| Week at the wheel | VW Phaeton W12 |

Inside & Out:

Discreet is perhaps the best word to describe Volkswagen's Phaeton. And there's no shame in that, the big saloon perfect for CEOs not keen to be seen to be spending too much of the company's money. That's relative here though as this flagship W12 model weighs in at £75,000 before options. A lot for a 'people's car'. Looking not dissimilar to a larger, slightly rounded off previous generation Passat, the Phaeton is neatly styled, exuding a gravitas and class that's greater than you expect from something wearing a Volkswagen badge. Much of that can be down to the scale of the Phaeton; its size equates to lots of room inside. And space here is luxury.

Get inside the commodious rear and there's room for the longest of legs. The Phaeton's cabin is vast and very smartly appointed. Sharing some parts with its Bentley Continental GT cousins, the switchgear is beautifully finished, even if in its advancing years the Phaeton's entertainment and navigation systems are now betraying its age. The driver's seat is set a touch high, but it's comfortable, heated and chilled, the Phaeton pampering everyone inside.

Engine & Transmission:

Six-litres and twelve cylinders are packed into a very small powerplant. Its compact dimensions don't affect the output though, the Phaeton's W12 producing an ample 444bhp. That's enough to allow the Phaeton to sprint to 62mph in 6.1 seconds and onto an electronically limited 155mph maximum. Take the limiter off and this Volkswagen is reputed to be good for over 200mph.

That its underpinnings are shared with Bentley's Continental range underlines Volkswagen's faith in its flagship saloon. That faith is well placed, the Phaeton's engine and automatic transmission working beautifully in unison. The gearbox slips between its ratios almost imperceptibly, the big Volkswagen a very easy, and dignified, way to travel.

Ride & Handling:

With adaptive suspension offering you the choice of settings you can have your Phaeton as cosseting or compromised as you like. Choose Sport and you'll feel every ripple and bump in the road surface, it not suiting the Phaeton's otherwise dignified character. Leave it in the softer comfort mode and the suspension isolates the worst our roads can throw at it, the more cosseting ride coming at the expense of sharpness. Not that the Phaeton is a car that will be chasing its more sporting rivals down a challenging road, the big VW not exhibiting much in the way of dynamic prowess when the roads get interesting.

It grips well enough and the steering is accurate, but ask the Phaeton to change direction quickly and you quickly find its limitations. The engine's position over the front axle does nothing for its agility, the Phaeton not a car for boardroom members who want to give the chauffeur the odd day off to drive themselves.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Situated at the top of the range and equipped to that level there's not much you'll find lacking in the W12 Phaeton. That's good news, as at £75,000 you've got to be pretty determined to be different choosing the Phaeton over its more obvious BMW and Mercedes alternatives. Showing its age inside the satnav, in-car entertainment and other controls don't offer the sort of slick interfaces and graphics that its newer rivals feature. Drive it very sensibly and you might get near to VW's official 19.5mpg combined consumption figure - if economy is your thing though the 3.0-litre V6 TDI model is a far better bet.

Overall:

Volkswagen's luxury saloon caused a remarkable stir when it arrived. That was a while ago now, and although still a very impressive technological feat the Volkswagen no longer shows up the premium players. A car for those who are determined not to follow the conventional luxury car route of BMW, Audi, Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz, the Phaeton is an extremely capable machine, but its breadth of talent isn't quite as wide as the competitions', and it's at an obvious disadvantage thanks to not having the right badge on its bonnet.