Verdict: Two stars out of five.
The Phaeton was an oddball that made an unusual luxury car choice even when it was new to market — a situation that has not been improved by the progress of time, especially when the Passat CC looks more like an executive car.
While every one of the Phaeton’s major competitors has been replaced by an all-new model, the Volkswagen’s modest model tweaks mean that it can no longer compete. It’s an anachronism that represents little more than Ferdinand Piech’s decade-old obsession with creating a luxury VW.
It has arguably been at its most successful as an engineering benchmark for other Volkswagen (and, indeed, VW Group) vehicles. As enthusiasts, we find that makes the Phaeton a damnably hard car to dislike. But it’s a nigh on impossible one to recommend against a wealth of rivals.
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