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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  Shoddy CD Player Paint Blisters and Flak - 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By sprint350ss - April 22 - 12:40 am

  This vehicle comes equipped with a shoddy cd player radio. The paint has blistered off the buttons and the face of the device. Still under warrant however, VW USA does not want to remedy the situation for hundreds of VW owners. The device is considered wear and tear item. how do you wear the face of the radio. Shoddy materials is really what it is.

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  vw r32 is cool - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By misskrypto1 - April 21 - 12:50 pm

  If you are looking for a vehicle with comfort and luxury amenities, but you just want a little more exicitement and enough speed to toast most cars on the road, then the R32 is the perfect vehicle! If i wanted to be a racecar driver everyday and try and race every car that pulled of next to me at lights and go to tracks all the time, I would have gone with the subaru or the mitsubishi, but in my opinion those two cars are ugly and have no style inside or out. The R on the otherhand has a little bit of both worlds... style, and speed. AND, there is only a select group of people that own them as opposed to other cars that are just mass produced. :)

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  i love my GLI - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By tankman29 - April 21 - 11:00 am

  I have a 2003 Jetta GLI and i love it. no one expected my car to be fast because it is vw and o boy where they wrong. i took the limiter of the car and have gone up to 150mph... Great car and a lot of fun. the only thing that i dont like is that the car needs more power. It has 200 hp but i will have it turoed by the end of the year and will be putting down 475hp at the wheels. I would say that it is a great car because i have been in an accident in my old Jetta were it rolled end over end and i had only a broken finger because my hand hit the roof so other then that it is a great car.

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  VW could have done better - 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Hudi - April 21 - 10:00 am

  The exterior of this car is quite nice, following the the line of the Golf. The interior is very well designed and finished much better than other cars in the class. The car is much roomier than it seems, the legroom and headroom in the back is great. The seats are poorly designed without proper lumber support thats why Im rating it low. The ride is very nice, the suspension is just right. Thanks to the multilink suspension in the back, the car corners like no others. The engine is the biggest flaw of this car, its not powerful enough but the gas millage is not that great. I wonder why they didnt install a better European engine with similar power but better fuel millage.

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  So Far, So Good! - 2010 Volkswagen Routan
  By Spartan08 - April 21 - 10:00 am

  We have owned this van for about 3 moths now. We love everything about it except for the gas mileage. We drive about 800 miles a week so gas mileage is very important to us. We are averaging about 20 miles/gallon. When we bought this van, we were a little concerned about the quality. Especially since it is manufactured by Chrysler. The engine components and parts even have Mopar written all over them. So far we havent had any problems whatsoever. We have learned that even though it is made by Chrysler; it doesnt mean it is a Chrysler. VW has definitelly refined the comfort and style. Our 3 year old loves the entertainment center.

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  TDI and loving it - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Shinkster - April 21 - 10:00 am

  Have almost 100k on this car. Its been very reliable, with only a few minor repairs here and there. Just had the timing belt changed (which has to be done at 105k miles). Im expecting to drive this for at least another 100k!

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  Love It or Hate It - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By adhemar - April 21 - 6:36 am

  After changing the 15 inch rims and tires with 17 inch all season performance Falken tires, this car can corner fast and not miss a beat. It has incredible handling, even without the sport suspension. It could use a little more power, but then again if it had more power God knows if it would stay on the road. I wish would have gotten the GLI VRS or GLS 1.8T. After 4 years though Im going for the EOS in May 2007.

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  Love the Exec!!! - 2013 Volkswagen Touareg
  By jrike - April 20 - 8:06 pm

  This is my first VW and have owned it for two weeks now. I recently drove it 400 miles one way and was not a bit tired. No shifting or moving around in the seat because I was uncomfortable. What a dream car. Love the traffic button which advised me of an upcoming slowdown. A few tiny complaints. One, the height of the armrest is too low and the top of the door too high so had to rest my arm on my leg. Also the sunshade lets in a lot of heat. I live in Florida. And what is the CD player doing in the glovebox? So far I am getting 26.5 mpg but think that will improve with time. Another complaint is the audio. My 2007 Ford Escape was better. Otherwise, love the VW.

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  Go New Clean Diesel - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Steve Zinnel - April 20 - 5:23 am

  This is my first diesel engine automobile. Recently took a 5,000 mile trip out West. Average gas mileage for the entire trip was 40 mpg. Never once had to take it out of cruise when going up the mountains. The diesel engine is very quiet when crusing at 75 mph on the freeway and doesnt seem to change a bit when going up mountains. I have been very impressed with the comfortable ride and amazed at the gas mileage. I drive about 30,000 miles a years, with a high percentage of those miles on the freeway, and thats why I decided to try the VW Passat for comfort and safety, and the diesel engine for economy. So far it has exceeded my expectations.

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  Couldve been great - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Steph - April 19 - 12:10 am

  Purchased with approx 60 000 km and have since put 20k on the car. It has been in the shop about 9 times. Parts replaced: Turbo (3 separate visits); some clutch parts; throttle body (left me stranded); trunk latch; driver door electronics; coolant warning light issues. The dealership knows me by name. I think I got a lemon ... too bad because I like the car & have purchased a few aftermarket items for it (winter tires, roof rack, tail lights, floor mats worth about $2500). Good thing for warranty because repairs wouldve cost me a fortune. Will be trading it in for a new TDI soon.