2004 Volkswagen Phaeton Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Autoguru on January 14, 2021

I’ve owned many cars, mostly exotics. At one time 17 and two full time mechanics/auto managers. I’ve never given anything a 10. My Phaeton is a 9.

Bart5 on August 21, 2019

The Phaeton was designed to be the ultimate car, headed by chief VW President Ferdinand Piech, you turned VW, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti around into premier companies with dream products. The Phaeton was the pinnacle car to complete his journey. I drove this car in a snow storm with around a foot of snow and was able to drive around 4wd, AWD SUVs and trucks stuck on steep hills. This vehicle does everything well, quiet, fast, handles, luxury ride, go anywhere, and extremely safe. It shares parts with Audi A8 and Bentley Continental with a cost to own of half their price. Only about 4,000 sold in US. Buy if you want the ultimate car, a piece of history, large roomy performance German luxury car. Don’t buy if you like simplicity, low cost repairs, non-technical. This car has a lot to offer, lot of luxuries, but that means more to take care of to.

RB_ranch on November 26, 2018

I learned of the Volkswagen Phaeton several years ago, did some research, and realized I wanted one of them. In 2012, I found a 2004 Phaeton for sale on EBay in Connecticut. My bid was $9,250, or roughly 12% of its original cost. I flew to Hartford, test drove the car and completed the transaction. The drive back was on interstate highways all the way, and the car performed beautifully, using no oil and getting 22 miles per gallon. Not bad for a large, heavy luxury vehicle! Granted, I have dealt with some expensive repairs, such as the air suspension system and the AC system, but I did not see that as an unusual problem for a car with now having 220,000+ miles. I plan on maintaining and driving this car until I am no longer able to drive. My wife likes it, too. If we?re taking a trip, she prefers my Phaeton over her MB E350. If a person can find a clean Phaeton, I recommend having the local Volkswagen dealer give it a thorough check. If it Is in good shape, buy it. They are wonderful cars. One downside - not all VW dealers have technicians trained to work on these cars. They are NOT your normal VW. If you are some distance from qualified dealers/technicians, consider moving closer. ?

Pedrordallas on October 30, 2018

The are has all the luxuries of a Bentley with the reduced price of a VW. It is the best car ever built by VW, but the original price tag was too high. Now it is affordable to have.

Johnny on June 6, 2018

Truly amazing. Well engineered and made. It is basically a bentley continental with VW badge. Good for long distance traveling and it is filled with all kinds of cool features.

Kevin Jackson on March 5, 2018

All of Volkswagen's best hardware in a Bentley level chassis. 4.2L V8 or the amazing 6.0L W12, a 5 or 6 speed DSG trans, Audi quattro four wheel drive with a Torsen torque sensing transfer gear. Inside, a leather ladened high end interior featuring: a draft free climate control system containing 25 servo actuators; heat, cool and massage for all four seats and many more features not commonly seen on luxury cars until the late twentyteens. Outside, the appearance of an oversize Passat - classic turn of the century European generic? Half the price of the comparable Audi and a quarter the price of the Bentley, all three share the same chassis, engines and running gear (though the Bentley's are turbocharged). Still one of the most complicated and sophisticated cars ever made even a decade later. Two miles of wire, over 120 buttons inside, 27 microprocessor based controllers tied together with an optical data network. All that with Volkswagen reliability, you better be wealthy or able to fix it yourself. I fix my own and still spend plenty.

Phaeton Lover on October 6, 2017

I bought a 2004 Phaeton when they first came out as I was in the market for a new luxury car. Prior to that I drove BMW's for 20 years. I was looking at the new 7 series and the Audi A8L when I saw the Phaeton for the first time in a parking lot. I decided to go to a dealer to get more information. Only one dealer in my area had one Phaeton but they would not budge a penny from the sticker price. Visiting family in Phoenix, I decided to check with the dealer in Scottsdale. I drove it and loved it, then took a second test drive with my wife and son. They also loved it so I bought it. Now 13 years later and 183,000 miles on it, it still performed and looked new. No major mechanical work was done to that car. I have always pampered my cars but this was a car I did not want to trade it. Unfortunately, I had a traffic accident this September and the car was totaled. Depressed, I stated to look around the US for a Phaeton replacement and found one in Indianapolis. This one was identical to the one I owned for such a long time with only slightly more than 63,000 miles on it. The car looks like new so I bought it. For those that have never driven a Phaeton, you wont understand the attraction and uniqueness of this car. You are in essence buying a Bently at half the cost. For the last 30 years I have driven BMW's and Mercedes but the Phaeton is the best car I have ever owned. VW has not imported this car since 2006 and maybe because of that, it has a timeless beauty.

Roy B on June 27, 2017

I am a tall person (6' 8"), yet this car is very comfortable for me. Even with the drivers seat all the way back, there is plenty of room in the backseat for passenger legroom. The air suspension gives it a smooth ride and the V-8 engine has 335 hp. Even though it is a large car, built on a Bentley chassis, I still get 20 miles per gallon. The only drawback is that not all VW dealers are equipped to maintain this vehicle. If they were still selling this car in the US, I would love to have a new one, even though they are not inexpensive.

bygeorge on March 30, 2017

Just do the annual maintenance and regular oil changes and you won't have much trouble. Make sure you watch the transmission fluid levels so that you catch any small leaks early. The is a complicated high performance vehicle so keep that in mind. Work on it yourself if you know what you are doing or be sure to take it to someone well experienced with either a VW Phaeton or an Audi A6 or A8. Get the W12 rather than the V8. Well work the extra cost.

Luxury Lady on September 4, 2015

I've had my W12 for 15 months and it has been a dream to own and drive. Got it up to 140 mph with no effort (for about 1 minute). Have driven cross country twice with no problem. Because it's the W12 I've met more people that want to buy it then I could imagine. It's a wonderful luxury ride. Everyone is amazed at the huge back seat space. The only problem now is that my friends always want ME to drive so they can ride around in my car. So glad I bought it.