You expect the softest of purrs. But what you get is the sound of a Third World building site. Whats more, to make this jolly big car move, you have to give the accelerator pedal a fairly hefty shove. The result is a car that feels as lively as a fire station. This engine is fine in the off-road Toe Rag. But is emphatically not fine in the Phaeton.
Of course at this point dieselheads who are like petrolheads only with dirty fingernails and nothing interesting to say will claim that a little extra noise and a slight unwillingness to set off is a reasonable price to pay for all the benefits. To which I say, okay then, what benefits? Please dont come at me with fuel consumption because this is a 5 litre V10 diesel. Parsimonious it is not, and whats more it produces more carbon dioxide than a whole flock of cows.
...
Almost all cars are ruined by the fitment of a diesel engine. In the same way that all wines, no matter how fine, would be ruined if they were served with a splash of crude oil.
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/articl ... 00,00.html