"How quiet is it? Quieter than a timpani player who's just lost his place in the music." As a non-percussionist who occasionally gets the opportunity to womp on the timpani during church I live this line. I'm usually lost about 50% of the time.
3:40 "Smoother than two Brazilian waxed, bi-curious, graphic majoring white girls, scissoring in an inflatable kiddie pool filled with peach sherbert outside on a day when the humidity is 80 percent" :D
mundotaku I want one of those so. bad. From Toyota themselves, "the Century is acquired through persistent work, the kind that is done in a plain but formal suit."
This is an aspect of RCR that I love. Take a car that nobody gives a shit about and explain why it's important, the circumstances around its birth, and why it's not just another blip on the automotive timeline.
The fact that Mr. Regular considers the cultural space-time that the car occupied both when it was new and where it stands today, on top of looking at a car on its own merits in a vacuum and/or comparing it to contemporary successors/replacements (for better or worse), really gives RCR a unique style. Take reviews of any "fiction hero" cars he's done for instance; things like the AE86 Corolla or A80 Supra.
Something to note; the phateon has a MASSIVE DIY community surrounding it, and they do some pretty impressive things with this car, mostly out of necessity (its either reverse engineer some electrical component to replace a bad capacitor or pay like $3000 for a new one). so don't be too worried about picking one up
Ryukachoo You're right about that one. VW's, Audi's, and BMW's honestly have the most complex and thorough DIY's, active forum members, and parts selection out of any brands I know.
skurtov I know an awesome 240SX mailing list :) Whereas the Audi guys won't give you measurements off a crank holder device for the 32 valve V8 so you have to build your own out of steel stock. Ask me how I know.
Frankly, I think the Phaeton took the "stealth wealth" concept a bit too far with its styling. It's almost completely indistinguishable from the Passat.
Yup. For me and my '04 V8 Phaeton, that's a feature, not a bug. I don't have to worry about it getting keyed, I don't turn cop's heads, I just glide through like the wind. I'm actually considering putting a Passat badge on the back.
That's why it never took off. Even in Germany people rather driven an S-Class than an oversized Passat. Although if you see a Pheaton in person, it does look like a luxury car, because it is big. But in pictures that doesn't really comes across so well.
Two years ago I purchased a Black 2004 W-12 Phaeton. I bought it from a private owner off E-Bay who lived within a three hour drive from me. When I saw it I contacted the seller and arranged to see it. I got to the guy's house and drove it. Incredible machine. I logged into my E-Bay account from his computer and purchased it through ""Buy-It-Now. I gave him 2,500.00 in earnest money and arranged to pick up the car three days later. I purchased the car for 14,200.00 total. It rides like a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit but with more horsepower. I get about 11 miles per gallon city and 16 highway while in the city. This is not my daily driver. I drive it approx. three times a month. I'm extremely pleased I have it.
@The Underground Man Nah, i knew that you could get the same exact belt from Renault for like $2500 instead, from when they shared the engine for a short time. And you can get aftermarket ones for about $300 now. But it is a fact of the matter that the OEM belt kit is very overpriced on the ES9 engine.
A Bentley in VW clothes. Wasn't this a pet project for one of the VW execs? Great review. I don't know why here in America we can't recognize a high end car unless its branded from a high end brand. That's the only reason Lexus, Acura, Infiniti were made.
Joseph Rogers It's because a lot of things that have in the previous century been considered exclusively 'Luxury' features in Europe. Large cabin, large engine, large Everything. ..have in the United States been considered 'Tuesday'. ;)
Joseph Rogers It was an attempt at this area of the market. However, it was a massive failure if a beautiful one. My father told me that people looked over the phaeton in favor of the passats, and often people couldn't tell the difference besides size and prize. Chalk one up to people having no idea what a good drive is, but definitely want something that looks good.
***** A Badge does matter in that it contributes to a car's Identity. When you're Volkswagen and your entire history is dominated by 'Cheap and Cheerful' products going all the way back to the original beetle it's understandable that people are gonna go "Wut?" when you break-out the Ultra-Lux.
no1DdC Not to mention his contributions to the quattro, the purchase and arguable saving of Lamborghini, split of Bently from Rolls, Porsche 917. W12 and W16 engines as well as the forever lasting mercedes 5 cylinder D engines. Yet the stupid company still sent him packing a couple months back....
