The Volkswagen Phaeton in depth

Volkswagen has announced today that the official presentation of its flagship, the Volkswagen Phaeton, will take place at the Auto China 2010 motor show, which will be held in Beijing from 27 April to 2 May 2010. A first look at the exterior shows us that the new Phaeton features a completely new front end as well as a widening of its bodywork and slight modifications to its silhouette and rear.

Technologically, the new Phaeton is one of the most advanced models in its range, thanks to a front camera, the Phaeton recognises traffic signs, speed indications and, as a unique feature, no-overtaking signs are shown on the instruments and on the central console’s main touchscreen.

On a closer look, the current design of the 2011 Phaeton is dominated by horizontal lines, which, together with its two widths, between 5.06 and 5.18 metres depending on the wheelbase, accentuate its robustness. Furthermore, as mentioned above, it features a completely new front end, which includes chrome elements that emphasise the Phaeton’s exclusive character.

Completing the front end, two Bi-Xenon headlights are fitted as standard, with a new design, which incorporate dynamic cornering light and integrated turn signal. Both the indicators and the turn signal are formed by highly visible LEDs with a distinctive style.

The bumper has been redesigned to fit perfectly with the grille and headlights, and this new design is also dominated by horizontal lines; even the fog lights have been designed as narrow horizontal strips with LED technology.

The rear of the Phaeton keeps the style of its predecessor, the only thing redesigned are the LED rear lights and the bumper. These new lights feature an LED strip in an M shape, which give the rear of the Phaeton an unmistakable look both by day and by night. As for the rear bumper, it incorporates a new three-piece chrome trim. The exterior equipment is completed by new 18-inch alloy wheels.

The interior stands out as one of the most elegant and comfortable in its range; its unique features include a four-zone climate control, completely free of draughts, and 18-point seats, awarded for their ergonomics. Two model types are available: a five-seater version, with three rear seats, or a four-seater version with two individual adjustable rear seats.

Thanks to the wide range of leather and Alcantara upholstery, wood trim and equipment details such as the fridge or the rear multimedia systems, the saloon can be individualised without limits.

Technologically, the new Volkswagen saloon is outstanding; it incorporates, among other things, a camera integrated into the interior rear-view mirror that can recognise other drivers and automatically adjusts the road lighting. The front camera allows the recognition of traffic signs and the innovative Dynamic Light Assist system increases the vehicle’s passive safety with permanent high beam based on surveillance cameras.

As for the different variants the customer can choose from, the Phaeton can be ordered with two wheelbases, two rear configurations (three seats / two individual seats) and four engines (one turbodiesel and three petrol engines). The 6-, 8- or 12-cylinder engines offer outputs from 240 CV to 450 CV. The Phaeton’s base engine is a 280 CV V6 petrol engine. Above the V6 FSI power level, V8 and W12 petrol engines of 335 CV and 450 CV respectively are offered.

In the diesel segment, Volkswagen offers an extremely economical and comfortable engine, the V6 TDI. In Europe it is the most widely used powerplant among saloons. The supercharged engine with common-rail injection has an output of 240 CV, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.6 seconds and reaching a top speed of 237 km/h. This contrasts with an average consumption that has been reduced again to 8.5 l/100 km and a low emission rate of 224 g/km CO2.

Source | Volkswagen