilt. They even created special cargo-trams to transport the bodyshells from a storage place into the Dresden factory. All of that was a big promotion trick.
Must say, for me, I cannot see how the two gel in my mind. I see them as completely different cars underneath and quite different in cost. I see the image of the Phaeton as expensive to maintain - and I would hope that would not rub off on the Passat. This is just my personal view and how what they did on purpose as you said, did not work for me.
@@andrewnorris5415 Fair points. Don't forget the Passat at the time was on the Audi A4 platform, and carried the W8 engine as a test bed for Phaeton (VW Passat W8 4Motion B5/B5.5). Later four-cylinder transverse Passats are by comparison, more like mere oversized VW Jettas.
The biggest issue of the Phaeton was: It is a VW. The name VW, Volkswagen, in english people's car, and the luxury car the Phaeton is... that is simply a contradiction to itself. And that is how many people here in Germany felt. A company that is named Volkswagen, should focus on making cars for the commoners and no luxury cars. If this car was branded as Audi, it would have sold far better!
VW knew that Phaeton was not to sell in great numbers - but that was not the point. The whole idea was to give more prestige to the VW brand and make it possible to charge a little bit more for every Passat, Golf and others.
Methinks in order to really compare them one would have had to overhaul or rebuild the entre suspension iof the Phaeton. I gather much of the 'softness'and a certain lack of steering precision might have to do with aging components in the suspension. As for the interior, the Phaeton might be a bit spartan with all the plastics but, on the other hand, I find the Bentley's interior really overdone with all the chromed bling-bling.
When I'm bowling along the m-way in my big heated leather seats at 80 mph in my tdi 170 Passat (circa 45 mpg) with the stereo at high volume and air conditioning keeping things cool, I squint a little and it feels just like a Phaeton.
In the states, the Bentley sold well from day one. I see them often. The Phaeton's downfall was not the badge as much as it simply looks like a Passat but 12 feet closer. And the Passat was pretty dull when that version appeared.
"Value" is a strange thing. I can show you several over-the-counter watches which cost more than the Bentley. And its not because they are made of diamonds. So what is better value, an uber wagen which can transport 5 people or just a watch? Cars are actually really good use value compared to a lot of "fashion" items, and of course a car can be a fashion item too.
I don't think you can even say that they are built on the same platform, or that they are the same car underneath. 100bhp difference, shorter wheel base, 150kg lighter with bigger wheels. They are totally different like night and day.
Yeh Jack, even if the driving experience was exactly the same, (and it's not), the Bentley coupe' looks 110% better than a "tarted up" VW Passat. Even though they're related it's two completely different things.
As somebody who doesn't give a shit about sports handling, and generally anything sporty in cars, Phaeton looks like a clear winner for me, if you're buying a land yacht with over 5 meters in length, it should be all about comfort and isolation.
Impressed by the mileage on the Phaeton. Did it require expensive maintenance I wonder? For me I might be temped to choose a Lexus over a Phaeton due to reliability. The Bentley is special by design. I personally love the interior and exterior. When you have so much power it makes sense to give it a sporty edge while still being comfortable. Yes you can argue those who are not concerning with image would get a Phaeton, but the Lexus for me seems the better choice there. I would worry too much about the parts costs. How can a car be understated and yet also not honest/reliable? You need those two together? If anyone can tell me the Phaeton is as cheap to own as a Lexus let me know.
It’s my car in the video and I can honestly say it's not as scary as one may think to own a W12 Phaeton or even just a diesel one. I have 2 W12s! The secret is to use it as a second car and to do any bog-standard maintenance yourself like oil changes etc. Maintenance parts are very affordable but for anything phaeton specific is hit or miss. Quality 2nd hand parts can be found at very reasonable prices but if you buy specific 'phaeton only' parts new from a dealer then that’s where it gets pricey. The engine is pretty simple and is chain driven so it’s very robust and because it’s a 12 cylinder it doesn’t live a stressed life, it's got a normal wet sump too with 1 drain plug so it's not complex. I've owned DTN since Feb '22 when it was on 204k and I've put 6k on it with ease. Only thing to go wrong in that time was an oil pressure sensor which is shared with the majority of VW products of the era (£15).
For me the phaeton was let down by the shiny wood and industrial looking gearlever, I bet a cabin full of open pour wood or a mable vaneer with plack plastics would have lifted it for only a few £££ more on the design board stage of its development.
The Phaeton was assembled at the Dresden Glassed Manufacture were you could look through glass floors down through all the stages of production. It is the same place where the Bentley Limousine Silver Spur is produced until recently.
Agreed, the standard wood in the Phaeton just looks too 90's. You could get nicer looking wood in the later models which really lifted the interior of the car in my opinion.
Giac, I could see back in the Mondeo days that with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi that sold vehicles for a bit more than Ford and Vauxhall, that the company car guy would opt for the luxurious brand rather than a better equipped Ford or Vauxhall. And you can see the fall off of both companies in their larger car segments.