After working for vw for 6 years. I've only ever seen one w12 phaeton come into the shop. The owner was super chill. He even offered me to drive it around the block. This and the v10 tdi touareg were awesome in terms of comfortableness. However the v10 tdi was noisy as hell.
i drove the V8 one of these in Dubai. Unbelievable how the power is delivered so smoothly, plus the rear legroom is not appreciated as much as it should be, i could play a game of football in the legroom. one truly great car.
mimimurder14 I love the deliberate cheesy image quality and graphics as well as the 'homemade recorded music', remarking that it's all about the message. These guys are awesome.
At 1:20, your reference to "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" makes me wonder if you're Canadian. You're quite right: the VW Phaeton epitomizes the stealth-wealth and makes for the perfect in cognito luxurycar -- but the problem is that most luxurycarowners love to show off their wealth ostentatiously, which means that VW simply won't do. But I appreciate VW's simple, unobtrusive styling because it reminds me of the 2nd- and 3rd-generation S-Class, and this car offers such a quiet ride. The other thing which I like about this car is its instrument cluster: it actually includes separate gauges for the oil and battery, which are, ironically, eminently useful and practical and not at all elective or frivolous. Every car should tell the driver that information.
That's the initial test. Designer said it had to do 155mph on the track (Lemas or Nürburgring... I don't remember which), for 24hrs. straight. Not even overheating was acceptable
@@floyd27860 those kinds of tests are usually done at nardo but this one was probably done on a dyno, the test was 300kmh/186mph(despite the car being electronically limited to 250kmh/155mph) for 24 hours with an interior temperature never exceeding 22°c under an exterior temperature of 50°c, they knew the engine wouldn't overheat because the W12 nardo concept had already done the same thing at 322kmh(200mph) in 2002
This car came out when Gerhard Schröder (former minister of Niedersachsen) was Germanys chancellor. As the minister of Niedersachsen he was also member of the supervisory board of VW so there are rumours that VW only created the Phaeton because a chancellor from Niedersachen shouldn't drive an Audi, BMW or Mercedes.
Yes, but Audi is from Bavaria, Porsche is from Baden-Württemberg, and the other 3 aren't even German brands. It is about Niedersachsen because VW is from Wolfsburg in Niedersachsen. Of course the rumour is most probably complete nonsense, but it's still fun to think about it.
elwulfo666 I just lived in Niedersachsen for a year, not far from both Hannover and Wolfsburg, and yeah. VW might own those other companies, but if you want to represent, you've gotta drive a VW. And Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti are not only not German, but are waaaayyy to ostentatious for a chancellor.
no you don't get it its like the japanese ministers or huge japanese chairman they cant be seen to ride on a foreign build car or a luxury branded car that just won't look good for there job but they still want a good luxury car that why maker like toyota and nissan makes the famous toyota crown or nissan president with the big v12 engine and luxury that will make an s class blush yet they can still look as if there riding on a toyota or a nissan i think its similar to this phaeton want the luxury of a bentley but need to be seen with a vw badge
Been watching the videos for a long time but I rate this one the best I've seen. Very funny, satirical yet factual. Literally hit the spot. Wish we could have seen more of the features and rear set.
Nice! I've actually had the pleasure of driving both the V8 and the W12 Phaeton. The amount of attention to luxury detail on that car was nuts for the price and the acceleration in the W12 model was smooth as silk!
Unfortunately there is not a great market for luxary stealth cars. The Phaeton is one of Europe’s most loss making cars ever with an total estimated loss of close to 2 billion €..
Stealth, It wasn't supposed to make money. It was more of an exercise in design and production possibilities that just happened to be built into a road going automobile. A lot if the tech used in The Phaeton was later introduced into many of their higher production cars. Some of it is still being used today. Many automakers do this, just most of them make it past the prototype, or road mule phase.
