Test drive Volkswagen Phaeton 2002 - 2009 sedan
I want to be a god
If today the history of the representative of the representative class was written from the clean sheet, the phaeton might have become the best. What a love of these chairs! If there were such people from the Olympic gods and we would hardly have learned that they were standing on chariots. And the front and rear seats are hard in German, but how comfortable they are! I got carried away as if I had never played electric drives and have drawn with rapture for about five minutes. To slightly improve the lateral emphasis, adjust the girth in the hips, move and sink, increase the length of the pillow, adjust the belt in height ... In short, the chair can be adjusted by the figure, like a custom -made suit. And all with an electric drive. Turn on the ventilation hotly, after many hours on the way you can use the built -in massager.
But in fairness I must say, the miracle peasant is by no means the only thing that Phaeton bribed me.
Six Passatovpo price of one phaeton
The price of Phaeton-3,2V6 begins at 56,335 euros. You get a front-wheel drive 241-horsepower sedan, with a 6-speed mechanics and a 5-seater salon. A modification with a 5-speed Testronics for $ 2015 is more expensive, and with a 4-seater salon (leather upholstery, 18 steps for adjusting all seats with ventilation and memory functions) for $ 12,925.
The standard equipment will include 6 airbags, immobilizer and central castle, ESP, an on-board control system with a 7-inch color display, stereo with 10-dinos and a 6-uncle chainer, heating of the glass-shaped nozzles, electric windows, trunk lids, external heated mirrors, external heated mirrors. Front heated seats, 4-zone climate, cruise control, decoration of the salon with fabric and wood, rain sensor, low-light xenon headlights, light alloy and tires 235/60 R16. Eminent competitors are more expensive: Mercedes-Benz-S350 (245 hp), BMV-735i (272 hp), Lexus-LS430 (281 l.), Audi-A8-3.7 (280 liters. p.) from 75,000, 98,000, 89,000 and 78,000, respectively, but somewhat richer are equipped. But the buyer of Phaeton-6.0W12 must pay at least $ 97,970. In addition to an excellent engine and all-wheel drive, there will be the best interior decoration, a climate control panel, a security alarm, bixenon headlights, electric drives of a steering column and a gas tank hatch.
You can order active cruise control ($ 2780), a hatch with built-in solar batteries ($ 2010), a phone ($ 1050), a TV ($ 1210), a tire pressure control system ($ 665), a light alloy with 255/45 R18 tires ($ 3020 ($ 3020 ) and so on, so on, so on. True, such a car will cost like six 150-horsepower passats.
Solidity mask, symbols of power
With this machine you want to not get bored. It is worth stopping, how one, the other, the third curious: is that, the new Passat? Eh, the nameplate would be on the car, and preferably larger, otherwise, besides the branded Volkswagen spider, at the request of the future client, there are no identification marks on it.
Passat? It seems like it looks. Only much more solid, clearly longer and wider. The modern and emotional vision of the representative car is called the appearance of the phaeton its developers. Well, perhaps. The design seems mean and concise, but you should take a closer look, and you find juicy, really emotional details as a strict and slightly arrogant section of the eyes, for example.
In the sun, the car sparkles with polished sides, a predatory look, monolithic feed, behind tinted glasses behind the mirror gloom. No matter what side you look at, everywhere, solidity is first of all in the eye, even great in the style of design, in the abundance of chromium in the decoration, in heroic sizes, xenon and muffled, but obviously a formidable rod of the motor. Clearly, someone is magnificent, probably powerful, but what kind of god either the sun or fertility, or maybe seas or trade belongs?
Let's see we, perhaps, is hiding behind such an impressive facade.
Barsky comfort for Olympus residents
There is no only that gold-brilliants inside. But the rest of the skin is soft, pleasant, expensive, the tree is not any kind of wood, but developed from the growth on the roots of the walnut. Lord, how many levers and buttons are there! Only on the steering wheel is their dozen, on the front panel is not one ten. Six analog appliances that come to life at the start of a generous multi -colored square of all kinds of light bulbs. I would not be surprised at the aviation altimeter or cranomer.