Remember seeing a Phaeton in a motorshow when it was launched. Really liked the interior and its overall presence. The badge was a big deal back then though, and I guess most would have gone for an A8 which was also a difficult sale, the previous 200's and 'V8' struggled for the executive market. Plenty of Phaetons kicking around in Romania, they love VW's. Bork factor is a big issue with resale values taken into account. Much better looking than the E65 BMW, but... the Mercedes W221 imo was a game changer and still today I think they look great and are a brilliant used buy.
The interior of the Phaeton looked more luxurious than I expected but it’s a pretty dull car overall. It’d have to be the Bentley considering early ones are very affordable…after all you made that choice Jack👍
The Phaeton is for the introverts who get all the luxury & can park it anywhere. I had the W12 Spur for over 3 years & now have a Phaeton 3lt TDI. Owning cost of Spur was eye watering, Now it Champagne motoring for Lemonade money. VW learned from the Phaeton that people are badge happy, so now they change the trim, shell, badge & CHARGE people triple the price, win win for VW. Toureg=Bentayga= Q7=Cayenne=Urus.
You think the Phaeton vs. the Flying Spur would be a worthy video and comparison? They are even closer of course, but I’m curious if the suspension changes on the GT translate over to the FS. If that’s the case, the FS might be quite a bit firmer than the Phaeton. That would make the FS a bit out of its intended use case.
Phaeton is softer than Flying Spur. For long distance travel better car is Phaeton with standad 17” wheels. Looks uggly but rides like a flying carpet. I`ve done thousands over thousands of miles in all of these variants of VW611, BY614, BY611 and BY615.
Reminds me of about 10 years earlier and a lower price point, the Ford Scorpio Ultima Cosworth 24V Both very good but in a position not needed leading to huge depreciation
I’d rather have the discretion of the VW any day but with a V8 soundtrack; it’s about what you know not about how it looks. I love the lighter grey especially with all that wood trim. Gives it a Japanese feel I think.
Enough was said in the day that the Phaeton was only ever a "Test Mule" for the running gear of the Bentley Continental. VW have a place in the market and it is not a high placed executive saloon such as Merc or BMW...they have Audi to fight in that corner.
When VW says that they two cars are "sharing the same platform", it is very different than when GM says the same thing. For GM it means that the cars share the same chassis, and some body panels and stuff are changed. VW defines a platform by the firewall and the things that bolt to it. They took this approach because they determined that most of the car's costs are defined by the firewall, and the stuff that is attached to it. This is why some of the VAG cars which "share a platform" can be very different from each other. I suspect that if you looked at how things are arranged underneath the dash panels of the two cars, that you'd be surprised by how similar they are.
Yes. Always good fun to ask a VAG car owner why they have a car that's just the same as another model down range underneath. Nice Audi, sorry I meant Passat.
Too bad the Phaeton 🌩️ you tested was a 'poverty spec' model. The extended leather package, which covers the entire dash and the top of the door cards, as well as the extended wood package make the interior feel a lot more upmarket. Also, black is the worst interior color for a luxury car in my opinion. Makes it look less classy.
Unfortunately we didn’t get the extended leather option in the UK. It wasn’t available in RHD. This example has every option available except the refrigerator and extended wood.
I wonder if the continental flying spur would ride and drive more like the phaeton since thats a 4 door? I always thought the conti gt 2 door had a much stiffer suspension set up then the flying spur 4 door. You should do a test of the 4 door bentley and phaeton if possible.
Tbh... the Bentley is like the girl that asks if her bum looks big in this. She's in denial about how crap she actually looks. The interior is cheap looking too. I'd take the VW every day over the Bentley.
The Phaeton was born out of VW-Audi rivalry - the VW boss wanted to kick sand in the face of Audi. It was that petty. As for the similarity of these two cars, the Phaeton was also the test bed for the W12 that went into the Bentley. Systems manufactured for the D1 were also supplied for the MSB models (on the condition that VW dictated the architecture and performance and Bentley took what they were given), but when the Continental outsold the Phaeton, Bentley took the upper hand (and VW even built Bentleys in its Dresden factory because of underutilized capacity). The real monster was the V10 diesel - it had to be detuned because they couldn't get a gearbox strong enough to handle the torque (running at 1000Nm in prototypes). It also delayed the Phaeton's introduction. In the end a bit of a white elephant because they sacrificed all that torque but still had ruinous fuel consumption.
Having bought Auto Union from Mercedes in the 60s VW later purchased NSU and their plant at Neckarsulm, and made cars there with the Audi brand. Later they made the Phaeton there and also the Bentley GT on the same production line at least in its early days. So it’s all just marketing in the end. Mind you could argue that there’s never been a pure Bentley since Rolls Royce bought them and put Bentley badges on a tweaked Rolls.
If you saw the phaetonin driving down the road and you looked at it there's no way you would say it's a phaeton you would say to Volkswagen Passat until it drove past then you would see the badge at the rear stating phaeton.
No way do I think the early GT is twice the car the Phaeton is in terms of price. There's too many VW group parts, especially in the interior which cheapened it for me. This was definitely addressed in later models but for me if I was offered a MK1 GT or a W12 Phaeton, I'd have the VW every time.
