Overview & Reviews

Volkswagen is an automaker based in Germany. Its products typically command a higher price than those of competing models, but the return is a more upscale driving and ownership experience.

In 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned to build a small, inexpensive car at the request of Adolph Hitler. His answer -- a beetle-shaped sedan that was called a Volkswagen (German for "people's car") -- debuted two years later. Hitler had a town built near the plant for factory workers; he named it Kraft durch Freude Stadt (derived from the Nazi party's motto, "Joy through Strength"), and soon decided that Porsche's creation should be named the KdF-wagen (short for the "Joy through Strength" car). This upset Porsche, who was not political.

World War II delayed production of the vehicle; the factory suffered extensive damage during combat, and was ultimately taken over by the British Army. The company was renamed Volkswagen, and the town at the factory was renamed Wolfsburg (after Werner von Schulenberg of Wolfsburg, who had been forced to surrender his land for the construction of the town and factory). By the end of the 1940s, mass production of the Volkswagen Beetle had begun. The model made its first appearance on U.S. shores in 1949.

The 1950s saw Volkswagen broadening its product range, adding the Bus (Type 2) to its lineup. The Bus, especially, proved quite popular due to its versatility. And the Beetle, which went on to become the best-selling car of all time, quickly showed signs of being an enduring favorite, with more than 1 million models produced at the Wolfsburg factory by 1955. This decade also saw the debut of the Karmann Ghia sports car, which featured a sleek, Italian-designed two-seater body atop a Beetle platform.

Volkswagen's star rose during the 1960s, its success fueled largely by the breakout success of the Beetle. The car benefited from an effective advertising campaign and from an appearance in a popular Disney movie. By the close of the decade, Volkswagen's yearly output of Beetles topped the 1 million mark.

In 1972, with more than 15 million units assembled, the Beetle topped the world production record set by Ford's Model T. Mid-decade saw the launch of a new era of Volkswagens that had front-mounted, water-cooled engines driving the front wheels. The Passat (Dasher in the U.S.) was the first of the new breed and was built using standardized components that could be used interchangeably among other models in the manufacturer's lineup. The Passat was soon joined by the Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.), which met with immediate success. By the end of the decade, the manufacturer's lineup had grown to include the Scirocco sport coupe and the performance-oriented Golf/Rabbit GTI. The Beetle, however, was discontinued for the U.S. market.

The Golf grew in popularity during the '80s, becoming Volkswagen's most popular model. When a second generation of the car was built in 1983, it was crafted in a mostly automated process using robots -- marking the first time robots had been used in vehicle manufacture. By the mid-'80s, the U.S. version traded the Rabbit name for "Golf." The higher-performance Golf GTI helped the manufacturer make waves on the rally circuit. In 1986, Volkswagen Motorsport nabbed the title of Group A World Rally Champions.

Volkswagen saw its sales in the North American market tumble during the early '90s, but by the end of the decade, refocused marketing efforts and an increased emphasis on new products had brought about a turnaround in the company's fortunes. The popular New Beetle helped put the company back on the radar in the United States (though it fared less successfully in European markets). The body style was based on the classic Beetle, and it struck a chord with consumers who still had a place in their hearts for the iconic, cheerful-looking "love bug."

The new millennium saw Volkswagen moving into the luxury segment with the launch of the pricey Phaeton sedan and Touareg SUV. Though well-designed and executed, the Phaeton was a disappointment sales-wise, perhaps signaling unwillingness on the part of consumers to shell out premium dollars for a brand that lacks the cachet of established upscale names like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Luckily, Volkswagen has seen success with other vehicles in its lineup, which currently includes everything from family-oriented sedans to roomy SUVs. Today, the automaker enjoys a reputation for crafting vehicles that offer refined handling and upscale accommodations.

User Reviews:

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  Remapped - 2006 Volkswagen EOS
  By GRy - March 20 - 11:10 am

  Hi I recently had my eos 2006 2.0 petrol remapped, blimey it goes fast , 240 hp and 361 toque it’s flyes and leaves most cars behind well worth getting done

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  Loved My Rabbit! - 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Chandler M. - March 14 - 1:03 pm

  I bought a 2006 VW Rabbit with 63k miles in 2016 after immediately falling in love on a test drive. This car is so fun to drive; it’s fast, maneuvers effortlessly due to its size, handles smoothly, and gets decent gas mileage even when driving like a race car. I live in a snowy state and in spite of being a relatively light vehicle, it handled amazingly well in inclement weather - I always felt safe if I had to drive in a snowstorm. I was also impressed with the durability when hit by a semi on the freeway and the car only suffered minor dents in the doors. It’s a car that was built to last. The interior is surprisingly spacious and bright. The exterior is sleek and sexy. I did have various mechanical issues over the years, including a check engine light that never once went away despite dumping thousands into the vehicle, the heat/AC failing, and the latch on the hatchback failing. Now in 2021, I’m unfortunately shopping for a new vehicle as the front driver side suspension unexpectedly failed and repair costs aren’t worth it. As sad as I am to part with it, I got about 120,000 miles out of my Rabbit and loved it every single time I got in the car.

