NO PROBLEM; Just sit back and enjoy the ride.(Product/Service Evaluation)

Byline: CAROLYN PAVIA-RAUCHMAN

We've completed 13 weeks with our ultra-luxury, ultra-roomy Volkswagen Phaeton, and we're (almost) unanimously smitten. From its comfortable seats to its curbside stance, there are a lot of reasons to like this car.

It's roomy, so we've put plenty of people in it, already taking several long, multi-state road trips. (The mileage of 8487 falls just short of an AW record for a first quarter. If we keep up this pace, the Phaeton will make it into our top three, which is led by the 35,777 miles racked up on our long-term 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer.) The big VW's quiet, comfortable interior offers plenty of head- and legroom, and our back-seat passengers feel the cavernous rear is almost limo-like, especially with the removable footrests. Other second-row amenities include heated/cooled seats (matching the front-seat offerings) and a center armrest that folds up to reveal a third seat if needed, or remains in place for cupholder use. There is a rear-window shade that can be electrically raised or lowered.

The trunk is huge, with space for all the luggage even four adults could use-at least for a weekend. And as one of our more humorous staffers noted in the logbook: "You could hide an entire small Eastern seaboard state in the trunk, and still have room in the integrated ski bag for your gear!''

This car does have room galore, and it also seems to have every gizmo imaginable (except satellite radio), which we have truly come to appreciate. We (and some readers who have written to us about their experiences with the car) have found the navigation system pretty much useless: It doesn't even provide street names on-screen. Short of that, the Phaeton has got it all: As the above-mentioned staffer says, "Yes, Martha, ...