Volkswagen from Germany, with a long-standing reputation for producing affordable small cars like the Beetle, Golf and Jetta, blooms in 2005 with an expanded line featuring deluxe luxury vehicles.
Volkswagen's elite products include the brand's ultra-luxury car -- Phaeton -- and a serious sport-utility vehicle, Touareg, which brings three powertrain options capping with a muscular V10 turbo-diesel.

The full-size Volkswagen sedan amounts to an ultra-premium limousine on a stretched wheelbase with luxury gear aboard. VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is standard, along with an air suspension, xenon high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights, an automatic interior climate system with four-zone temperature controls, plus a deluxe digital audio system with 12 speakers scattered around a leather-lined cabin. The Phaeton brings two powertrain options as model nomenclature follows engine patterns -- the Phaeton V8 and Phaeton W12. The Phaeton V8 contains a 4.2-liter V8 producing 335 hp and connecting to a six-speed automatic with Tiptronic clutch-less shifter. Phaeton W12 carries VW's W-shaped 12-cylinder engine at 6.0 liters for 420 hp through a five-speed Tiptronic automatic.

The car has OnStar telecommunications with an info-tainment center and seven-inch color screen in the dash serving as CD switcher, navigation system, trip computer and interior climate controller. Other standards range from heated washer nozzles for the windshield to entry-exit lamps on all doors, a big sunroof and a trunk lid that closes with the push of a button. For 2005, there are cabin hardwood trim upgrades for the Phaeton V8 in myrtle and walnut, plus active cruise control (ACC) and new 'Soft Close' doors.

Volkswagen's SUV is a five-door model built with a tight unibody structure. It's sleek in style, large in scale for the mid-size wagon class and provides a big cabin with seats for five and luxurious appointments. The Touareg employs VW's four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction device labeled 4XMotion, which provides uncanny stick-it-down traction for all wheels, plus optional locking rear differential and an air suspension. Engines contain six, eight or even ten cylinders. The base plant, a 3.2-liter V6 coupled to a six-speed automatic transaxle with Tiptronic clutch-less shift mode, jumps up to 240 hp for 2005.

Optional is a 4.2-liter V8 worth 310 hp or a massive turbo-diesel 5.0-liter V10 that musters 310 hp with 553 lb-ft of torque to boost Touareg's towing capacity to 7,716 pounds. The Touareg V10 TDI also has a six-speed automatic transmission, electronic stabilization program and a device called Hill Descent and Climb Assist to keep wheels tethered to a steep grade. Improvements to Touareg in 2005 include self-dimming exterior mirrors, a full-size spare tire mounted at the rear, and new stand-alone options like a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), DVD-based navigation equipment and satellite radio service.

The roly-poly New Beetle is the most recognized car in Volkswagen's fleet. It's a modern treatment of the original VW. Various engines are available on the 2005 Beetle, including a feisty dual-cam 1.8-liter plant fitted with turbo-charger and inter-cooler. It fires up the Turbo S edition. Beetle's standard gasoline-powered 2.0-liter in-line-four engine achieves 115 hp. An optional direct-injection 1.9-liter turbo-diesel with VW's sophisticated unit-injector technology nets 100 hp plus high fuel economy figures, while the 1.8T turbo kicks to 180 hp. A new six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic shifter works with the 2.0-liter and 1.8T plants.

Models consist of the Beetle 2.0L GL, 2.0L GLS, GLS TDI, GLS 1.8T, plus the Turbo S that uses the turbo plant with a six-speed manual. The Turbo S wears unique fascia front and rear with fog lamps and a fixed spoiler on the tail. Shadow Blue is a fresh body shade for New Beetle in 2005, and satellite radio service through XM or Sirius subscription is optional.

The convertible variation for the New Beetle is a modern conversion based on the coupe and worked out by Karmann Coachworks in Germany. With its top raised, the convertible maintains the familiar arched roof of the New Beetle coupe, so the generous dimensions in a spacious cabin remain relatively the same. The fabric-lined top has three layers for insulation plus a rear window constructed from glass and imbedded with a defroster element. The top opens and closes by either a manual mode or optional semi-automatic power. When the lid's down, it rests in a ring behind the rear seats and looks similar to the top-down style of the vintage Beetle convertible. The convertible New Beetle in 2005 comes with a choice of two different trims (GL and GLS) and two four-cylinder engine options, plus manual or high-tech automatic transmissions. And it appears in cool paint, including new tints like Tornado Red.

The mid-size Passat in sedan and wagon formats returns with a five-seat passenger compartment filled with the appointments of a luxury car. Each packs a four-cylinder or V6 engine, manual or automatic transmission and standard front-wheel-drive (FWD) or VW's optional 4Motion AWD. A base GL Passat has a feisty dual-cam 1.8-liter plant with turbo-charger and inter-cooler hitting 170 hp. Coupled to the turbo is a manual five-speed that's a mechanical treat for those who like to work a shifter, but the Passat also offers a five-speed Tiptronic automatic.

A direct-injection turbo-diesel at 2.0 liters is available with a power rating of 134 hp. And a V6 drops into any version of Passat. Displacing 2.8 liters, the longitudinally-mounted plant pumps out 190 hp with the manual or automatic. Silverstone Gray is a new paint choice for any Passat. The Passat GLS upgrades to larger 16-inch alloy wheels with 17-inch Bilstar alloys now optional on GLS and GLX.

VW's subcompact series of three-door and five-door hatchbacks use a stiff platform fixed with precise mechanical controls like power rack-and-pinion steering, an independent suspension and disc brakes. The Golf comes in two trims as base GL and up-level GLS for both three-door and five-door styles. A naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine worth 115 hp is standard, but VW's direct-injection 1.9-liter turbo-diesel with unit-injector technology is available for 100 hp and high fuel economy ratings. A Monsoon sound package is standard on the GLS.

A variation of the Golf three-door hatch with firm suspension settings and superior equipment goes by the tag of GTI. VW's 1.8-liter turbo four-pack is the base plant in the GTI GLS, delivering 180 hp through a five-speed Tiptronic automatic. The GTI VR6 upgrades to a twin-cam 2.8-liter V6 with six-speed manual for 200 hp. The cabin pitches two bucket seats in front of a two-place jump seat with space in the hatchback bay for gear. Volkswagen maximizes equipment on the GTI GLS.

Volkswagen takes the five-door hatchback Golf and adds a bona fide trunk to create this compact-class four-door notchback sedan, or a five-door station wagon. Jetta provides a respectable amount of room for five adults to travel in comfort, offers a choice of powertrains that range from economical to exuberant, stocks a long list of standard convenience items-- yet holds a tight grip on bottom-line prices. Engine choices start with a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four-in-line borrowed from Golf with 115 hp. Then there's a 100 hp TDI for the Jetta GL and GLS. Jetta's third engine -- a 1.8-liter turbo four -- makes 180 hp with the five-speed automatic Tiptronic. A revamped color chart for Jetta in the 2005 line shows shades like Speed Blue with the cabin in black and gray.