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  Volkswagen Jetta - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By john smith - December 30 - 3:42 am

  Im a man of few words. So I would love to say Volkswagen Jetta (2011) is the best car I ever used.

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  Love and hateful relationship - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By schrum - December 29 - 12:59 am

  I got my Jetta in 2011, and it did good for a while but in a year it started having over heating problems. I loved driving it but then in 2013 the coil pack went out, so I just parked it in our yard and drove my 95 Nissan XE. Finally in 2015, I put a new coil pack in it and drove it to the mountains, on my way back the tire blew out and destroyed the front left side Love it and hated it at the same time

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  Best Looking Wagon for the Money - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jascon - December 27 - 10:00 am

  The only annoyance has been a sound in the right dash connection area that I havent had fixed yet. Other than that its a good solid wagon.

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  Weekender - 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By GRN - December 27 - 10:00 am

  We love our Weekender, and we use it hard. It tows our boat well in the summer, and is even better in winter than our 97 Passat GLX (we live on a pass in the White Mtn. Region with unusually extreme winter weather - 250"+ of snow per season). The brakes are fantastic, and the avoidance handling is far better than expected for a big, clunky, top heavy bread box.

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  gli 2002 - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Awsome - December 27 - 10:00 am

  awsome car, great fun. The gli sit well on the road and is great fun. I need to drive my car more.

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  1-yr Review - 2012 Volkswagen GTI
  By shdwblumkvi - December 27 - 2:04 am

  I bought my 2012 6MT shadow blue GTI 1 year ago today. Here is my 1 Year Review. After 365 days of owning a brand new GTI, my first VW, I can say it has been great. But along with the good, Ive had to accept some problems. My fuel injector failed at 20k miles and left me on the side of the road. This is a common weakness of the GTI. If you want reliable and dependable, buy a Honda. If you want German and high performance, expect to have some issues with this car. Some people have zero problems. You may get lucky. But plan on not being so lucky. I love driving this car, but dont know if I will keep it once the warranty is over. Expect to have problems, but it is a wonderful car.

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  Great German Car/Great price - 2004 Volkswagen GTI
  By chade - December 24 - 10:00 am

  This car is unbeliveable!! You get all the stuff at a great price. I was looking for luxury performance without the price & Volkswagen did it. Wow what a great car.

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  Certified T-Reg - 2010 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Kimball Dempsey - December 23 - 4:13 am

  Ive scouted these diesel SUVs for several years and really like the older body style over the new style started in 11. But, I found the TDIs to be expensive so Ive been patient. I found a Black T-Reg diesel advertised as a Certified Preowned with 63k miles at a local VW Dealer. The vehicle was in excellent physical condition and all of its meticulous service records were available at the dealer where the only previous owner always had it serviced. I didnt even dicker on price. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after purchase the check engine light and warning graphics came on. It ended up being an oil sensor that was replaced under warranty. A week or so later, I noticed the Nav system would blink off inexplicably but would always reboot and come back on. I needed to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the right rear window fixed (dropped down and wouldnt go back up). The service manager told me VW had a service bulletin on the Nav and it required reprogramming to work out the bug. They did this and fixed the window under the CPO warranty. That was about a month ago and after a rather auspicious start with this T-Reg, it seems to be operating well. The only other issue Ive had, and it was a one-time thing, is the rear hatch wouldnt open one day either with the power assist or manually. But after driving it a few miles and trying it again it worked fine. Weird, but I hope its not a precursor to another failure and trip to the dealer. The things I like most: Im 64" and the seating position is excellent and I like the front bucket seat comfort much better than in my wifes newer Lexus RX. The ride around town is harsh but on the highway its a dream. This vehicle has great acceleration and doesnt suffer major turbo lag like other turbo diesels Ive owned. The gas mileage is reasonable (21-22 around town and about 26 on the highway so far). The sound system is very good and Ive found the Nav system easy to use and decently intuitive for a 6 year old technology. The things I like least: Slight rattle in dash somewhere at lower speed, but with the radio at normal volume its hardly noticable. Rear cargo room is very limited and the rear seats dont completely fold flat. Harshness of ride on bumpy roads around town. Lacks rear LED tail lights and for a vehicle in its price range when new this shouldve have been a standard as should have been front seat presets. Overall: I really like the vehicle and although it is 6 years old by model year and I understand it will have service issues from time to time, Im hoping the initial quirky gremlins are behind me. I well understand the love for and cult following T-Regs have gained over the years.