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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  Rattle, Rattes, and Rattles; but its fun - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rattlejetta - April 26 - 2:36 pm

  This car has tons of rattles, the dealer can never fix any of them and returns the car soiled each time. A defective seat track which was suppose to stop the instrument cluster rattle took four months to order the part and then the problem still persists. The car is five months old and has been for six unscheduled services.

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  tdi diesel - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By jobyr8 - April 26 - 12:16 pm

  presently suprised about the pickup and speed of the diesel...getting greater than 30mpg. excellent car with a huge trunk and fun to drive...

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  Livermore Jetta - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Joe Barton - April 26 - 10:43 am

  Despite VWs reputation for being unreliable, I am happy to report NO incidents of unreliability in my 06 Jetta during the first 30000 miles.

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  Love it - 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By Joyce - April 25 - 6:26 pm

  We have had Volks vans since the green "bus" and hate/loved each one. The best one was the early vanagon with all that room in back and front, great interior coverings, etc....but the wind roll on the highway was bothersome. Our Euro is excellent to drive, sits above the crowd, no roll, a bit noisy, holds lots of people. Interior too fuzzy. Less width was not good. If only there were people out there that know how to service it. Looking for something more gas economical (we get 19 mpg)and a vehicle that fits tall people. Hate to give up on our Euro and its camp capabilities, etc. Dont like the backward facing middle seats and the cutback on leg room in the back.

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  Best In Class - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By jimbolikesvw - April 24 - 10:00 am

  Purchased GLX Sedan 18 months ago, and put on 29K miles. Next month, my wife gets one :o). The car handles great - tight steering, nice pickup while it runs quiet and smooth. The shifting is smooth and shift throw short. I have made many trips to the home deport with this car and have fit stacks of 8 2x4s and 2x6s in it with the rear seat folded down. Power seats are nice too. Build is solid. This car does 100 mph in 3rd gear. It does everything I could want it to do..

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  driver found - 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By eurovan - April 24 - 10:00 am

  I have always loved the design of the current body. It is so european. The design fulls you, as being a mini van, but it is by no way tiny inside like the rest. My first week I took a drive to Yosemite. It handles like a tight sport car, on the winding roads, not top heavy at all. If more people only knew, and only $25,000.00. Take a test drive soon and you"ll see.

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  Solid Car, Fun to Drive - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By JonnyC - April 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for 3 years and have no problems with it to date. The manual transmission is smooth and fun to drive and it is an extremely comfortable ride for all my passengers. Skip the $$ recommended 40,000 mile tune-up at the dealer and take it to a local mechanic instead. I saved $300 by taking it to a good mechanic who only did the necessary fixes(sparkplugs). Great Car.

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  Cheap plastic knobs are pealing - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By susan - April 23 - 11:06 pm

  Love the heated seats. Thought I would get better gas mileage. Plastic covers over knobs peeling off. Wipers come on without turning them on. Needed new timing belt, this was covered , thank god, very expensive repair. In cold weather, loud rattling noice from muffler area, was checked out, cant fix. Design problem. Right now, trying to decide whether to buy or walk away from lease.

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  Bought new 2-2013. Now 9-2016. No problems at all - 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Michael Atlanta - April 23 - 7:08 pm

  This has been a great car. I am 45 years old this week, only owned 4 cars prior, 1 Nissan and 3 Volvos. VW Jetta has been great, no issues at all. Very affordable(Volvo out-priced me and stopped selling 4 series). So good that husband bought a 2015 Passat. Husband owned about 1cars since we married 24 years ago. Passat not as good as Jetta, sorry to say. Never had any maintenance issues with Jetta. Only issues are it is sometimes hard to get key out of ignition and sometimes difficult to see out of rear window. Gas mileage exceeds what is printed on invoice.

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  My first review for my first VW - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Gabe - April 23 - 6:04 am

  Ive jumped from car to car quiet a bit in the last 10 years. Ive started off with an old Pontiac Sunfire and G3, gone through Mercury Mariner, Dodge Neon, two Honda Civics (04, 12), Hyundai Sonata (11), and a Subaru Legacy (09) and none can compete with the ride and comfort of the 2015 Passat. Im comparing this car to the other Ive had of course - the bumps on the road are hardly noticeable. The road noise is faint. The heated seats are a huge plus in the winter. However, I wish they installed "deeper" bucket seats. The salesman that sold me the car stressed, "Volkswagen, or any German car, is on a different level of comfort." I didnt believe him of course. He was there to sell me a car. Well, 2k miles later I now understand what he was saying. Its not a luxury car but it sure feels like it. The room in the cabin is incredible. It is the roomiest mid sized sedan Ive ever driven. The performance is adequate. I had a 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T before this. I went from 274 HP to 170, but I dont miss it as much as I thought I would. It has enough power to get you going - by no means is it a Toyota Yaris though. Gas mileage is pretty good too, if driven correctly. I have a heavy foot, I drive 40 miles a day, and I can still get 2 weeks on a full tank. I have yet to do any maintenance on the car since I hit 2K miles this morning. I hear maintenance costs are more expensive than most, but they also recommend an oil change every 10k miles. Thats plenty of time to save some cash for an oil change. *Update: about to hit 5k miles. I thought I had an issue with the power steering or wheel locking itself while turning into a curve. I took the car to the dealer and they couldnt find anything wrong. I noticed it only happens when taking curves too aggressively (55-60mph). I brought it up to the dealership again and it seems other people have had the same issue. The issue is that the magnetic power steering tends to correct itself if it thinks youre losing control. That just means I need to drive slower! Also, I had an issue where the reverse camera didnt activate. I opened and closed the trunk and it worked. No idea why that happened.