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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  Exceeded all expectations - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By aaeaulpa - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I bought this SUV over the MDX, X5, ML, and XC simply because the VW matches all others in luxury, performance, and quality. Plus it saved me a couple grand.

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  Best in class...period - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By gianboy - September 11 - 10:00 am

  This SUV (Premium Plus V8) is the funnest, most comfortable, sporty, luxurious vehicle I have ever driven. The air suspension is worth every penny, not to mention the navigation system that is integrated into the display between the tach and speedo. The upgraded sound system will make you think twice before shutting off the Touareg. The power is incredible and the responsiveness, especially if you put it into "S" (sport mode) is incredible. The sound of the engine and the higher revving shifting (together with placing the damping control on "Sport") make you think you are in a sports car.

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  2002 VW Jetta Wagon Diesel - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By lindamh - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I love my car! It is fun to drive, great on diesel, lots of room in the back and more with the 60/40 split seats down. I like smaller cars and I need room as I carry lots of "stuff" with me for my job. Last week the back was full with a wheelchair, I still put 3 cases of wine and 2 boxes of food in the side door with no problem! I would definitely recommend this car to anyone.

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  MyJettaGL2.0 - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By anubhav - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I recent bought this new 2003 jetta GL 2.0L. I am satisfied with its performance. Fun to drive. String. Reasonable acceleration considering the fact that it is V4. I had a hard time finding the 12V outlet, but it was hiding "nicely". Music system is good. Wish they have MP3 support too. Man this is file swapping era. NEway, The only problem that I see this is a fuel consuming car. I dont thisnk that I drive that bad, but I am getting even less than 20 mpg city. Their test rating itself is 23. So expect yours to be close to +/- 20.

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  Jetta - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mossgreen - September 11 - 9:56 am

  I have had a very rewarding experience with my car. It achieves 28-30 mpg on premium unleaded. It has incredibly firm and comfortable seats that are appropriate for even the longest drives. The engine is very low maintenance (and very smooth and quiet). Most engine fluids dont need to be changed often. My VR6 is on a 10,000 mile synthetic oil cycle, and it doesnt use even one drop during that time. Im very impressed with the thoughful engineering that went into this car, and its ability to drive long distances with ease. I believe this can be attributed to its large wheels, large motor, and 5 speed manual transmission.

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  Happy Eos owner - 2007 Volkswagen EOS
  By seakay - September 11 - 5:06 am

  I just took a trip to Virginia from Miami and the back seat was a little small for an adult. When driving on the interstate with the top down, and the screen up, you really dont get much wind, and you can still hear the sound from the stereo, which is not the norm.

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  Im in love - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Amber - September 11 - 12:46 am

  I bought my Touareg about two years ago after having purchased a flawless Jetta nine years ago (which we still drive and requires very little maintenance.) I love to drive this car- whether down the street to the store out of town for the weekend. The precision handling and comfort have spoiled me, as well as the bells and whistles that come along with a luxury SUV. I have had a few repairs done on the car, but they were all covered by the extended warranty. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a fun ride for themselves and/or family! We have owned a Toyota 4-Runner and a Ford SUV in the past,and they pale in comparison to this car.

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  Avoid like plague! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By klee - September 10 - 7:30 pm

  Its a question of when and not if with regards to problems you will have with this car. I averaged a trip to the dealership every single month I had the car. Countless hours of my time wasted on getting all sorts of problems fixed. tire wheel bearing, reflash of radio, reflash of software, transmission valve, cam shaft, fuel injectors, spark plug, broken low horn, broken left speaker (non-standard speaker size so no aftermarking without fabrication), peeling of paint on radio, hard down shifting, cracked cv joint and of course, the excessive burning of oil! (well over a quart every 1k miles, was told this was normal! oh come on!) unless you like living at vw dealerships, AVOID!!!

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  Great car! - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Thomas - September 10 - 3:53 pm

  We have had the car for about a month now and love it! We have had a Buick Rendezvous for five years, so we really did not know how we would like being in a little car and riding down low to the ground - but we really like how it feels on the road. It is surprisingly smooth on the highway as we took a recent two-hour trip that was very comfortable. In town we love how it handles in traffic with its peppy engine. It is not a luxury car, but a fun sports car. Our friends and family are surprised how roomy it is inside when they ride in it for the first time.

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  Biodiesel 03 TDI - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Eric J - September 10 - 2:36 am

  Bought an 03 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with 60,000 miles on it. I drove it home, changed the fuel filter and oil and filled up with 100% ASTM certified biodiesel. Now we get avg. 47 mpg hwy and run on domestically produced renewable fuel! The 177 ft lbs. of torque gives this car all the muscle anyone needs to cruise at 70 and have a good time on the road.