Saw a VW Phaeton today

[matthew1]

... only the second time I've seen an example of this rare, V-12 VW. Yes, you read that right, a twelve cylinder Volkswagen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Phaeton



They said it wouldn't sell in the North American market, and they were right. From that Wiki link:

Motor Trend suggested that the "VW badge on the hood may not say 'premium' to many auto shoppers".

In the United States market, 1,433 Phaetons were sold in 2004, and 820 were sold in 2005, leading the company to announce that sales in the American market would end after the 2006 model year. The W12-engined models have depreciated significantly, and sell for a small fraction of their original cost.

[jblackburn]

Nice! I've always thought they were cool...but in reality, it's just an overpriced, bigger VW Passat. They didn't sell because no one wants one for that price when they could buy much more exciting cars with the brand prestiege that goes along with the price tags (Porsche, Mercedes, Bentley, etc).

I saw a V10 Touraeg TDI the other day - never seen one of those in the US. Surprisingly quiet when it pulled up next to me, but man that thing hauled some serious butt on to the highway when the light turned green.

[jblackburn]

Also, FWIW, they call it the "W-12".

Essentially two narrow-angle VR6's put together - 4 rows of 3 cylinders. Definitely unique to say the least - no one would expect anything less of the Germans.

[matthew1]

Oh weird! Thanks for the correction. What a strange configuration.

[boosted5cyl]

Phaeton is an amazing car, although its looks are pretty understated its a lonnnnnng, long long way from being anything like a Passat. Unfortunately though, thats how it's perceived. Even though its a D1 car (ala bentley and A8). It was Piëch's swansong at VW. He made a list of crazy parameters, one was somthing like being able to sustain 180MPH at 50C (122f) ambient temp while still keeping the passenger cabin perfectly cool. The car is an engineering marvel, comparing it to a Passat is an insult!

W config, just like the VR allows you to pack quite a few cylinders into a small space. I always laugh when I see an add that says "V6 engine" in a golf. Single head = VR, not V. Some passats had a W8, 2x VR4s with a common crank.
The pic above is a different config to what you would find in a Phaeton. The Phaeton only has two banks and two heads.

Come to think of it, for the S80 a "VR-T6" with a "proper" auto transmission probably would have been a better idea than mating the i6 with the GM slushbox.. Hindsight eh?

[jblackburn]

Perhaps if they'd put an Audi badge on it, it would have sold better.

I remember reading articles about it a few years ago. The interior and engineering that went into the car is amazing, but the outside is just very non-distinct.

Ever heard one of the 12V VR6's at full throttle? It has got to be one of THE best sounding engines besides those found in actual sports cars.

[boosted5cyl]

Yeah Audi badge would have been a good idea. VR6 with ITBs is "almost" as snarly as a Volvo 5

[jimmy57]

The photo is another 12 cylinder.
The W12 has two cylinder heads.
It is more or less a Siamesed pair of VR6's. VR6's have a cylinder head covering a single row cylinder block with cylinders 15 degrees offset so it doesn't have two cylinder banks. The W12 looks like two cylinders banks but is two of these VR6's. much shorter than typical V12's. The look of the engine is really more like a V8 with really wide cylinder heads.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... en_W12.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... A&dur=3423

[ChiNorm]

I read recently that badging this car as a VW was merely an accounting trick. It was always intended as a Bentley, this was the prototype to shake out the preproduction bugs. VW had a much bigger budget to absorb the R&D costs than Bentley.

Apparently the current Bentley is very similar. IIRC, the used Phaetons are quite cheap, owing to massive depreciation.