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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  VW sells LEMONS and doesnt care - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Carnage - August 13 - 10:00 am

  The car itself would be great if it didnt break down every 2 weeks. The WORST part of it all is the VW customer service. If you EVER have a problem, they will laugh at you and tell you tough luck. They sold me a lemon, and they wont take responsibility for it. My car has broken 8 times in under 2 months. DOCUMENTED evidence. Better Business Bureau case opened against VW, still VW doesnt care.

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  customer care is a joke! - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By m. Kinney - August 11 - 6:16 am

  You should know that once you bought the car, if anything goes wrong, you are on your own my friend. Bought a new 2011 Jetta and maintained in impeccably and at 114,00 miles the turbo blew(not supposed to). I now have at 22,000 dollar car, less than four years old that is pretty much worth scrap. Customer care, all the way up to Volkswagen top supervisor, told me with deep sincerity, there was nothing they could do and felt no responsibility since my warranty had expired. Does Volkswagen stand behind their product in any way? This company has no sense of fairness toward their customer. Sincerely, broke and carless

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  DO NOT BUY THIS PILE OF METAL JUNK!!! - 2014 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rachydcohen - August 5 - 11:42 pm

  I bought my 2014 Jetta SE in April 2014, its was first brought in to the service dept. only a couple months old for the Airbag light. It took the dealership two weeks to figure out the problem. Im still concerned that if the car is in an accident that the airbag system will work. The next time I brought it in, was last week. I had been complaining that every so often the ABS, Traction Control and Check Engine light keep coming on. The idiots in the service dept told me to turn the car off and restart it. The second time this happened I called yelling and screaming and they finally told me to bring it in.

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  passat hater - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By passat hater - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I havent even had this car for a year and I hate it! bought it used and I was so happy, Low mileage (47,000) and great looking but it wasnt long before the check engine light came on. Got that fixed now its on again. The enterior is peeling and the knobs are falling off. They must have been on a strict budget building this one. Just looking forward to the day I can trade it in for a toyota!!! And the Premium gas and Oil stinks too.

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  Lemon - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By djjunglejulie - July 4 - 10:48 pm

  Owning this car was a nightmare! Do not buy unless you are a mechanic who enjoys repairing your car!! Words that come to mind are: Lemon Money pit ludicrous amounts of repairs repairs repairs repairs broken down overheating electrical problems just bad

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  Horrible Car - Stay Away From This One!! - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By MJEPilot - June 6 - 10:00 am

  HORRIBLE CAR!!! Poor ride and handling (shakes violently above 50mph), annoying click-click-click sound when stopped, embarrassing pick-up speed, horendous gas mileage. Main reason to not buy this car is Volkswagon Credit. Sent in payment every month, every month they would cash my payment check and then call me to tell me I never paid. I would have to pay my bank to send me a copy of the check to fax to VW Credit to prove it to them. You say "simple mistake by VW, probobaly only happened once or twice" - try eight times and others have told me of similar experiences. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR - poorly designed by poor people.

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  Nightmare since Day 1 - 2013 Volkswagen GTI
  By jkaw44 - May 23 - 3:06 am

  I leased my 2014 GTI in February of 2014 and it has been nothing but problems since day 1. My heater did not work properly and my front tire was losing air about every 5 days from the day I purchased it. To make things worse the dealer wanted me to pay to fix so I had to contact customer care. They eventually did pay to have these fix but I have now had 3 more problems since, including having to put in a new water pump twice. I am tired of having to take my car into the dealer every month and this seems ridiculous to me for a car that is brand new. The reliability of this car is very poor and its sad that Volkswagen does not stand behind their vehicles. Customer service has been terrible.

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  DO NOT BUY AN EOS!....DO NOT BUY A VOLKSWAGEN! - 2016 Volkswagen EOS
  By Rich - May 15 - 6:06 pm

  If youre thinking of buying a Volkswagen, DONT! Do yourself a HUGE favor and go look at other manufactures. THE WORST car Ive ever had. Between personal cars and company cars Ive driven Pontiac, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Ford, Chrysler and Mazda. And NEVER had problems with them. Enter Volkswagen. Were talking about an EOS Lux. The rear view mirror fell off the windshield shortly after purchasing the car. If only I had recognized the omen. The clear coat started peeling off the hood of the car. Have to replace a headlight bulb every 3 months. They constantly burn out. The passenger seat will not move forward or backwards in cold weather. The passenger side window stopped working and the motor had to be replaced. The car alarm went off and could not stop it. The door lock cylinder, ignition switch and battery were replaced. 2 days later the car alarm went off again and could not stop it. Was told that the drivers side window motor would have to be replaced for the problem because of a "module" thats attached for the alarm system. The intake manifold on the engine got a hole in it and had to be replaced. I was told that while the intake manifold was off the valves should be cleaned of carbon buildup. The convertible top leaks. The convertible top stopped working. Was told the entire roof would have to removed in order to find out what was going on. The car was in the shop for 3 days and a technical expert was called in. I was told the roof was just "out of sync" and there was no real problem with it. And then was charged $1,400 for no problem found. Since they removed the top, the top does nothing but creak. The "exchanger" on the engine had to be replaced. The car started leaking oil. They found not ONE or TWO but THREE places where oil was leaking from. The gasket between the engine and transmission has to be replaced. The gasket for the timing cover has to be replaced. And some part for the turbocharger has to be replaced. I was told by the service manager that the oil leaks are a COMMON problem. But they normally dont all happen at once. So, oil leaks ARE TO BE EXPECTED. Its NORMAL for a Volkswagen. A control arm has a crack in it. One of the rear shocks has a leak. The windshield washer reservoir leaks. I probably forgot some things. I was hoping that the car would burst into flames and Id watch it burn to the ground with a huge smile on my face. No such luck. The car is in the shop having the oil leaks taken care of. ONLY $1,800 more dollars put into the piece of garbage. A total of $5,832 have been put into it since 2/2014. I told them to fix the oil leaks and Im DONE WITH VOLKSWAGEN. The car will be GONE as soon as I get it back. DO NOT BUY A VOLKSWAGEN!

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  This car is a lemon. STAY AWAY!! - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By MS125 - April 28 - 8:07 pm

  VW should be ashamed of their refusal to acknowledge the intercooler problem on this car. After I passed 65k miles, moisture got inside during cold weather, and it cracked, resulting in a pretty useless engine. VW said its not covered by warranty, but clearly, given the number of people whove experienced the same issue, its obviously a design flaw. Stay away!!!

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  Worst car I ever owned - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Norman - April 7 - 5:46 pm

  I bought it at 65k. At 80k everything needed repair. Engine, transmisson and electrical. The 1st repair shop will repair anything but VW and Audi. The 2nd shop said the VWs are the #1 car they see and to sell it now. #3 shop said the same thing.