@@HandsomeMoose HEy "! yeah it is ! but just to let you know it, it was absolutely planned to make losses. It was VW´s attempt to develop some nice luxury features to bring them to the passat etc afterwards. They only shut it down when the Diesel Crisis came... Thanks Obama
Let's admit it: looking like an overcooked passat but being a bentley on the inside is better than being Arteon - looking gorgeous but being just a passat in the inside I fucking love Phaeton. It was so ahead of time in 04
Richard R The W12 is a marvelous engine from an engineering point of view, but in the end of the day the V8 was a better choice in the Phaeton. Less complicated, a lot cheaper to maintain and with just the right amount of power you would need in this car.
+storck08 Don't forget eternal. The Audi 4.2 V8 is an engine that puts other powerful V8's to shame. It makes it to 300,000 KM with ease. Rebuild it then, drive it another 300K, and by that point just buy a new car. The W12 is, as you said, a masterpiece of engineering. But the real star of the engine range is the 4.2. Anywhere from 290 to 360 horsepower, providing one of the best specific outputs for a naturally aspirated V8 even by today's standards. A Corvette Stingray's engine makes just under 75 horsepower per liter. The Audi 4.2 V8 in the Audi S8 makes just under 86, and that was 15 years prior to the Stingray.
Joe Barbaro Which engine? The Audi 4.2 V8? I know that, it's just that in it's earliest forms, it still performed amazingly. Or the Stingray engine? I was talking about specific output. Yeah, the Stingray makes more power, but it's engine is nearly 50% bigger than the Audi 4.2 V8, so it's specific output is lower (specific output being horsepower per liter.)
Tesla Model S video: "This car has the best driving experience of any car ever." Volkswagen Phaeton video: "This car has a better driving experience than the Tesla Model S." :P
This car was my fave ever since Jeremy Clarkson managed to boil a kettle on the inside of the car and he didn't even get it misty. *Written as Roman raps the intro*
Most underrated VW today :) This shows what a company boss can make happen if he just wants to. They wouldnt do such an expensive luxury car experiment today, altough rumors go around that a new Pheaton gets developed right now. This car is for all rthe people that want cheap but quality german luxury but dont want to stick out. For americans it might sound odd to not have a flashy luxury car, but in other countrys understatement gets you much further than a three pointed star on the hood... Very nice video, there are more cars that do the "Stealth-Wealth"- thing, but the Pheaton pulls it of best :)
Rockport1911 I think it was also the reason why VW boss Bernd Pischetsrieder found himself giving up his chairmanship. The Phaeton was one of his pet projects. It was one of the cars meant to push VW upmarket, the other major one being the first-generation Touareg.
TypeVertigo I love the irony in that, since this car and the fifth gen Golf and Jetta that immediately followed it (2005/6-2010) VW has tried to undo what this did and take themselves downmarket with the new jetta.
They are out only in the uk though they stop making them america right after these. But over seas they kept going and they are badd ass and vw just left us Bentley
essentially the Phaeton atm is a spec up, long wheel base passat for Chinesse market, dont get me wrong, the interiors are top notch, but we are no longer their market, 2008 changed that a long way
I always had a soft spot for the Phaeton. I used to work at VW Springfield and drove quite a few. One of which belonged to the owners wife. The white exterior really stood out as opposed to black. I washed it at least once every week. Someone from the finance department had an Audi A8L (which I also washed often). It was cool to see and compare them side by side!
***** A very interesting car. It's based on the long-wheelbase Chinese version of the VW Passat. I'd call it the thinking man's luxury car. Excellent value for money, lots of space and comfort and an interior that's above and beyond even significantly more expensive cars. Like the Phaeton, nobody will ever notice it.
no1DdC Yup, that thing's basically just another generic car on the road, which is great considering it (a mahogany station wagon) can out drag pretty much any wanker in their Commodore or Falcon.
that not stealth wealth that's lack of wealth stealth wealth are car like the w12 phaeton v12 toyota crown v8 toyota land cruiser nissan v12 president car that cost as much or more then a top of the line luxury cars giving no compromise in terms of performance or luxury to its well known rivals but not so flashy
I had this review playing in my room and my brother who isn't a car guy overheard it, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Your reviews are like top gear in a way that car guys love them, but they're also just plain entertaining on their own to everyday people. Regular people.
