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You can also put base molding over the bottom rail if you wish and another piece of molding over the top rail. If no molding over the top rail, remember to rabbet the bottom of it to lap over the tops of the panels and yet the top of it still hits the wall. Another option is to cope and stick the rails and verticals, but that gets a little touchier.
Just what is a simulated panel look? It's either paneled or it's not. I believe we are talking wainscoting here. Don't waste your time with 1/4" ply - it costs about the same as 1/2" MDF, which will give you a better finish and save you time in labor. You can also pre-fab everything in the shop and then, after screwing off all the panels in about as much time as it takes to set them where they go, all you have left is a nice afternoon installing the base board, nozing and skirt. Tip: keep the grain of the panels vertical. From the original questioner: A simulated panel is basically the cheap way of getting a raised panel look. Many newer homes just install a chair rail moulding and below that they make a box out with a small 1 1/2" moulding directly onto the sheet rock. In this case, the customer wants a wood stained finish and they don't want the cost of a recessed or raised panel wall system. He had this done in a previous home using 1/4" ply on the wall and a small moulding to box out a raised panel effect. I have done raised and recessed panel wainscot before, but not as this customer describes. We've done some of this type of work. I won't use 1/4" plywood for it, though, because it's poor quality and won't stay flat. Always make your veneered panel joints fall under a panel mold. (Gain vert. and the panel can be any width up to 48". You can edge join 1/2" MDF or p board core in the shop, but it takes too much time.) We always pre-finish in the shop, which gives a higher quality finished product and saves field time. Here are a couple of quick sketches that I hope will offer a visual guide to this discussion. The sketches are generic in nature, but I think they reflect the thrust of what's being described. I think the "worthiness" of the entire approach is subjective. It certainly isn't a substitute for true raised paneled wainscoting, but on the other hand, if the workmanship is good, it's a lower budget approach that can work in the right environment. The more embellishments that get added to this technique, the better it starts to look - but at some point, the additional work will push it into the higher cost bracket.
From contributor T: In a multi-million dollar house I did the cabinetry for, I saw the trim guys doing a simulated raised panel with 3/4" plywood and different panel mouldings. As it was going up it looked like crap. I was moderately impressed with the finished product, however, and the savings in labor for these huge paneled rooms was tremendous, especially when you consider they kerfed plywood to do arched elliptical openings and curved walls. They missed a few basics, though, like putting joints anywhere (they used 8' rips and didn't stagger or even miter the ends) and nailing where it needed to be filled instead of where it would be hidden by moulding. It goes against the grain of a northeastern raised woodworker trained by a boat carpenter to do this stuff, but it does have merit. You have to look at it as something that can be put up on site with a minimum investment of tools and moderately priced, consistent panel products. I've employed the 1/4" plywood technique described with fake 1/4" x 2-1/2" stiles and rails on a 1/4" background surrounded with panel mould, base and chair rail. I had to match the existing in a house. It cost me about $100 in materials for an entire room (several sheets of 1/4" birch ply and pine mouldings) and I charged as much as real wainscot. The client was as pleased as punch.
Contributor T, you are selling the carpenters on that project way short. This method of installation is just what our craftsman of yesterday did. The difference being they usually did the cabinetry on site, also. I agree - 8' pieces of ply are not the best for rails and really are no cheaper than going with solid. If my panel mould is rabbeted, I will miter and glue the mould into frames then turn them over and glue and nail the ply to the panel mould. A small bead of panel adhesive around the perimeter and some in the field, I then push the unit into place and nail discriminately through the mould into the rails. This makes for tight miters, ply tight to the moulding and the rabbet tight to the rails. Once the panel adhesive cures it makes a solid connection to the wall, and 1/4" ply is sufficient. This does not allow you to nail the ply to the wall first, which I refuse to do anyway, and apply the stile and rails after. It sounds involved but is actually quicker than trying to fit miters in place to walls that are not flat. Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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