Fantastic comfort and super feel of space. 4WD makes it very surefooted on the road.

Tank range not great at 420miles. Mercedes at least dont rub it in by sending you to the tank daily. I do 220 miles per day and that means filling daily!!pain! Aux in cannot be found!!

Excellent car allround!

Everything except.....

Gas mileage...it is a V8, 300+ Horsepower

Love this car. It is better then my 745li and is something to hold onto for along time. Massage seating, air conditioned seating, I could go on and on. I find things to do just so I can drive this car. You will definitely not be dissappointed with this vehicle.

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BMW 5 and 7 series

Agility , Handling however u can feel its mass. Build quality , Exceptional comfort

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Hello Chaps Let me just say this who ever critizises the Phaeton obvioulsy has no clue about a good car n exceptional engineering! the phaeton is a well put together car. Ive owned my for about a year now n i see no flaws! "The phaeton is an S class engineered by people who went to collage"

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S class and audi A8

Probably the best luxury car I've owned to date.

Discontinued sales in US after this year.

Excellent quality and engineering. The NAR GPS uses Navteq maps and does have an option for showing street names. The biggest drawback was that it is CD based rather than DVD.

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BMW 7 series, Jaguar XJ series, MB and Audi

Maneuverability, personalized settings for almost all features, price, it's a Volkswagen, massage seats with vent or heat, four zone climate system with rear massage feature, power rear sun shade, so much room, safety, Volkswagen all inclusive servicing of the Phaeton, loaner car is a Phaeton, fast, sporty when I need it and luxurious and smooth for the long trips.

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This is the best car that I have EVER driven. I have experienced the best of luxury and this car is something else. Some of the features in this car are not available in a group of the luxury car market. The sound system in this car is so clear and crisp it is like you are at a concert. There is a DSP upgrade for the radio that will allow the driver to have total control of how the sound is projected in the vehicle. The navigation system is precise and easy to use. The BMW 740IL iDrive system is just ridiculous, it turns the simple functions of the car into an all day owners manuel cramming session. The massaging front and rear seats is a nice touch for anyone that enters my car. The fact that this magnificent piece of machinery has a Volkswagen name plate is the BEST OF IT ALL! I don't feel like such a consumer driving my luxury car. The vehicle has a dampening control and a ride height adjustment creating a drive just how I LIKE IT. My advice to you is to stop looking at the BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus and take a drive in the Phaeton.

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I came out of the BMW 740il and tested every single luxury car on the market today, the Phaeton is the best full body luxury car with out purchasing a Bentley for 160k+.

This car has the worst GPS system in existance. You get lines depicting streets with no street names. That makes it worthless. THis for $95K? Went to order the new Bently Continental GT. I was told it has the same crappy GPS in it. Did not complete the order. VW/Bentley must think we are stupid.

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The GPS in a Lincoln Navigator is great. Lexus is O K

Strenghts are: Ride, seat comfort, acceleration, assembly quality and materials, all wheel drive, and toughtful engineering. Price is a definite strength: A comparably equiped S500 4matic is narly 100K. It is only about 5K less than an A8, but this car competes with the S-Class, the A8 the 7 series. This car has commendable handling for its size and weight, but it is not targeted against the 7 series type with sport aspirations. It has a ride on the order of the Lexus, but handles much better.

Gas mileage is not great, and there is a $1300 gas guzzler tax, so that is not a suprise. The GPS System is CD based system and not DVD, so you have a series of 9 CDs for the GPS. I wish the automatic distance control cruise control was standard, but it is not yet available. This costs over 1000 on other models like the A8 and S class, where Toyota inclues it as standard on the Sienna XLE Limited Minivan. Infotainment system can sometimes have a mind of it's own, but it lasts only temporarily.

I test drove the Audi A8L, BMW 745L, Mercedes S500, Lexus LS430 and the VW Phaeton. All are nice cars. The Phaeton has a unique character, the most comfortable seats, the most intuitive infotainment system, a great ride, a great stereo (rivals Mark Levinson in Lexus), the best interior, the most comfortable seats, and the best value. If you are more conscientious about what you drive or what you are seen in, then maybe a volkswagon is not for you. But if you want a car with great engineering and character, put this on your list. The engineering in phenominal. The draft free AC, the great ergonimics, the thoughtful details, the quaity of assembly and materials, and the use of large clear buttons like the japanese (not little tiny cryptic ones as in other german models). It seems to me that Volkswagon took the best of other cars in its class (japanese, german, british) and put it into one package. The car is very heavy, but the V8 pulls this car with authority. It is under 7 seconds to 60mph, and it feels like it. This car is faster than my Audi A6 4.2 that I traded in. If you are into gadgets like I am (I am an engineer by trade), this car will not dissapoint you.

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I test drove the Audi A8L, BMW 745L, Lexus LS430, and the Mercedes S500. All are worthy vehicles, so personal preference gets involved. If you are label conscience, you won't look at the Phaeton, and you will be missing out. I thought the A8 and Phaeton stood out a little because they seem to be more cutting edge. The Lexus seems smallish in this crowd, but it is very nice.