RegularCars Ha! Nothing... everything else is perfect. Edit: RCR is your job now right? Untuned guitar is amateur hour. Amateur is sort of what your channel is about in that it's about regular cars but the content and the thoughts you are putting into the cars is not amateur and doing lazy stuff like not tuning a guitar just brings it down. If you play an instrument you should understand.
Psychic9008 The Million mile Lexus joke is so overused that even comments criticizing it have become overused and almost as unoriginal. (I'm setting the standard here for the next thing to be overused: comments criticizing comments that criticize the Matt Farah Lexus jokes)
Jip W What if they wire the odometer in Matt Farah's Lexus when it hits a million miles to reverse. We then watch it drive down to becoming a new car with factory perfect restoration and Mr Regular slowly grows into an old man who wears white golf pants sipping on old fashioneds.
This review is spot on. My uncle used to have one exactly like this, and it was just the nicest thing I have ever been driven in. I'm attracted to the total stealth of these things, the idea that only people in the know will have any idea what it is. I WILL own one of these. Someday....
I must get this out there. At first your reviews with the strange comments en weird music are kinda, hard to place. But then when you listen to it all. Ik makes so much sense. Great work.
This is by far best Phaeton review. I'm so glad you reviewed it before all these new "famous" youtubers review it and started ruining its position in car universe by presenting it as a cheap luxury car.
I've watched man of his reviews from uber snack or quality....this has the best commentary, sociological review and understanding of a car unknown by 99.8% of the population.
This was a very good video, once again. I'm not sure what it's like over in America, but here in England the Phaeton is known for loosing it's value, you could pick up a fully speced 2005 model for under £6,000 right now (heck there are some going for £4,500 on autotrader right now. Six, thousand pounds, that is ridiculous. Obviously running costs are a lot but it's incredible how much the car depreciated over time, like this thing listerally costs under a 1/3 of a brand new Ford Mondeo or even a new Passat, and you'd have all the left over cash to cover runnig costs for years. IT BOGGLES MY MIND how this car lost so much value, so quickly. also p.s the shot at 7:46 where it pans up was gorgeous you should do it more often
Mehow DF Well it's still an executive car, S-class Mercs depreciate about that fast too. But that's the beauty of it, IMO. I would LOVE to buy a second hand Phaeton. In fact, one day I will.
Good time to buy. I dont think the diesel will go much lower and their costs arent too bad (bar repairs i imagine).. I actually see one everyday and it looks great
iiBetrayforAR Bullshit. the clean low mileage ones are still fetching $20-30k, the 200k mile cars that have 50 CEL codes are fetching $10k with a salvaged title...
Being in percussion in my school's band, I love all the hilariously relatable references to playing percussion. (timpani player who lost his place lololol)
It's ok, High School is meaningless really in the grand scheme of your life. If you remain like the Phaeton then you'll keep steadily rising to the top in the real world, where it matters, and one day people will look back and wonder where you came from, and how you got your stature. And then, then you can be smug. So really, there is nothing to worry about.
There is no better car to drive today, specially since driving anything equivalent in style and luxury usually means jumping into hood ornate brands (RR, Bentley, Mercedes, Maybach, etc) and people love to make you suffer in the road because they feel revenge, as if you were the cause of their problems, My uncle owned a Corniche not long ago, he got a stroke and can't drive anymore, so I take the car and take him for a spin, its amazing how people really like to block you and make you feel miserable, because they feel that making a "rich" guy miserable will make them better...
I can see why this car didn't sell. If you want a comfortable car that doesn't attract attention, a Camry or a Buick will do just fine. So why spend $80K or even $100K+? My guess is Phaeton drivers want to show evidence of their wealth, but still be perceived as humble - which is kind of the douchiest way to show off, if you think about it.
a camry or buick you will hear road noise engine noise when you mat it you wont get propelled and launched back if youre tall like me youre knees will annoy the shit outta the front passenger when they sit back the shifts will be apparent and it will feel cheap
Built quality and reliability varies drastically... There are some terrible cars (like VW's with the older TSI-engines and dry-clutch DSG-gearboxes) and some supreme cars like the Mercedes 212 E-Class.
