Volkswagen Phaeton is available with both manual and automatic gearboxes, whereas Mercedes S class is available only with automatic gearbox.
Wheel drive type:
Front wheel drive (FWD) / All wheel drive (AWD, 4x4)
Rear wheel drive (RWD) / All wheel drive (AWD, 4x4)
Volkswagen Phaeton is available with front wheel drive and four wheel (4x4) drive, while Mercedes S class can be equipped with rear wheel drive and four wheel (4x4) drive. All-wheel drive models tend to consume more fuel, so if you don't need off road capabilities, Volkswagen Phaeton also offers 2-wheel drive versions for fuel economy. 2WD versions also have lower maintenance costs.
Volkswagen Phaeton petrol engines consumes on average 0.9 litres more fuel per 100 km than Mercedes S class. On average, Volkswagen Phaeton equipped with diesel engines consume 1.9 litres more fuel per 100 km than the Mercedes S class. This comparison does not take engine capacity into account, so to compare the fuel consumption of specific engines, select the car version!
Both cars are similar in size. Volkswagen Phaeton is 5 cm shorter than the Mercedes S class, 3 cm wider, while the height of Volkswagen Phaeton is 2 cm lower.
Trunk capacity:
500 litres
560 litres
Mercedes S class has more luggage space. Volkswagen Phaeton has 60 litres less trunk space than the Mercedes S class.