The interior on the base model Phaeton was a bit of a let down in terms of materials; its all very well built of course but just doesn't feel luxurious and is very Golf-like. All of this was rectified if you got the extended leather package, that car really isn't far off a Bentley apart from maybe the switchgear for the infotainment system being in horrible looking grey plastics.
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Der Phaeton ist ein fantastisches Fahrzeug.
Ich fahre einen Phaeton 2015 seit 5 Jahren und bin noch immer beeindruckt von der Qualität.
Fahre ihn täglich...
Und es macht noch immer Spaß wie am ersten Tag
The Phaeton is the car you buy to impress yourself. The Bentley is the one you buy to impress other people.
Ohh that's good.
And how exactly would I impress myself by being surrounded by cheap and grey VW plastics??
@@eleonik76 I'd have to check, but I think most of the VW Phaeton's interior is trimmed in leather or wood. Although there may be foam-backed "soft touch plastic" on some surfaces that would otherwise be trimmed in leather on a Bentley or Maserati.
Edit -- It seems that a leather dashboard was available but not for right-hand-drive Phaetons.
@@TassieLorenzo The dash trim on the Phaeton is called extended leather package. Nothing extraordinary. BMW had it optional as part of the "Complete leather package"for its E39/E38 back in early 2000s. And it was a premium leather. I've been in Phaeton,and with the exception of few bits and pieces,the quality of the plastics,the leather,the buttons and the metal surfaces are even worse than E46 BMW. Compare it to full spec E39 with comfort seats,full Merino leather,16/9 DVD screen and double glazed windows,massage seats and that VW looks like exactly what it is,a Passat with big engine and few extra "premium" options. Premium car doesn't mean big engine and extended options list,if it would be so,KIA and Hyundai would've nailed it by now. As long as you can find the same fabrics,plastics and leather quality as the ones in the Passat and Golf,we can't talk of premium here.
I would be really unimpressed with myself if I saw a Phaeton in my garage 😅
I bought perfectly preserved VW Phaeton in 2015 for just a 7500 euros. There was some company in liquidation and it seemed I was the only one interested into their car since in a auction 7500 euros was starting and final price. This car is just for my weekends driving and the very best part of it is that I enjoy its driving capabilities and interior but from outside it seems just as a normal Passat, Bora or Jetta. :) Mine even does not have any signs or model marks on the rear side and windows are a little bit tinted so from outside it is really everyday boring and older car. Perfect for us introverts who enjoy privacy but enjoy in long comfort driving.
congratulations- they are really impressive cars and practically hand built in Dresden.
Depends what you're want to show😂
Running a 210,000 mile W12 Phaeton is admirable. Brave and admirable.
Brave??? Really! U expect Phaeton to be dangerous at such low usage?
I’ve always fancied a Phaeton, the epitome of understated.
Go for it! "The service bills arent" VW say, "If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen"! 😊
Personally I don't even trust a VW Golf compared to a Honda Civic mind you (I feel like my 13 year old 8th-gen Civic that basically just goes & goes and doesn't break is way more reliable than a Mk5 or 6 Golf would be), but I'd chance a Honda Legend and a Audi A6 is pretty much the same kind of thing.
Phaeton a little more exotic than an A6 of course (not too dissimilar to the later A8?)...
I can't imagine needing a faster car either. More comfy, more space. No brainer.
At least the Hong Kong government wasn’t fanciful of theirs
Servicing bills for the W12 are not understated though, not even one bit. I have a friend who had both it and BMW V12 of the same era and the Phaeton was miles more expensive to run and keep on the road.
@@TassieLorenzo The later A8? What do you mean, the A8 appeared way much earlier than the Phaeton (A8 in 1994, Phaeton in December 2001)
I drove a Phaeton W12 back in 2004 when I was delivering company car demonstrators. It was utterly amazing for the time. The 16 way adjustable seats are incredible, the ride is really good, and the whole thing felt like it had twice the solidity of anything I'd been in before. The heating has an ambient setting where the vent covers stay down and it wafts air into the cabin without blowing on the occupants (how uncouth!) and it took me about 150 miles to work that out. The original infotainment was good for the time too - I remember waiting to collect someone and looking up scores on ceefax! Of all the cars I drove in that job, the only competitor in terms of specialness to the Phaeton was an RS6!
W12 Phaetons are very rare in the UK - 98% of the cars are grey 3.0 diesels - great review again Jack
They’re black bro haha
W12 not V12
There was a later Phaeton, the Phaeton D2, that was designed but never released. There are pictures of it online and videos on TH-cam. It's a real shame it was never produced as its external and internal design really would have provided a competitor to an S class, 7 series and A8. It's interior is particularly nice
Phaeton d2s were sold on china. Phaeton was a big success there so thats why they got a newer model.
@@iTzNitrOxZ thats not a phaeton d2 actually. Its a car based on the chinese a6 and is called phideon. It should resemble the phaeton but its not a real phaeton
The Flying Spur would be a more natural comparison Jack to be fair.
