Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog
THERE is a new Phaeton from VW. Huh?
The VW Phaeton, in case it’s not crossed you radar – and frankly there’s no reason why it should – is VW’s poshest car in the range. A luxury Volkswagen. The S Class of the VW line up.
I’m still not sure why Volkswagen feels the need to go ahead with this – especially as Audi has the A8 within the group.
But the Phaeton is already famous for its plummeting led-boot depreciation. Of course, for the secondhand user, there’s a brilliant example of automotive excellence to be enjoyed for peanuts.
Not sure what I mean? Well how about this for attention to detail.
The air conditioning system on the Phaeton remains one of the most advanced in the world. As well as featuring a humidity monitoring function to avoid the vehicle misting up in all conditions, the ‘4Zone’ climate control system on the Phaeton W12 model is designed to be capable of maintaining a steady interior temperature of 22 degrees C while the vehicle is at a constant speed of 186mph in an ambient temperature of 50 degrees. Amazing.
Of course one reason why VW has updated the Phaeton is because of markets other than the UK. The revised Phaeton was unveiled at the Beijing Show, China – a market where VW has an expanding presence.
Otherwise those in the know will continue to enjoy quite brilliant levels of luxury and refinement for very little money – as long as they buy on the secondhand market.