Want something as classy as a Bentley Continental or Audi A8 for under $20,000? Volkswagen Phaeton is your absolute choice.
VW Phaeton that came out in 2002 was a Marvel car ahead of its time. Looking like a Passat, Phaeton may not be the prettiest car, but it sure has the luxury of a Bentley. It shares its engine and a platform with Audi A8 and Bentley Continental.
Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porche, handled the car as his pet project. Half of the engineering team quit while trying to meet the parameters required for the car. Piech however, completed the masterpiece before retiring as the CEO of Volkswagen. This over-engineered and underappreciated car was available with a 4.2-liter V8 with 335 horsepower or an optional 6.0-liter W12 engine with 420 horsepower. The Phaeton had a base price of $83,000 when brand new. Purchased by only 2,253 people in the US, the car was a complete failure.
Here are some of the cool features of the car that stayed unappreciated.
Two designated car batteries
The Phaeton had two car batteries. One starter battery and the other battery for the accessories. In case, the starter battery failed, the accessory battery had to take over.
Anti-glare instrument cluster glass
The Phaeton’s anti-reflective “Conturan” glass let only o.5% of the light as compared to the average cluster glass that reflects 8% of the light.
Brilliant climate control system
The car had the ability to create four distinct microclimates of between 64 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit utilizing 25 servomotors.
Subtle Noise Isolation
Double paned windows and exterior panel gaps of 3mm reduced wind noise making the Phaeton super quiet.
Genius Wiper Blade Technology
In the wash mode, the wipers could sweep three times, pause and clean once again to pick up leftover fluids. When the wipers came to rest, they adjusted the resting angle by a few millimeters every time to prevent wearing of the blades.
Dehumidifying Windows
Unlike most cars in this price, the Phaeton came with a dehumidifier to avoid fogging the windows.
As if the above features were not enough, the Phaeton had a classic interior, solidly built using the finest of leather and wood.
The climate control system, super comfortable seats, and the noise isolation made the ride worthwhile. The interior was quite large, with just the boot having 500 liters of space. The car could hit 201 mph without making a noise.
If you are not scared by expensive repair bills, the Phaeton is the definitely the perfect car to have.