The Volkswagen Phaeton is the first limousine to have a standard four-corner air suspension chassis with a continuously variable semi-active damper control. It adjusts the damping force on every wheel variably, depending on the load and driving situation, and also automatically adjusts the height.

The intelligent damper control of the Continental system individually adjusts the damping force on each damper within 10 to 15 milliseconds. The goal is to decouple the up and down motion of the wheels and axles from the car body so effectively that it travels smoothly on rough roads. To make this possible, the Phaeton has wheel acceleration sensors on the shock absorbers as well as sensors to measure the car body movements. A control unit uses the information to calculate the best damping force for each wheel individually.