My friends Dad has one, he’s had it for years. When he got it I was shocked how like a VW it was inside. Still got a lot of road presence though. I love the idea of the phaeton though, it was designed with a very specific list of criteria and the engineers struggled to meet them. I think it was Ferdinand Piech that come up with the idea. Unrestricted that can top 200 mph I believe.
Good vid as always 🎉
only two (of ten) Piech's requirements were ever revealed: the Phaeton was required to be capable of maintaining an interior temperature of 22°C (72°F) with the external temperature at 50°C (122°F), while driving at 186 mph, and have torsional rigidity of 37kNm/°.
Absolutely, I was going to say the same thing
Me too
The Phaeton did cost as W12 version in 2000 about 200k Deutschmark which was one year later about 105.000 Euro. When production ended about 2012 a car cost about 140.000 Euro. It is the best German luxury car since the 600 Grosser Mercedes from 1963 no other car compares to it..
@@bennyhannover9361 Production ended in 2016
I have always loved the Phaeton from day 1. Great car. Just never bought one. Real car people have never been put off by a badge.
Yep. People who rule out a VW Phaeton or Toyota Century, just because it says "VW" or "Toyota" are nuts IMO! Or even a Nissan Cima or Honda Legend in the E class category.
I'm a VW guy having owned many starting with my first new car in '66, a Beetle. I love the Phaeton but was a little out of my budget when it came out. Today I own an Arteon, which I love.
Back in 2002, i had the pleasure of meeting Crewes Test engineers on the A5 just next to the EVO Triangle, look it up if you don't know. I was in the Father in Laws Lamborghini Urraco, and two heavily disguised Bentleys and a Phaeton pulled in to the Layby I was in. They were very interested in the Lamborghini as i was intrigued in the Bentleys and Phaeton. I gave one of the Engineers a Ride in the Lamborghini and he took me out in the Phaeton.
I have to admit it never felt fast until you checked the Speed and a bit Floaty. Since I've always been intrigued by it.
The Crewe engineers were obviously car enthusiasts, as they had obviously just been testing it on the once wonderful EVO Triangle ( now obliterated by Speed Cameras), and I had a good chat about the Phaeton vs Bentley, they were trying to balance the Bentley between a GT and a Sports car.
All in it was Quite a Surreal Day which I'll never forget !!
Great story, thank you.
Love the channel! Keep it up paisan!
I remember when VW sold these things my dad and my friends dad worked for VW at the time. My dad loved it! He actually sold a good few of them and he would take one home ALOT!
This is like Chalk & Cheese. The Phaeton screams Audi A8 / S8 with touches of Skoda Superb. Amazing to think that the Phaeton was in Production until 2016
A better comparison might have been the VW Phaeton, Audi A8 and Bentley Flying Spur. Bentley GT body / chassis is quadruple layer or looked it when I saw them being assembled at Crewe. A8 would be my pick apart from the over light steering.
Just bought a 5.0 V10 TDi Phaeton for 3k€ did Software and managed 1000Nm torque. Put RS6 21 Inch wheels with 285 Pirelli tyres on. New Price was 120.000€ on my V10 with maximum Interieur upgrades. So it just lost 117.000€ in 20 years value... it drives amazing, extremly comfortable, quite fast, good fuel economy and safe for my children
Always liked the looks of the Bentley but somehow it looks old now. The Pheaton i think has aged better.
I certainly agree with your comments about the car's styling, especially its elegance and presence. I also agree with your opinions regarding the interior. It looks great in the video on my phone, but I do remember thinking when I saw one at the motor show that some of the materials looked and felt a bit Golf-ish, especially the dash top. Don't buy one though; I've read horror stories of what can go wrong and that spares are becoming difficult to obtain.
there is an extended leather package that covers everything in leather. so that will kill the golfisness. There was also the option of a 3.2 v6 petrol MANUEL with cloth seats. Really rare, really pointless version, even worse than a S-Class Buchhalter (Accountant) but a nice way to upgrade your RS4 transmition from sticks to cables.
I really don't think there's any denying that the Phaeton does look like a big Passat, however, I also don't think that's a bad thing at all. The Passat of the time had lovely clean, stylish lines, and the Phaeton has retained that classy clean look.
It looks good to me except the rear lights. They should have made them a bit more special. Just my 2 cents.
The Phaeton W12 was clearly closer to the Mk1 Flying Spur, built on the same platform at the same factory in Dresden and with which it shared its interior architecture, if not the Bentley finish. It may have been a bit of a softie but the Phaeton is mainly remembered for its off-a-cliff depreciation. In the late noughties a guy who did our chaufering work bought an 18 month-old one for under £30k and thanks to that suspension the back seat was a lovely, quiet, relaxing place to be for the 100 plus miles coming back from Heathrow.
Not entirely true. All Bentleys were produced/assembled at Crewe. However, due to the great success of the Bentleys, they had massive capacity issues. Since this was not the case for the Phaeton, the Flying Spur was also produced in Dresden, but only for a limited time.
I'll be honest, did not think I'd find this interesting - but I did. Good job Jack. Normally I'd go 'meh' at a VW (get me a Jaagggg) but well... you made it worth the time.
The Phaeton has an understated luxury feel to it, slips under the, radar very easily! The GT on the other hand is truly more opulent, and a head turner for sure!
