VW Phaeton – Premium luxury sedans didn’t get any better than the Phaeton when it was first introduced in 2004. The problem was it was a Volkswagen and nobody wanted to shell out anywhere from $65,000 up to $100,000 for a VW. People spending that kind of money want some bragging rights. You don’t get those from the company that sells the New Beetle.
The Phaeton suffered for nothing when it came to luxury. I drove the top-of-the-line model with the 6.0-liter, 12-cylinder engine and massage seats. This all-wheel drive cruiser was just plain fun to drive.
Unfortunately, Consumer Reports has no reliability info on the Phaeton. Remember, CR buys all of the cars it tests. It probably couldn’t justify dropping 100 large on a sedan. However, I have not heard of any persistent mechanical problems with the Phaeton. Edmunds.com says all this luxury can be yours for only $30,700 for the 2004 high-end version. You could “settle” for the V8 version and pay only $24,600.