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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  Continues to WOW - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jwo - June 27 - 5:13 am

  I still am in love with my Jetta. I a bought it exactly a year ago and every day it continues to impress me and others. The more I drive the car the better the gas mileage gets. I currently average about 28 mpg in mixed driving. While those figures are not the best in class it is still really good. Highway driving I have gotten upwards of 34 mpg. The 5-speed manual transmission is still as smooth as the day I bought it and the clutch is as light as a feather (no joke). The power is not overwhelming but is not underwhelming, the torque, especially midrange is what truely is impressive. My friends continue to be wowed at the feature content of the car for the low base price. Keep it up VW!

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  It is good for the money - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By max becker - June 27 - 2:43 am

  It always starts, the TDI is great for mileage. The handling is good for a car that is not a performance car.

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  The Good and the Bad - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By kyoung116 - June 26 - 11:00 pm

  Love the tiptronic transmission in my 2003 Jetta Wolfsburg! It makes driving an automatic almost as much fun as driving a stick. It is great on fuel and has awesome handling. It is amazing how much power you get out of that little engine. The low end torque from the smaller turbo unit almost makes you forget its a 4-cyl. However, the worksmanship is pretty bad. The paint and windhshield scratch too easily. The paint has swirl marks everywhere. The VW CD player just doesnt sound good, its missing a certain clarity to the sound. I replaced the head unit, but kept the Monsoon speakers...which sound GREAT! Some fabric came loose on the passenger seat and a rear seat came off its hinge. Also, my trunk is getting so stiff that I can barely open/close it. This is a great car, too bad its made in Mexico.

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  Great Car - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By whaler71 - June 26 - 3:53 pm

  I love my VW Jetta. Its quick, handles great, and gets good gas mileage. My only major repair was when I replaced the cat converter (the check engine light came on) at 75,000, but VW paid for this. Besides that nothing major has gone wrong in 83,000 miles. Just some small stuff, like the clip on center console broke, the window stuck down at around 20,000 but the dealer fixed it and it has had no problems since. It doesnt burn oil and it still has the original brakes, gotta love a manual tranny.

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  Solid, Well-designed and great MPG - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By jklo16 - June 26 - 11:38 am

  The Volkswagen TDI SEL 2.0 is a very good highway car in the $30k range with a strong turbo assisted diesel and great milage. In eight months, I am approaching 18k miles and am averaging 42 mpg which includes a good mix of bumper to bumper stop and go Tollway driving as well as open highway cruising. As pro reviewers stated, its solid and very roomy. The radio display is a bit boring with a basic red on black display and the response time is slow from pressing the touch screen to seeing anything happen. ( The screen is not an iPad) The Fender stereo setup is decent for the price range.

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  Passat GLX - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By jiniver - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive truly enjoyed owning this car to date. Ive driven it in all weather conditions and it has never let me down. It handles very well for a family wagon. The car is very comfortable to drive over long distances and the practicality of the wagon has proven itself numerous times. I cant find one complaint about this car.

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  GR8 R32! - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By Shelberman - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Every outing is reconfirmation of the joy of driving. This is the best VW product Ive driven, and Ive had many including 2 VR6 Corrados.

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  Do not buy - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By iceblinkluckNY - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Please do not buy VW no matter what you do. It has poor build quality and the dealerships are rude and useless. I certainly would never buy another VW again. I have 75000 miles on my car in 3 years and have had a window regulator problem, many break lights replaced, an ABS problem, a coolant sensor problem, and the interior of the car has deteriorated. If you do own one, your performance will be much improved by replacing the OEM tires with an all season performance tire (as I did). Using 15-40 oil helps stop usage. I used to use a quart per 1500 miles, now I use hardly any in 4000 miles

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  Slightly Different Than the Rest - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Mykul - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Before buying the Passat, I looked at the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. There was just enough about the VW that was different than all the rest. Volkswagens ad for "Drivers Wanted" - is appropriate. For me, its a poor mans BMW:tight handling, German simplicity, comfortable and NOT like all the rest. You owe it to yourself to take a Passat on a test drive - I bet you feel the difference too.

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  Wish the execution was better. - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By squashpup - June 26 - 7:36 am

  The car itself, in everyday use, is great. Comfortable, good power, good gas mileage, styling is excellent inside and out, roomy, sporty handling, fun to drive with a good feel on the road.