Volkswagen recently admitted that the Tesla Model S effectively killed off all plans for a next-generation Phaeton. However, this isn’t to say that the original Phaeton wasn’t a rather special car.
To discover if the original was really the Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival which Volkswagen once said it was, Doug DeMuro landed a drive in the car, exploring all of its intriguing features.
Volkswagen first launched the Phaeton back in 2002 as a full-size sedan that aimed to tackle the best of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. No less than six different engines were sold at various stages during the vehicle’s production run, the most remarkable of which was a 6.0-liter W12 that delivered 444 hp at 6500 rpm and 413 lb-ft of torque between 2750 and 5200 rpm.
Of course, to rival the S-Class, VW had to do more than offer customers a plethora of powertrains to choose from. For example, the interior is laden with quirks that make the Phaeton unlike any other car to hit the road, including digital dials to adjust how much air comes out of each and every vent.