A very interesting comparison Jack Sir, of two very different cars that share similar underpinnings. ✌👍
When I wrote my thesis at VW, it was full of Bentleys in the former "D1" buildings that were erected for the Phaeton. I was once asked to follow along to the track in Ehra-Lessien with a Phaeton that had the (turbocharged) Bentley engine in it- and a race seat. I asked to driver to please take it slow as I did not know where the track was. Ofcourse he couldn't control himself and drove at highly illegal speeds. Even though I was following in a Passat W8 I had lots of trouble following him- and headache thinking about my license that I was probably about to lose...
It was BTW well known (or at least often said) at VW that even the Phaeton W12 can achieve well over 300km/hr unlimited, 307 was the most often cited speed.
Can you remember what year this was?
@@YouCallum 2003
Drove the W12 Phaeton when it came out. Simply awesome car for the money at the time. Obviously the W12 version of the Audi A8L sat between them and was deservedly successful.
You should have compared it to the Continental Flying Spur
Very enjoyable video to watch. To the point, honest and concise. Definitely deserves more likes.
fascinating stuff Jack. I was also one who thought the Phaeton was a fancy Passat until I happened to see the two cars side by side one day. the Phaeton is so understated that you could swap the VW badges for something obscure and few would notice.
great video, love Robs VW! Interesting now in 2023 that these are probably £10k between them now
There was a long wheelbase top-end Skoda of about the same age (?), which looks pretty similar to this generation of Phaeton and makes me go 'ugh' every time I see it... I think with the later CC design of the Phaeton VW redeemed themselves somewhat.
'If this was done in black it would lift it'...probably the only time that this makes sense! Thanks Jack, good to see the differences of both cars! 🙏🙏
The Paeton looks awesome, i'd love to have one of those in my garage, honestly i think i prefer it to the Bentley. Bentley's interior is nicer, but i LOVE low profile cars, the fact the Phaeton has a VW badge is actually a plus for me.
if you're unsure about the W12, go for a V8 or the V6TDI, both of which are much more easier to work on.
@@wolfhalupka8992 unfortunately, neither is viable to me. Where I live corollas are premium sedans that maybe the top 5% can afford brand new.
Here in the US the Phaeton never caught on, they were $120,000 new and VW stopped selling them here in 2006. They usually sell for around $12,000 now, and in the $30,000 range for a low mileage, perfect one.
I worked in VW dealerships service departments for much of 40+ years in service, fortunately at the time the dealership I was at opted to NOT take part in the option to sell the vehicles new.
Inspite of the fact we NOT an authorized service point, one got towed to us under warranty.
It was a nightmare to service, the "special parts and service hot line" were no help and we had to figure it out on our own. We did get repaired though.
It was at the time, comparable to an upper line "S" class Mercedes in build quality and features. It would be a great used car buy, if spares weren't so difficult to obtain.
VW of the US would rather forget this vehicle as support today is virtually nill. Most dealers in my area really don't want to work on these especially if it's got an electrical issue; all they want to do is basic maintenance. BTW, trim for these vehicles is next to impossible to obtain and ultra expensive if the party that has it knows this fact.
Personally, I thought they were neat vehicles and not so bad with the easier and cheaper to maintain v8 engine.
Phaeton, my absolute favourite car, fell in love at the first drive when working for a distribution company, for six yrs. when I left I received a leaving gift. A chauffeur driven ride home in one, 7 miles of absolute joy
For me that I 've never driven either of the Phaeton or the Bentley, the Phaeton is by far the more interesting and steals the show....possibly the best VW ever (and I am not into VWs or luxury cars at all)
I remember the first time I saw a Phaeton just months after its official lounch in a car exhibit.... It was in full spec with white soft leather and black wood all over inside .... Side by side, the S-Class also new , seemed to be "cheap" .... Especially in the interior which seemed a lot more opulent and classy in the Phaeton
Only the Maybach seemed at the moment as a real competitor that could surpass it...
The thing is, the same S class which was built in big numbers, now we can mostly find in scrapyards because of poor quality and rust.... While Phaetons, which were then far less in number, are now still going on and far more likely to see on the streets... Proof of top quality and durability from Mr. Piech' s perfectionism...
Hats on to him 😁
I want one with PASSAT 2.0 badges on it. Maybe de-chromed a bit. Nobody is a 'Passat expert' so it would be a good sleeper.
An interesting video would be all the parts that are the same in the VW, Bentley and Audi A8 and prices being charged by each dealership
Great review Jack, I've always wondered how these compared
Oww, ouch. Grey plastic. That’s the ultimate curse in a luxury product. I don’t accept plastic anywhere upmarket, and certainly not in grey. Nor would I accept grey leather seats. Just no. If I pay extra, it’s to enjoy life, not to get depressed.
It's a VW not a Maserati. Reserved is the style. :)
I love a red or tan Alfa Romeo interior myself, but Alfa have dropped both of those options on the Giulia sadly, leaving only black leather available to slimline inventory.