Passengers are greeted in a kingly comfortable armchairs
Nevertheless, the Volkswagen school of ergonomics is here on top. Let some icons cannot be deciphered without reading the instructions. But with most service functions, whether it is adjusting the pneumatic suspension, setting television programs, climate control you understand in a matter of seconds.
The monitor is quite large (7 inches), but its size when viewing television programs for some reason only a little more than 14 cm diagonally
Climate control panel is very convenient
Behind the wooden polished lid hides one of the air ducts of the side glasses
The control unit adjustable in all conceivable directions of the miracle cresher
You, however, quickly get used to the Bar Comfort. After a quarter of an hour I notice, I perceive all these blessings of a business wheel as granted. He crouched over the back the headrest advanced, wanted to go out and the steering column moved away. The 500-liter womb of the trunk opened and closed on my team. In the parking lot, visual and sound parking sensors protected not only the feed, but also the front bumper. Of course, it should be so. Another minute, and I am already complained that there is no pneumatics that closely closes the door, like in a S-class. Where does this discontent come from? But how, how, after all, the inhabitants of Olympus, the more they owned, the more unhappy became.
Double glass is the key to excellent sound insulation and long -term preservation of the necessary microclimate
The same phone with the logo Volkswagen can hide in the rear armrest
The trunk lock is cleaned in the lid, preventing the possibility of head injury, and the lid itself after pressing this button is closed using an electric drive
Even a pen that opens access to the spare wheel is covered with chrome
Atlanta soft tread Honestly, knowing about the magnificent dynamics of only 6.1 s to hundreds at first touched the gas pedal very carefully. And the mighty 6-liter motor spoke obedient, gentle accelerations. But most of all it struck how smooth the move was. In my own rating of Comfort of the suspension, the phaeton now stands higher than the Swabian S-class, Lexus-LS430, the Bavarian seven and Audi-A8.
Phaeton has plenty of trump cards in this regard. Pneumatic suspension with several levels of stiffness, continental tires with rather soft sidewalls. But the main thing, perhaps, is huge even by the standards of the dimensional class f. Think about the phaeton half a ton heavier than eight and 375 kg of Mercedes Benz.
Maybe someone decided that this colossus is slow? Everything is just the opposite.
Pleasure for the elect Pressing the accelerator pedal a little stronger, I very soon realized that I no longer want to drive such a car slowly. Instantly achieved 120130 km/h, breathtaking accelerations from this speed, the passage of rather gentle turns is perceived as a warm -up.
I was not. We go to all the money. Second, second, third. Out of the corner of my eye I notice how the speedometer arrow passed 200 km/h. And the car does not think to slow down, resting only on 260. In fact, the electronic limiter worked at 250. In general, as the creators assure, the car is able to overcome 300 km/h. I willingly believe.
At the same time, if he had not looked at the speedometer, I thought that I was going 170180 kilometers, no more. A kind of armored carriage of St., a little tapping with wheels at the joints of the rails. If it were not for the sudden snow, he would have enjoyed an transcendental speed.
Perfect weapon
However, everything that is done for the better. After all, my phaeton is all -wheel drive. The self-locking central differential torsen, the same as on Audi, 550 Nm of the torque of excellent W12 (by the way, no one makes 6-liter sedans with a wheeled formula of 4 x 4 more in the world). What a grace to drive such a car along a winter road!
A large silver six-hundred-year-old in front of a helplessly hides the stern, letting the snow fountains from under the rear wheels. And the phaeton rolls on white porridge, like on rails, smugly rumbling: Pop wherever you want, the owner. The rear -wheel drive guys are now hard, and you and I are gods!
A fairly visual indication suggests that the pneumatic pumps raised a car relatively normal 12 cm level by 2.5 or 1.5 cm lower
Even when the right wheels on the asphalt, the left on the slippery side of the road, you can confidently accelerate thanks to the electronic blocking of slipping wheels, which gives its intensive work only with light chattering from somewhere below, from under the car. You look, there are no barriers to us.
And let's try to enable the sport mode in the automatic transmission and suspension. Now, even if you do not squeeze the gas pedal to the kik downs, the tachometer arrow under the delicious rumble of a dozen cylinders each time reaches the red zone. But I did not feel a serious difference in the suspension work, I must admit. The car began a little tougher to react to irregularities, a little more collected in corners. But the maximum limit of its possibilities lies, obviously, somewhere far beyond the line of my abilities.
