In 2003, the Phaeton was revealed to the chauffeur industry, bringing with it a refreshing change from the other German luxury saloons on the market.

However, there were big three problems – the engine range, the brand and the price.

Firstly, When the Phaeton was launched, the only engines on offer were the 6.0 W12, a 5.0 V10 diesel and a V6 petrol – so there was no real viable option for the chauffeur. On top of that, the long-wheel base model hadn’t even been released, so there was no reason for a chauffeur to buy it and with its price tag of £42,000 for the base model – the Phaeton was in for a very tough ride.

If a chauffeur operates a Mercedes-Benz for example, it is an easy sell. On the other-hand, if they operated a Phaeton, how would they sell it to their clients? A luxury Volkswagen is not easy for some people to imagine, and that is exactly what every chauffeur feared if they put the Phaeton on their fleets.

Customers just didn’t know what the car was, and they wouldn’t pay good money to be chauffeured in a Volkswagen.

But it wasn’t to end there for the Phaeton – it soon become obviously that no one was buying it, which meant there a risk of it being discontinued, which was a pity because it offered everything you would need from a luxury car.

It rides extremely well, and the later released diesel engines offer excellent economy and it looks great. Despite the badge, it is a well worthy as a chauffeur car.

However, VW continued to make the Phaeton as the industry slowly realised it was a fantastic car and the Phaeton offered a more discreet vehicle for blue chip companies and local authorities. The man in the street wouldn’t know any different from a standard Passat – therefore making it look as if your local mayor was being driven in a family saloon.

There is now a 2009 facelift model and from the outside there are little changes, but on the inside, there’s an all-new 7inch infotainment system, as the GPS system on the old Phaeton was probably as bad as it could get – in fact the new system is so good, the VAG group has put it in the Skoda Superb!

You basically get the same as you would in similar systems in other cars, DVD player, touch screen operations, Bluetooth technology (which doesn’t work with my Blackberry), and the Phaeton even gives you the option of adjusting the air suspension settings, which makes riding in the back even better for the client.

The attention to detail is excellent, you really do feel as if you are in a high-end luxury car, however I admit there are places where VW could have used some better materials rather than cheap plastic in certain places.

The new 3 litre V6 diesel engine in our long-wheel base model is impressive – it delivers 230bhp and returns around 31mpg , and its smooth, punchy and extremely quiet.

In the back, well you couldn’t really wish for much more space and legroom, the seats are relatively comfortable, however, if reclining and heated seats were fitted as standard on the long-wheel base then it would be a real winner.

If I had to choose a chauffeur car to operate, I would be extremely tempted with this exact car – its brilliant. However, more bad news for the Phaeton I’m afraid. Looking online I found a Phaeton V10 diesel with 50,000 miles on the clock for – wait for it – £17,000.

So the secret is, if you are in the market for an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz and BMW brands, then the Phaeton is for you – but look at used models first.

Paul Gibson