Luxury cars aren’t crash tested by Euro NCAP, so there’s no score for the Phaeton. But its sheer bulk means that it’s unlikely to come off worse in an accident. Plus there’s a comprehensive list of safety features – all as standard – including ESP stability control, ABS (with hydraulic brake assist), electronic brake-pressure distribution, driver, front passenger, four side and two curtain airbags plus seat belt pre-tensioners.

It scores well on the security front too, with five stars from security organisation Thatcham for protection from ‘theft of’ the car and ‘them from’. Laminated glass makes it harder to break-in, while there is also an electronic immobiliser and deadlocks.

A huge boot makes the Phaeton quite practical for a saloon. It opens at roughly waist height, making it easy to load, plus it is fairly deep, making it capable of carrying the luggage of all five (or four) people on board. Opening the boot is effortless – the lightest touch of the huge Volkswagen badge on the back opens the boot electronically and the lid rises on its own.

An electric tailgate option is available. That means the tailgate opens and closes at the touch of a button and doesn’t need to be ‘slammed’ closed. Inside, there’s a large centre armrest box and door pockets that expand. The glovebox isn’t as large as it could be as space is taken up by the CD autochanger and the DVD drive for the sat nav.