I remove my leg from the gas. I remember that the engine speeds also fell intensively, and the car was besieged even without touching the brake except perhaps on alpha-romeo or porsche. In addition, it turns out that phaeton can be controlled with jewelry accuracy on a slippery road.
A simple blow to the brake pedal on an ice mirror leads to a trigger (almost, by the way, imperceptible) ABS and by no means the best opposite acceleration. But if you start clicking the gears down, Testronics will greatly help inhibition. It seems that you do not have time to blink an eye, and the recent 120 km/h have already turned into 60.
With amazing lightness, I make a large car with a fan in a bend. As if you are now managing not a giant weighing almost two tons, but a brisk all -wheel drive golf. Like a knife oil, the phaeton cuts snow, allows you to easily rebuild from a row in a row, even if I just rode along the rolled rut.
PER Great exchange rate stability, bribing the dynamics and craving of the motor at any speed, good acoustic comfort, all -wheel drive, air suspension with the possibility of regulating road clearance, excellent brakes, excellent decoration quality, generous equipment
AGAINST
The high cost of the machine and additional options, a large number of service buttons, a small display of a television receiver, a large fuel consumption
Money for the sacrificial table
Cool car. The day behind the wheel flew like an instant. The solidity that gives rise to respect for even the most fussy others, the highest level of comfort and equipment, proper handling, excellent motor and the best dynamics among all -wheel drive classmates, this is what the phaeton captures. I am sure that now start the history of the representative class from scratch, it would surely become the best in the market. Alas, in pragmatic Europe, he still lacks the smallest, but such important in this class of historically established high image. After all, a tribute to the sacrificial table of dealers here is customary to carry, 90 percent guided by this and only then consumer qualities.
In Russia, so far, single phaetons are sold with a bang. But, obviously, later marketers will need a lot of talent to explain to the buyer why about the same amount for Volkswagen-Faton-W12 as much more prestigious and also all-wheel drive Mercedes-S500-4Matic and also standing.
Audi-A8-4.2-Kvattro. Free trip to Zastecolie
If the buyer decides to see the assembly of his future car with his own eyes, then all expenses for a trip from Russia to Dresden will be deducted from the cost of the car, promises the head of the department of international relations of the concern Michael Weyers. At the new plant with an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 27,500 m2, called glass manufactory, the phaetons are collected at several levels, behind soundproof, transparent walls. Cars are moving along a special conveyor tape covered with maple parquet, and the future owner can see firsthand how the body gradually overlines everything with new units and details. You can select any conceivable shades of skin and wood, choose the equipment of the salon.
According to the creators, every third customer of Phaeton will want to be present at the birth of his car. Those who want to take part in the assembly of the car will receive such an opportunity.
Volkswagen Phaeton 6.0 W12
common data
Body (number of places/doors)
Sedan (5/4)
Equipped mass, kg
2300
Length x width x height, mm
5050x1900x1450
Base, mm
2880
Front/back, mm track
1630/1610
Road clearance, mm
120
Radius of turning, m
6.0
Maximum speed, km/h
250 (limiter)
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with
6.1
Fuel consumption (city/ highway), l/ 100 km
24/10
Fuel supply, l
90 (AI-95)
Engine
Location
The front is longing
Design
gasoline, W-shaped, 12-cylinder
Diam. cylinder/piston stroke, mm
84.0/90.3
Working volume, SMZ
5998
Compression ratio
10.75: 1
Power, L.S. (kW) at rpm
420 (309) /6000
Torque, kgsm (nm) at rpm
56,1 (550)/3500
Chassis
Transmission
Full -wheel drive, central differential torsen
Transmission
Automatic, 5-speed
Suspension: in front
independent, with reptile stabilizers, pneumatic with the clearance system and the stiffness of shock absorbers
front
four -leaf
behind
on the lower triangular and upper transverse levers
Steering
rhealo type
Brakes
hydraulic, circular ventilated
Tires
255/45 R18
Alexey Sergeev, photo Alexander Sadovnikov
Source: Magazine "Limousine" [03/03]
