Volkswagen Phaeton (03 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 22 June 2011
Volkswagen's first real attempt at a true luxury car is technically brilliant. The Phaeton comes packed with technology, is incredibly refined and there are some great engines available too, including impressively powerful TDI units. It's not the most striking of designs - in fact it is fairly anonymous and guaranteed not to attract attention - ideal if you want to travel incognito. There's masses of passenger space while a long wheelbase version is available for even more room. It's an expensive buy if new, particularly for a Volkswagen, which means it's never been particularly popular in the UK. Depreciation is steep - especially on the entry-level 3.2-litre - which means it's a great used buy and more affordable than you may think. It was given a mild facelift in September 2007 that included subtle exterior tweaks and a more modern cabin design. More changes took place in January 2009 including a new touchscreen satellite navigation and climate control system.
3.5 out of 5

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1.5 out of 5

Running costs

Depreciation is the biggest burden. All large saloons like Phaeton suffer on this front - losing tens of thousands of pounds - but the Phaeton doesn't have the same image as alternatives like the Audi A8 or BMW 7-Series and as a result is less desirable. Fuel consumption is acceptable on the 3.2-litre and 3.0 TDI, but all other engines are quite thirsty. Insurance - at group 16 - is reasonable for the 3.0 TDI while top models fall into group 20. Servicing is expensive, too, but in-line with other cars in this class.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,668 - £3,230 *

Diesel

£2,003 - £2,671 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Variable servicing (up to approximately 18,000 miles or two years) or fixed servicing (at every 10,000 miles or 12 months) can be chosen when new. It is possible to change from one to another during the vehicle’s life, but it can only be done when a full inspection service is due.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£270.00 - £475.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

1 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    224
  • L
  • M
    348

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Phaeton performs disappointingly on the eco front. With an average of 300g/km CO2 across the range, its emissions are too high for an executive saloon. The newest version of the 3.0 TDI is the 'greenest' with emissions of 239g/km of CO2 and average fuel economy of 30mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2