I love grey leather. I have this in my maybach
The best example is the Rover 75 V6 which changed to from MG to 190 still the same Motor and happened to others makes aswell
It amazes me that a sports car is actually a bit sportier than a luxury sedan.
I must say, I think I'd rather have the Phaeton. The fact you get so much for much less in price, while also being a bit under the radar so to speak with it's luxury is quite appealing. For having over 200k on the odometer as well, what a great example it was. Having driven neither mind you, might change my opinion after getting behind the wheel.
Thanks for another lovely episode, always look forward to and get excited when an number 27 video pops up in the sub feed!
VW managed to make the wood veneer in the Phaeton look like plastic. Yuk. Maybe a darker stain option would be better.
You should have looked in the trunks. As I understand it, both cars share a wonderfully complex and over-engineered hinge mechanism for the trunk lids.
The Phaeton is a wonderful car. We have a V8, rapidly becoming a classic, built like a tank. 15 years on still like a new car
Agree. I own also. W221 and W222, which I drive daily, are far down from Phaeton feeling. That's why it's very interesting to read comments about Passat-ish and Golf-ish materials from people, who never had this car)
@@pi1posh I think its the way the materials are textured that make people think its just like a Passat or Golf inside. They do look similar you have to admit, but in terms of quality of course they're worlds apart.
Honestly it seems like not big difference but its big. Same with phaeton and a8, more lightweight and better mpg allows to use bigger engine more freely, also a8 d3 got new w12 and phaeton got older one from d2 audi
I’ve a golf GTI…..love it
It would be interesting to see how a flying spur would compare. I wonder if its more like the GT or Phaeton in character?
I paid £3K for my 58 plate Phaeton about 2 months ago. It's got some niggles but what a car for killing the miles.
what it comes down to is which one collects the crumpet that you prefer
The Phaeton looked a bit like the Passat. That was not a mistake but on purpose. It upgraded the Passat and lifted it into a higher market. That was the main purpose of the Phaeton. Ferdinand Piëch upgraded the image of VW just like he did before with Audi in the 80s. He built a special "gläsene Manufaktur" in Dresden where the Pheaeton was handbuilt. They even created special cargo-trams to transport the bodyshells from a storage place into the Dresden factory. All of that was a big promotion trick.
Must say, for me, I cannot see how the two gel in my mind. I see them as completely different cars underneath and quite different in cost. I see the image of the Phaeton as expensive to maintain - and I would hope that would not rub off on the Passat. This is just my personal view and how what they did on purpose as you said, did not work for me.
Piech did it even before with the Porsche 917, but the best gamble he took was for gaining the control of VW, masterpiece !
@@andrewnorris5415 Fair points. Don't forget the Passat at the time was on the Audi A4 platform, and carried the W8 engine as a test bed for Phaeton (VW Passat W8 4Motion B5/B5.5). Later four-cylinder transverse Passats are by comparison, more like mere oversized VW Jettas.
The shells were never carried by the trams - too wide. The trams supplied the non-JIT/JIS parts.
@@catrachocolo You are absolutely right. They carried parts in boxes. The shells came via lorry. But still a huge effort.
The biggest issue of the Phaeton was: It is a VW. The name VW, Volkswagen, in english people's car, and the luxury car the Phaeton is... that is simply a contradiction to itself. And that is how many people here in Germany felt. A company that is named Volkswagen, should focus on making cars for the commoners and no luxury cars. If this car was branded as Audi, it would have sold far better!
Yes the Audi of the time called the A8.
@@johnguidetti5839 I know
VW knew that Phaeton was not to sell in great numbers - but that was not the point. The whole idea was to give more prestige to the VW brand and make it possible to charge a little bit more for every Passat, Golf and others.
Methinks in order to really compare them one would have had to overhaul or rebuild the entre suspension iof the Phaeton. I gather much of the 'softness'and a certain lack of steering precision might have to do with aging components in the suspension.
As for the interior, the Phaeton might be a bit spartan with all the plastics but, on the other hand, I find the Bentley's interior really overdone with all the chromed bling-bling.
Correction not big Passat but chunky or absolute unit Passat. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
My two cents for it! You get what you pay for it! Love that Bentley! Cool video!
You ever run into Harry out there. Same roads, same bends. Must be well-known for no traffic cops. I enjoy your shows!
When I'm bowling along the m-way in my big heated leather seats at 80 mph in my tdi 170 Passat (circa 45 mpg) with the stereo at high volume and air conditioning keeping things cool, I squint a little and it feels just like a Phaeton.
In the states, the Bentley sold well from day one. I see them often. The Phaeton's downfall was not the badge as much as it simply looks like a Passat but 12 feet closer. And the Passat was pretty dull when that version appeared.
Wasn't the W12 engine first used in the Touareg ? And the interior of the Phaeton is also mostly Touareg.
"Value" is a strange thing. I can show you several over-the-counter watches which cost more than the Bentley. And its not because they are made of diamonds. So what is better value, an uber wagen which can transport 5 people or just a watch? Cars are actually really good use value compared to a lot of "fashion" items, and of course a car can be a fashion item too.
