VW PHAETON

Volkswagen Phaeton 

The story begun when the former Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch gave his engineers a test asking them what an ultimate Volkswagen model would look like.

A dream of a very charismatic chairman

They all gave in their result and to the chairman disappointment none gave the most compelling answer. He gave them a task to design and put the car in production before he retired. The result was the birth of the Phaeton, the must luxurious VW ever.

DESIGN

It now looses it Passat resemblance look to a more distinct luxurious look. Unlike all other Volkswagens created to date on the basis of this new DNA, which is dominated by horizontal lines a shiny black radiator grille cover, the Phaeton has a completely new chrome element. It has restyled headlights, more upright grill that is characterized by highly polished and matt chrome. At the centre is the traditional VW badge, which now has a new-look surface design. The logo also incorporates the ACC (automatic distance control) system's radar sensors. At each corner of the grill are the Bi-Xenon headlamps.

Front Bi-xenon headlamps

The indicator and adaptive cornering lights are highly visible and stylistically striking LEDs. Secondly, as with the new Touareg, the VW Phaeton will also be available with optional Dynamic Light Assist. The Dynamic Light Assist has a camera ‘detects' other road users and regulates illumination of the road accordingly. This helps in ensuring that more light is focused on the road than the on coming cars. The LED fog lamps are narrow, horizontal strips at each end of the front bumper. The bottom final section of the bumper is now also color-coordinated with the car body.  The back remains unchanged in terms of design but there are now LED light instead of convectional lights. 

Rear M shaped LED lights

The LEDs are M-shaped giving the Phaeton an overall elegant look at night or during the day. The rear bumper has also been redesigned. It now has a new, three-piece chrome bar and the section of the bumper trim is also color-coordinated with the car body. Twin exhausts at each corner complete the rear look. The same has also been repeated at the side. It also now has 18 inch alloy wheels. The wing mirrors now has LED indicators and are more visible at night.

POWERHOUSE

Under the bonnet is a choice of four engines. The first is a V6 turbo diesel engine. It delivers 241 hp and accelerates the phaeton to a top speed in this case 237 km/h. 0 to 100 km/h is over in just 8.6 seconds. This is accompanied by average fuel consumption of just 8.5 liters per 100 km. The remaining six, eight and twelve-cylinder engines range have an output of 241 hp to 450 hp respectively. However another engine option is available for lovers of speed and power. The W12 petrol engine which has an output of nearly 500hp will take it from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds flat! Connected to the engine is 6-speed manual is available to the V6 models or the ZF 5-speed tiptronic automatic transmission system that is standard in all W12 models.

Remarkable piece of design

The power is sent to the four wheels that are connected to one of the stiffest suspensions ever fitted into a car. To ensure none of the horses escape, a sophisticated four wheel drive system found in the Audi A8 ensures that the four tires grip the road without any stress. The system also adjusts the suspension numerous times to ensure a smooth ride on any given surface.

Rear passenger seats

The interior is by far the best ever fitted in a VW. If one opts for the five seat options or the four seat limousine design. With the four-seat option one gets two electrically adjustable rear individual seats. They can message and warm the passengers at the touch of a button. It also has four-zone climate control, rear screens, a wine chillier, glass cabinet, laptop shelf and if one opts for the extended wheel base version, there is plenty of room for the rear passengers. The interior is covered with leather, while wood trims decorate the dashboard, door panels and centre console. The driver holds the all new redesigned multifunctional steering wheel that can be covered with either leather or in wood/leather combination. 

INFOTAINMENT

Driver aids and infotainment system at the front

The entertainment is taken care of by a RCD 810 radio system. It has an 8-inch touch multifunctional screen. The car can connect to the internet via mobile network to get the latest information on traffic, get routes to destination by downloading maps, connect to social sites, get the latest news and also get the latest weather patterns. The system can also get contact of places such as tourist sites, sports venues, hospitals, entertainment joints and also give routes to where they are. There is also an optional extension pack that allows a second multimedia control unit for the rear passengers. The system is connected to a 12 channel amplifier with an output power of 1000 watts. It also has DVD and can receive digital channels.     

Inviting front cockpit

SAFETY

The safety department consist of ACC (automatic distance regulation) designed to help prevent rear-end collisions. Using a radar sensor, the system monitors the distance to the vehicles in front of the Volkswagen Phaeton. If this is becoming too short, the system alerts the driver in two stages. At the same time the vehicle is prepared for possible emergency braking by the driver. Even before certain situations arise, Front Assist takes anticipatory action by putting the brakes into a preconditioned status.

Executive and exclusivity

They only get activated when the brake pedal is pushed. Automatic distance regulation is operated via relevant buttons on the multifunction steering wheel. With ACC enabled the car automatically slows down and speeds up within a speed range set in advance by the driver. The system then uses radar to detect any traffic within an angle of 12 degrees travelling up to 200 metres in front of the VW Phaeton. ACC is enabled and disabled via an ON/OFF button on the left of the multifunction steering wheel. The ACC also gets disabled as soon as the driver pushes the brake pedal.

Most advanced and luxurious VW ever made

The system can be switched back on via the 'Resume' button on the steering wheel. Another assistance system in the Volkswagen Phaeton is the lane change assistant (Side Assist). At speeds of 60 km/h or more this system monitors the area behind and to the side of the VW Phaeton via radar sensors in the rear and indicates via a warning light in the wing mirror frame any risk of potential collision. The area monitored by the sensors covers a distance of around 50 meters to the rear and 3.6 meters to the side of the car.