They may stabilize, but probably not appreciate (since they make them new overseas). I traded mine in a few yrs back I pretty much got $50 & a box of tic tacs. it was a challenge to service (one time was in the shop for a month waiting on parts). but I did love the car. I personally liked the styling. it was super smooth, super quiet. just like the guy said......under the radar luxury. you just have to be willing to take it in the ace in depreciation pay a lot for parts (if that air suspension or Tranny goes, you're basically paying more than the car is worth to fix. 2 fold.
the w12 maybe...but still, not anytime soon the oldest models are still quite some years removed from even being 20 years old, not to mention the oldest models have been totally owned by the newer generations in literally every way, since the interior pretty much stayed almost exactly the same. I see them appreciate, but not before an other decade passed.
I almost purchased a W 12 about 10 years ago. I remember test driving it. I’ve never felt a car drive the way that thing did. The acceleration was so strange.
I always appreciated the Phaeton, there were a few around town that I'd always drool over slightly when I saw them. I thought about buying one used recently, but the special service requirements and scarcity pushed me away.
It's not a spectacular around-town vehicle. You really feel that weight coming out of a stop. That said, it's not terrible. It's got the typically VW turns-way-tighter-than-you-think-it-can turning radius, good mirror coverage to compensate for the enormous rear-quarter blind spot, VERY quiet inside, and not horribly difficult to parallel-park.
"Smoother than two Brazilian wax, bi-curious, graphic majoring, white girls, scissoring in an inflatable kiddie pool, filled with peach sherbert, outside on a day where the humidity is 80%". That fuckin' almost made whiskey shoot out my nose. Dude, you fuckin' kill me sometimes. I can't stop laughing. That's the funniest shit I have heard in a very long time. I want you to know that I don't even drive cars, I just show up for this sort of thing.
I nearly forgot the Pheaton even existed. I don't think I've even seen one since 2006. I can see why it didn't last though. How can you be a "Peoples Car" and cost over $100,000??? The stigma of the badge was just too much for the Pheaton to overcome. Still, a great piece of engineering.
***** I would imagine so. Volkswagen is a trusted brand, and the car has that understated quality that says "smart money". It was the same as every other German luxury car, yet different.
Marquis M. It's what you get when you are a successful person who wants to be part of the people. It is a people's car because it is a symbol of providing, rather than a symbol of conquering.
Marquis M. Actually, it didn't sell that good in the typical German luxury car markets, where people usually buy a A8, S-Class or 7 series BMW. At least it could never reach the numbers of these models. I think it has to do with the fact that, while being a luxury car, it's still "just a VW"... Luxury cars are often sold to be representative, and that's just what this car isn't.
Thomas Cocks Agreed, but that's not quite what I was getting at in my statement. My Peoples Car comment was more a reference to the brand as a whole. Volkswagen is to Germany as Chevrolet is to the United States in many respects. Huge quality difference not withstanding. Opel might be a better reference though.
I may not have seen all of his reviews, but I think this is the first time when he flat out says a car was fantastic 7:23-7:30 This car is so odd and I love it. The development of the car led to over 100 new patents for VW, it has 4-zone climate control, massaging seats, an electric rear sun shade, electric headrests, a dehumidifier, and the W12 supposedly could hit 200mph without the limiter, all in 2004! It really is just a Bentley in Passat's clothing.
My father-in-law has one and loves it (mostly because of me) , except for the gas mileage and repair costs. He got it used 7 years ago or more for $21,000. Still looks and runs like new, only problems have been those pesky electrical items like door switches and locking sensors... He wanted a luxury car to haul the family in, but didn't want the stigma of a Merc or BMW, so I showed him the Phaeton and he fell in love with and the attention to detail and timeless looks... and that super smooth V8 rush as you demolish all other cars on the road with it's unassuming power..... nice. He recently thought he'd replace it with something cheaper to service, but after driving other cars and considering how much more he'd need to spend just to buy a similar car, even used, he decided to stick with his VW Bentley :)
