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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  James Bond meets NASCAR - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Russ - July 2 - 5:36 am

  Traded in my old dapper 2003 Passat V6 4Motion for this bigger, wilder animal. V6 is extraordinarily responsive and gets better mileage than I feared-- about 30 on the highway, maybe 15 in town, a few mpg better than my old Passat. Although steering gives less feedback, as others have said, it corners precisely and enthusiastically while the wide, low tires grip tenaciously. Slaloming at high speed on twists and around corners at night, watching pivoting headlights track is a sublimely James Bond movie experience. No defects after 3-plus weeks. Ride is a little busy, but comfortable seats absorb little bumps well. Much appreciated front legroom, good GPS.

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  Great value! - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By vaflixio - July 1 - 2:50 pm

  Promised my wife and self I would lower mo. lease payment. Saved $150 per mo.and will save $100 addl. in gas as well. Cant believe how station wag. Could feel like my Miata sports car! Car is "rock solid"inside and out. Only neg. Has been a rattle from pass. Side seat belt Post. Dealer says its design- related and cant be fixed. Only happens going over sizable bump. Love drive, comfort, gas mileage and looks.

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  Best looking car on the road today - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Greg - June 29 - 11:13 pm

  I looked at the Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Acuras. The CC looks better than all of them, and has an incredibly large trunk, with a back-seat that also folds down. The technology package is awesome - even accepts a mini-flash card for music, and plays DVD movies while waiting. Another cool feature is the "auto-hold brake. It automatically holds the car until you press the accelerator - great in rush hour traffic. This is a great car and excellent value. Its design will last at least 10 years or more.

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  BEST CAR I"VE DRIVEN IN MY LIFE - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Wolf12 - June 29 - 12:30 pm

  The cars interior design is one of the best when it comes to a sedan of its class. The vehicle is very well detailed, the mileage per gallon is rock solid 25 in city and 30 in highway. Comfort on top of comfort, beautiful leather seats, and all except for the driver seat fold down to give an spacious way to carry your personal stuff. The most beautiful in handling and the acceleration is awesome when in an emergency.

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  Black Turbo Launch - 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
  By 2012beetle - June 28 - 6:00 pm

  My 2012 Beetle is a blast to drive. It feels great in the curves and shoots out of them with a force. It very comfortable and the arrangment inside makes since and everything is handy for use. BIG PROBLEM - The drivers door automatic window does not function correctly. From day one it does not close all the way and takes 5-6 attempts to get it to go all the way up. It has been rained in two times already because of this. I took it to the dealer and they say there is no problem and if there is its because of the window tint. I explained it has had a problem since day one and that there are numerous complaints across the internet regarding the same problem.

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  Perfect small car - 2003 Volkswagen Golf
  By ilikegermancars - June 28 - 10:00 am

  Luckily for me, my mother loved the car just as much as i did and she was willing to part with her money in order for me to have a car. Ive had the car for about a month now and i really enjoy it. It blows a civic and any ford out of the water. The sound system is immaculate, and the cabin is much better designed than my fathers civic and siblings fords. I look foward to see how it will perform five years from now. For the meantime though, im gonna enjoy my vw.

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  Best Value for Money - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By carnut - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I shopped them all FX35 and 45 ,ML500 too old a design, BMW 4.4 doesnt compare, the only one in the same league was the Land Rover Range Rover at 75 large. For 33k less Ive got an equally good on and off road car. Gas mileage is about as I expected am averaging 16 mpg. but I wanted the grunt of the big V8 and I loveit. By the way it runs well on regular. Its a great car and my hats oiff to VW for creating it. It fills a huge void in the SUV fdield, fit finish and build quality are as good as it gets. It drives and handles great as well, and off road its in a league of its own. Cant say enough good things about it.

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  Great car, burns some oil - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By uhermes - June 28 - 10:00 am

  The Jetta 2002 Wagon is my first new car that I bought. I really like it (handling, gas consumption, design). The only problem that I ran into is its consumption of oil on my 2.0l engine. The dealership tells me it is okay to burn up to a quart every 1000miles. My car burns about half of that. This sounds more like these old two stroke East German engines. No new car should burn oil (after the first 1000miles), this is ridiculous! As a native German, I cant believe that VW is telling this to its customers here. After completing my offical oil consumption test, I will get the "1qt/1000miles" statement in writing and call Wolfsburg!

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  I love this car - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Corder - June 27 - 1:13 am

  I had a VW Jetta before I bought my Passat, I loved both but the passat has a lot more room and lots of power. It is also a very stylish car.

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  2006 Jetta TDI 5 speed Manual - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Bob Jetta - June 26 - 2:30 pm

  The is car is great for commuting. It gets 40 to 50 mpg depending on how you drive it. It has excellent air conditioning. I am 6 2" and the driver seat adjusts very low and goes very far back so I can easily look out of the windshield without ducking. If you are tall, you now what I mean. It has an excellent turning radius, great torque on hills, and fast acceleration. I am very happy with the stereo system, package #2 with heated seats and leather etc... The stereo is not quite as nice as the Bose in my wifes Nissan Maxima but it is good quality and plays MP3s with a 6 disc CD changer. I have no complaints since I got what I wanted, a comfortable 4 door sedan with a stick that has good set of options and will get 50 mpg. I drove 200 miles home from dealer getting 47.7 mpg.