I don't think you can even say that they are built on the same platform, or that they are the same car underneath. 100bhp difference, shorter wheel base, 150kg lighter with bigger wheels. They are totally different like night and day.
Yeh Jack, even if the driving experience was exactly the same, (and it's not), the Bentley coupe' looks 110% better than a "tarted up" VW Passat. Even though they're related it's two completely different things.
As somebody who doesn't give a shit about sports handling, and generally anything sporty in cars, Phaeton looks like a clear winner for me, if you're buying a land yacht with over 5 meters in length, it should be all about comfort and isolation.
Impressed by the mileage on the Phaeton. Did it require expensive maintenance I wonder? For me I might be temped to choose a Lexus over a Phaeton due to reliability. The Bentley is special by design. I personally love the interior and exterior. When you have so much power it makes sense to give it a sporty edge while still being comfortable. Yes you can argue those who are not concerning with image would get a Phaeton, but the Lexus for me seems the better choice there. I would worry too much about the parts costs. How can a car be understated and yet also not honest/reliable? You need those two together? If anyone can tell me the Phaeton is as cheap to own as a Lexus let me know.
It’s my car in the video and I can honestly say it's not as scary as one may think to own a W12 Phaeton or even just a diesel one. I have 2 W12s! The secret is to use it as a second car and to do any bog-standard maintenance yourself like oil changes etc. Maintenance parts are very affordable but for anything phaeton specific is hit or miss. Quality 2nd hand parts can be found at very reasonable prices but if you buy specific 'phaeton only' parts new from a dealer then that’s where it gets pricey. The engine is pretty simple and is chain driven so it’s very robust and because it’s a 12 cylinder it doesn’t live a stressed life, it's got a normal wet sump too with 1 drain plug so it's not complex. I've owned DTN since Feb '22 when it was on 204k and I've put 6k on it with ease. Only thing to go wrong in that time was an oil pressure sensor which is shared with the majority of VW products of the era (£15).
The Phaeton is one of the best cars ever in terms of value for money.
Phaeton is like the peak of car design and technology, it's perfection
For me the phaeton was let down by the shiny wood and industrial looking gearlever,
I bet a cabin full of open pour wood or a mable vaneer with plack plastics would have lifted it for only a few £££ more on the design board stage of its development.
The Phaeton was assembled at the Dresden Glassed Manufacture were you could look through glass floors down through all the stages of production.
It is the same place where the Bentley Limousine Silver Spur is produced until recently.
Agreed, the standard wood in the Phaeton just looks too 90's. You could get nicer looking wood in the later models which really lifted the interior of the car in my opinion.
Giac, I could see back in the Mondeo days that with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi that sold vehicles for a bit more than Ford and Vauxhall, that the company car guy would opt for the luxurious brand rather than a better equipped Ford or Vauxhall. And you can see the fall off of both companies in their larger car segments.
Had a GP3 Phaeton from 2011 to 2014. It was the best car I have ever had. But it sucks every penny out of your pocket
Remember seeing a Phaeton in a motorshow when it was launched. Really liked the interior and its overall presence. The badge was a big deal back then though, and I guess most would have gone for an A8 which was also a difficult sale, the previous 200's and 'V8' struggled for the executive market. Plenty of Phaetons kicking around in Romania, they love VW's. Bork factor is a big issue with resale values taken into account. Much better looking than the E65 BMW, but... the Mercedes W221 imo was a game changer and still today I think they look great and are a brilliant used buy.
Could you explain "bork factor" to a puzzled Australian? 🙂
@@TassieLorenzo Yeah, it's a slang word for 'when it breaks and the high costs to repair'. It was used a lot on Pistonheads back in the day.
The interior of the Phaeton looked more luxurious than I expected but it’s a pretty dull car overall. It’d have to be the Bentley considering early ones are very affordable…after all you made that choice Jack👍
The Phaeton is for the introverts who get all the luxury & can park it anywhere.
I had the W12 Spur for over 3 years & now have a Phaeton 3lt TDI.
Owning cost of Spur was eye watering,
Now it Champagne motoring for Lemonade money.
VW learned from the Phaeton that people are badge happy, so now they change the trim, shell, badge &
CHARGE people triple the price, win win for VW.
Toureg=Bentayga=
Q7=Cayenne=Urus.
What an interesting idea for a video. Full marks! And on Harry’s ‘better roads’?
7:28 “SLOW” is painted on the pavement but it applies to the other direction only. 😅
You think the Phaeton vs. the Flying Spur would be a worthy video and comparison? They are even closer of course, but I’m curious if the suspension changes on the GT translate over to the FS. If that’s the case, the FS might be quite a bit firmer than the Phaeton. That would make the FS a bit out of its intended use case.
The Spur had a different suspension tune to the GT.
Phaeton is softer than Flying Spur. For long distance travel better car is Phaeton with standad 17” wheels. Looks uggly but rides like a flying carpet. I`ve done thousands over thousands of miles in all of these variants of VW611, BY614, BY611 and BY615.
Any difference in power could be purely down to the engine mapping. I suspect it is as well because VAG produce both cars.
And the two turbo's in the Bentley?
