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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  Dont buy this vehicle - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Justin - May 5 - 8:42 am

  Im purchased a few VW now but I think this is the final one. My first car was a VW so there is a bit of nostalgia, but its gone on long enough. So I purchased this vehicle used two years ago. Its a 2006 Passat 3.6 4Motion. The acceleration, driving, etc is quite good... but the reliability and built in flaws of the car make it worthless. Specifically, when I purchased it a few weeks later one of the shocks sheared off and I had to replace that. Then, a week ago several things occurred at once and its mind numbingly bad. Ill list the issues and the associated prices so you can gasp with me: 1. Headlights. These are HID, so they should be pricey. However, VW cant figure out how to design product, so they literally blocked one of the headlight entry ports with the windshield wiper fluid case. YOU CANT CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT WITHOUT REMOVING THE BUMPER. This is a thing. Im not lying. Somebody literally built a car and blocked the headlights so you cant change them without taking the bumper off. Cost to change headlights? $800. Thats not a joke, its $800 to change the headlights. Not even the highbeams. Just the stinking low beams. $800. 2. The trunk logo is inset... and when water gets in the inset it causes it to rust out. So I have a huge rust tramp stamp on the back of my VW because the engineer decided that having an inset logo with a well for water to sit in made sense. Price: Whatever a used trunk goes for since itll be more expensive to have the entire thing sanded. At least $600+ 3. Some random pipe broke in the engine when the headlights went out: $400 4. Super duper awesome fuel pump: $1,200+ What the what? In a world where replacing headlights and a fuel pump costs $2k... yeah, stay away from VW. The first Passat I had years ago had issues, this one has issues, and the engineering is just ridiculous. Next week Ill find out that they glued the tires to the wheels for some crazy reason and I have to replace the entire wheel when a tire goes flat. Derp.

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  Solid car, but poor built quality - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Xorehtno - May 5 - 2:00 am

  Leased the basic Passat model in May of 2004. Great price for this class of vehicle! It has a solid feel, much better than my previous Camry and Accord. I did not really buy it for this reason, but Passat has an image a notch above the ubiquitos Japanese sedans. Conservative yet stylish choice. Now the big con: POOR BUILD QUALITY. I had to take my Passat to the dealership twice in the first 6 months with problems (wrong relay in wiper control, AC was not working right, glove compartment door was not closing right), plus a manufacturers recall. Right now have yet another problem with the AC, the manual transmission is getting jerky, and the tires are losing pressure way too fast.

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  Love the new GTI! - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By PTown GTI - May 4 - 8:46 am

  I have had this car since Nov. It is everything that I hoped for and more. A real pleasure to drive on the twisties, and around town to work. I was down to either this or the Audi A3, which has worse ergonomics, worse visibility - but cool sunroof. Glad that I went with the VW. A few rattles here and there, but I am really particular, so take that with stride. The summer tires that come with the car are just that - poor once the weather cools off. The 6 speed manual is AMAZING - why someone would go for the DSG is beyond me. Highly recommended!!

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  very refined pocket-rocket - 2003 Volkswagen GTI
  By PKT RKT - May 4 - 2:00 am

  The GTI is more expensive than the typical hot hatchback, but what you get is refinement that you usually only see on near-luxury vehicles in the mid $30,000 range. This is a very fun car to drive on long trips as well as everyday commutes. Its also very roomy and easy to live with on a day-to-day basis.

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  What a piece of Junk !!! - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Dr. Mike - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I cant wait to get rid of this piece of %#$@*!!. I got a 39 month lease, that is up in 3 months. I am turning the car in early, next week before something else falls off.I have been stranded 4 time now due to the "clutch safety switch" whick would burn out and not let me start the car. The gas cap door cable has broken twice, the last time I had to pry it open with a screwdriver to put gas in. The buttons for the power windows have all broken, one of them twice. Since it is a Diesel, its almost impossible to start in cool FLORIDA weather. The list goes on and on, but Im sure you get the picture. Im YELLING at you to stay away from this piece of trash.

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  Enjoying the car - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By CMR - May 4 - 2:00 am

  So far, I have enjoyed my relatively new 1.8t Jetta 5M. The turbo is a blast, and it performs well with the manual transmission. I am glad I bought the manual as the automatic I test drove fished for gears. I also ended up with the sport suspension but I am not sure exactly of the difference in handling since I cant compare to a regular suspension. Having owned many Hondas previously, I feel as if the tightness of my VW is not up to what I am used to. Overall, I enjoy the Jetta and look forward to driving anywhere I can.

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  German for "Piece of Junk" - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By theronald - May 3 - 9:36 pm

  This car was really nice for about the first 3 years that we owned it. Ever since that point, it has had many nagging, expensive, and repetitive failures. (Among those too numerous to mention - Door Handles, Controller, O2 Sensors, Belt-tensioner) The Yellow light has been on more than it has been "off". Were it not for the fact that I was unemployed on & off for most of the past 4 years, we would have "dumped" it on some other poor sap. Have talked to several other GLX owners - most had same problems. Their highly-touted "German Engineers" should all be fired, and replaced by the guys from GM. (Ive never had to replace all 4 door handles on a Buick twice!)

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  fantastic car - 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By radouane - May 3 - 10:43 am

  Its a lovely car. I had one for the past 2 years and I cant say anything disappointing about it. Very fun to drive. I love the interior, especially the at night when I turn on the lights and see the blue and red well designed dashboard. I think its the best in its class!

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  Great Looking Car, Terrible Gas Mileage - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By LosAngelesBunny - May 3 - 2:23 am

  My experience is a lot like Sharons. My decision was between the Honda Civic and VW Rabbit, and I ultimately decided on the Rabbit as I preferred the look and it seemed more fun to drive. I really should have put more stock into the gas mileage. I mostly do all my driving in the city - pure stop lights and traffic the whole way to work and back. Im seriously averaging between 10-17 MPG in the city. I cant tell you how stressed out I am about this. Instead of enjoying this gorgeous little car I loathe having to drive anywhere because all I can think about is the gas mileage. Ive been told there is a break in period but if I could do it again Id get something else.

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  crazy good gas mileage - 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
  By matt - May 2 - 10:31 am