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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  What a car! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Robbie Sanders - August 2 - 2:56 pm

  The new 2006 Volkswagen Passat 3.6 features many extras spilled over from the Phaeton. The car is extremely fun to drive and there are very many safety features to keep you from having an accident. There are also many fun extras like the steerable headlights, 6 disc in dash CD changer, XM radio, auto-hold feature and an awesome trip computer. If youre thinking about buying a Passat, please do. My BMW / VW salesman told me that VW / Audi is years ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz in technology and feautures. The ride is very quiet and the heated leather seats are comfortable. The Dynaudio sound system is worth the extra money! It is the most awesome stereo Ive ever heard in a car and it always amazes my friends!

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  Great track car, right out of the box. - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By R32AutoXer - August 2 - 10:00 am

  This is a very impressive vw and without a doubt the best vw ever. Once we got 1200 miles on her, we raced in a corvette club event(autocross style road course)and beat them all. Engine has hard steady pull to redline,grip is astonishing and the brakes have to be one of the best on the road today. The best part about the car is the sound she makes from her true dual exhaust. Noone knows about the R32,they think its just a golf(insurance companies too).This makes her a true SLEEPER,there are few cars right from the factory that can beat this one,especially on the track. She is scary fast around town and she will assure you of getting many looks and tickets

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  catalytic converter - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By lsmo - August 2 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car new in 2000, never a problem until at 104,000 got a check engine light with emmissions workshop light, dealer said that the catalytic converter was bad to the tune of $3,300, took it elsewhere and they said the O2 sensors were also bad...another $1,200. I paid $24,600 for it 4yrs ago and now I cant even trade it in!

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  The best sedan I have ever had... - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By santiscbr - August 2 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I currently average 50+ mpg. Need I say more. But I will. The build is incredible. Being a former mechanic, I have never seen so much detail in a sedan of its class. German engineering at its best. I expect, with at least 500000 miles left in the engine, it might, however unlikely, outlast the rest of the car. The cupholders are the only misplaced piece of accessory, as it blocks the radio controls when out, and you have to push it back in to remove a cd.

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  my m&m bug - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By frannie - August 2 - 10:00 am

  i won this car she is tough

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  My 1st VW But not my Last - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By tomk - August 2 - 8:56 am

  I was looking for a nice car with good MPG. The Passat fits that bill to a tee, I travel 70 a day to go work and this car has been great for that use. Lots of confort good MPG and it gets going down the road when you kick in the tubro. It appears to wear also but I have only owned it about 8 months.

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  Great, but know what youre getting into. - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Jeff Rut - August 1 - 10:26 pm

  I own an E-Golf, and generally I love it, but I dont think general discussion touches on two important points. First, my only real negative to the car: the Navigation/Entertainment System is a complete joke. The entertainment/navigation console takes a minute to boot up. So if youre going to use navigation, you have to turn on your car and wait a minute before you can get on your way. Then, the screen is slow, its small, etc. I do like the little dashboard screen. Overall, Google Maps is incomparably better than VWs navigation. Theres also a problem that it doesnt have standard USB power, and they just assume you have an iPhone, so no micro-USB/Android charger is available for their proprietary slot (I got a 3rd party wire off Amazon, but its crazy slow). Also, it has a weird bluetooth problem where it switches up music sometimes. Its just generally clunky and ugly and problematic. It does allow an SD card full of MP3s, I know thats like 2003 tech but I actually really like it. Also, about the range: I drive with a heavy foot, mostly on freeway, I dont use the annoying auto-brake or evo modes, and I get 85 miles or so. Before I got the car, I thought charging stations were going to be a big deal. But unless you have charging at work, charging stations are really not a large part of the EV experience. Even in the Bay Area, you just cant count on one being available - somebody else is parked there, and will be parked there for at least another hour or two more. Or its broken. Or a non electric vehicle parked there. You just cant rely on it 100%. Anyway, who wants to wait around an hour to charge up enough to get home? A better way to think about it is, every morning your car starts with a quarter tank of gas. Sure, if theres an EMERGENCY, or you need to BARELY extend your trip past the cars range, something will probably be available. But if you think this will be a regular occurrence for you, buy a gas or diesel car. OK, not to scare off buyers, because yeah I do love this car. If you have a regular daily commute its incredibly cheap to operate, especially with the lease deals out there. Quality isnt luxury car, but its very high-end for a low-end car. With the torque and tight turns, its really fun to drive around town - I feel like Im driving a go-kart around on city streets. Its not quite as good on the freeway, but its not bad. Im six and a half feet tall and my wife isnt all that much shorter, and its still surprisingly spacious inside, I dont keep the slider all the way back. However, tall people up front does mean that the people in the back row have basically no space at all.

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  Just what I expected and more - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By drew - August 1 - 7:06 pm

  I dont really feel like typing out a long review, but Ive owned an 03 GTI before this and the jump from a previous generation to the current generation is so substantial that its as if they rebuilt the entire car from the ground up. The chassis rigidity is superb and the motor is definitely worthy of the awards it has been receiving, both for around the town and even on a track. While this may not be a performer like the STi or Evo, it holds its own quite well. If its stock performance really bugs you enough, there are many tuner choices for just a simple ECU upgrade that pumps the car up ~50 horsepower and ~80 torque. Ive no complaints with the car at all other than no lsd.

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  Fun, fast but thirsty - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By john - August 1 - 6:13 pm

  Great car, love the 4 wheel motion in the snow. Great pick up, but plan on only getting about 300 miles to the tank. You also need to use the 93 octane gas in the turbo version. Overall nice car.

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  2010 VW Jetta 2.5L SE - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By de_maximus - August 1 - 8:03 am

  I bought my 2010 Jetta in May 2010. It is my second Jetta and 4th VW/Audi product Ive owned. By far this is the best Jetta ever made. The 2010 includes many improvements over the 2009 and earlier models. The seats were given my cusion making them even more supportive. The lumbar is very good. User interface ergonomics are excellent. Interior build materials are on par with premium level vehicles. The Mk. V Jetta compares well against the likes of the Mercede-Benz C-230. The standard audio system is 8 speakers with excellent sound quality. Sunroof is smooth and quick. Everything is right where is should be in this car. It is a joy to drive or ride in around town or cross country.