VW's 6.0-liter W-12, introduced on the Audi A8 in Europe in 2001, produces the same 414 horses and 406 pound-feet of torque, with one important difference: The Audi uses dry-sump lubrication; VW prefers wet-sump. Like the A8, the W-12 Phaeton drives all four wheels via a ZF five-speed automatic transmission.
In the high range is 6.0-liter W12, which can outrun even some sports cars . The active air suspension is adjustable for firmness and ground clearance. This combination does a great job by controlling the level of the car depending on road conditions and surfaces. Volkswagen Phaeton has excellent control and stability of the chassis.
It's quicker than it feels--0 to 60 mph takes about six seconds --because it's so quiet and you don't feel the automatic upshifts; you only see a fall in the tach needle and hear a decline in the muffled exhaust note. Smoothness comes naturally, the balanced weighting of the major controls contributing to the sense that this is a beautifully coordinated car of intrinsic quality. The electronic accelerator is long on travel to make pulling away as smooth as possible. The steering is quick, and the Servotronic assistance is light at suburban speeds to isolate the driver from all the action. Push harder, and the W-12 effortlessly gathers momentum.
Yet the perception that this is a very heavy car never really goes away. All the toys; the all-wheel drive, the numerous measures to achieve nearly silent running, and the largely steel construction (the A8 being of aluminum)--mean an immense weight of 5100 pounds, heavier than all its rivals (an S600 Mercedes is 600 pounds lighter).
With the help of Audi, the VW engineers developed a clever height-adjustable air suspension that sets out to achieve the contradictory aims of comfort and sportiness. Each wheel of the four-link front and control-arm rear suspension gets a pneumatic strut and air compressor for its springing, the system using four level sensors and three body-acceleration sensors to adjust spring and damper rates in milliseconds. In most circumstances, the ride is super-cosseting, the combination of soft springing and great mass working together to smooth out irregular road surfaces.
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