''On the other hand, if you need to brake from a massive speed on an uneven and partially loose surface, you will survive.''
... so they've developed a luxury rally car ?
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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Probably a tad heavy to be competitive? :-))
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Although not my cuppa, I had the pleasure whilst abroad of sampling a friend's Audi A8 6 litre 420+BHP W12 over the Christmas holiday. I don't think (though stand to be corrected) that this model is even on sale in the UK?
What a staggering showcase of technology. Although some of it seems to be techie for techie's sake, equally some of it is very worthwhile and very clever.
What amazed me was how it accelarated from rest, in snow on top of ice, totally without drama, as fast or faster than my then Vectra GSi could manage on dry tarmac! Equally, in the same conditions, it shed speed with the same accomplishment, with not even any audible ABS pulsing. All of this was done in serene peace and quiet, to my horror, with my host watching TV on his illegally chipped (to override the speed sensor) display! The kids have individual entertainment systems in the back, and he can even switch the climate control via radio remote from nearly a mile away, so the car is ready and waiting.
Connection with another thread running at the moment - He has also had the speed limiter removed, and gleefully told me about his first 310KPH (189 MPH, on the 'clock' at least) run. Thankfully, he won't be driving on our roads, and has business trips on German autobahns as staple diet.
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I think JC had it right when he asked:
"To what question is the answer a £68K VW?"
Splodgeface
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I've been re-reading this again, and I've got a question for HJ and the Back Room
One of the options on the Phaeton is the 60,000 mile service option, and this sort of service interval is becoming more common. Have cars with this sort of service interval started to appear on the second hand marked yet, and are the prices any different.
How would backroomers feel about buying a 2nd hand car, 2yrs 11 months, 59,000 on the clock and never been serviced ?. I know i'd not be too keen
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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If I could afford a £68k VW, I could probably afford to get it serviced more than once every two years....
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Ha ! I misunderstood. I wonder if we will ever get to the first service at 3 yrs situation, or will increasing environmental legislation mean even new cars nead checking yearly ?
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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I trust you have all read HJ's review of the above.
Comment and publicity about this car has been almost completely negetive. VW have been criticised for producing a £60k car that is "still only a VW" and will have to be sold at a loss.
Reading the review, it seems to me that this is a completely fabulous motor. The diesel option sounds pretty much like my dream car. I would rather own one of these that the new Roller. What does everyone else think?
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I saw one of these at M.B.s plant at Sindelfingen driving about and I thought it looked quite smart. It seemed quite a nice looking balanced car but I do think the price is maybe too high to tempt people away from their BMW's and Merc's.
Mercedes were apparently testing it and then were going to rip the thing apart and inspect all the components. Apparently all the manufacturers do this to each others cars.
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I'm sure the Phaeton's a fabulous car, but I remain baffled as to why a world which already has the Merc S Class, BMW 7 series, Jaguar XJ, Audi A8, Lexus LS430 etc needs another luxo barge.
I'm sure someone within VW Group marketing can come up with an explanation for this, but whether it means anything to luxury car buyers is another matter.
I guess the key question is how it will sell in USA, Germany and Japan.
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I think they're doing it - because they can. Particularly in the USA, VW has an image not much better than similar to say Hyundai over here - they still haven't got over the cheapness of the Beetle. So you have the slightly inoccuous situation of the company trying to sell basically premium European cars at slightly higher than domestic prices (and anything's better than a Chevy Cavalier!) with an image that says 'weird 60s economy car'
Simply being able to deliver an outstandingly competent luxury sedan, along with the superb Touareg, into that market might let people know about the quality of the product.
There is a precedent for this - about 15 years ago, Audi introduced the V8 - basically a stretched 100/200 series with a big engine. Sales figures were pathetic, but it did prepare the market well enough for the A8 and people now view Audis as an alternative to BMW rather than slightly plusher Passats. This isn't just because of the V8, but that car definitely fitted into this marketing scheme.
Has it worked? Well, Ford's transaction prices on new cars are similar to list prices in 1990, but the equivalent to a £14k Audi 80 (in 1990 money) would be about £20k discounted.
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>>... were going torip the thing apart and inspect all the components. Apparently all the manufacturers do this to each others cars.
Hehe - I bit the germans had a damn good laugh with some of British leyeland's finer products ...
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