Reminds me of about 10 years earlier and a lower price point, the Ford Scorpio Ultima Cosworth 24V
Both very good but in a position not needed leading to huge depreciation
I think id go with the phaeton, even if i was a millionaire 🤑
Also the Phateon uses a lot of A8 stuff, body, suspension, etc
My Dad said watch out for the Gerrie's. He was correct. Look what they did to Rover, then made the A3 copy of the R50 ++++
I’d rather have the discretion of the VW any day but with a V8 soundtrack; it’s about what you know not about how it looks. I love the lighter grey especially with all that wood trim. Gives it a Japanese feel I think.
Such a great channel.I love every upload.Thank you.
Agreed, always interesting.
Cool test
On looks you’d never want a Phaeton it’s just so dull looking
I prefer "stealth".
@@trevorstewart8 I’m a fan of stealth myself but it looks like a Passat and that model of Passat just looked crap
Enough was said in the day that the Phaeton was only ever a "Test Mule" for the running gear of the Bentley Continental. VW have a place in the market and it is not a high placed executive saloon such as Merc or BMW...they have Audi to fight in that corner.
When VW says that they two cars are "sharing the same platform", it is very different than when GM says the same thing. For GM it means that the cars share the same chassis, and some body panels and stuff are changed. VW defines a platform by the firewall and the things that bolt to it. They took this approach because they determined that most of the car's costs are defined by the firewall, and the stuff that is attached to it. This is why some of the VAG cars which "share a platform" can be very different from each other. I suspect that if you looked at how things are arranged underneath the dash panels of the two cars, that you'd be surprised by how similar they are.
It’s all rather relative...right ?
I think the interior design looks better in the VW, and thats more important than how it feels if you put your hand on it.
Yes.
Always good fun to ask a VAG car owner why they have a car that's just the same as another model down range underneath.
Nice Audi, sorry I meant Passat.
Too bad the Phaeton 🌩️ you tested was a 'poverty spec' model. The extended leather package, which covers the entire dash and the top of the door cards, as well as the extended wood package make the interior feel a lot more upmarket.
Also, black is the worst interior color for a luxury car in my opinion. Makes it look less classy.
Unfortunately we didn’t get the extended leather option in the UK. It wasn’t available in RHD. This example has every option available except the refrigerator and extended wood.
I wonder if the continental flying spur would ride and drive more like the phaeton since thats a 4 door? I always thought the conti gt 2 door had a much stiffer suspension set up then the flying spur 4 door. You should do a test of the 4 door bentley and phaeton if possible.
I wonder if you could get the Bentley engine serviced at the VW dealer, for less money. Parts would be very similar if not completely the same.
Tbh... the Bentley is like the girl that asks if her bum looks big in this. She's in denial about how crap she actually looks. The interior is cheap looking too. I'd take the VW every day over the Bentley.
The Phaeton was born out of VW-Audi rivalry - the VW boss wanted to kick sand in the face of Audi. It was that petty.
As for the similarity of these two cars, the Phaeton was also the test bed for the W12 that went into the Bentley. Systems manufactured for the D1 were also supplied for the MSB models (on the condition that VW dictated the architecture and performance and Bentley took what they were given), but when the Continental outsold the Phaeton, Bentley took the upper hand (and VW even built Bentleys in its Dresden factory because of underutilized capacity).
The real monster was the V10 diesel - it had to be detuned because they couldn't get a gearbox strong enough to handle the torque (running at 1000Nm in prototypes). It also delayed the Phaeton's introduction. In the end a bit of a white elephant because they sacrificed all that torque but still had ruinous fuel consumption.
You dont think the front light looked quite righ ???
The biggest downfall for the Phaeton in the US was the dealers, the majority of whom seemed to be uninterested in it.
🤔 The last real Bentley never ever made, was the Arnage 1998 -2009 .After this they are merely German designed and built vehicles !....
And a much better product. Prior to VW's ownership they were just rebodied Rolls Royces with a little more performance.
The roads you drove round here look 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 similar to the ones Harry Metcalfe drives around on Harry's Garage!
Having bought Auto Union from Mercedes in the 60s VW later purchased NSU and their plant at Neckarsulm, and made cars there with the Audi brand. Later they made the Phaeton there and also the Bentley GT on the same production line at least in its early days. So it’s all just marketing in the end. Mind you could argue that there’s never been a pure Bentley since Rolls Royce bought them and put Bentley badges on a tweaked Rolls.
If you saw the phaetonin driving down the road and you looked at it there's no way you would say it's a phaeton you would say to Volkswagen Passat until it drove past then you would see the badge at the rear stating phaeton.
No way do I think the early GT is twice the car the Phaeton is in terms of price. There's too many VW group parts, especially in the interior which cheapened it for me. This was definitely addressed in later models but for me if I was offered a MK1 GT or a W12 Phaeton, I'd have the VW every time.
The interior on the base model Phaeton was a bit of a let down in terms of materials; its all very well built of course but just doesn't feel luxurious and is very Golf-like. All of this was rectified if you got the extended leather package, that car really isn't far off a Bentley apart from maybe the switchgear for the infotainment system being in horrible looking grey plastics.