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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  I had a bad experience - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JuliaCVT - September 25 - 10:03 am

  This was my first VW. I leased it for 3 years and cant wait to give it back. It took 5 trips to the dealership before they could figure out why the engine light kept coming on (bad fuel- injector sensors), I had a front bearing go, a broken front axle, and had the drivers seat heater shorted out with me in the seat. This will be my last VW.

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  Solid car, MSRP pricey - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mike ogle - September 25 - 1:13 am

  This is third Jetta we have owned, Bought new body style, $28K MSRP 5spd chosen to try and improve power of 2.5 and package 2 which puts it near to entry level luxury vehicles but so does the price. Interior design is superb, tops in class I would say, high quality plastics for most part, with a few cost cutting exceptions. Black exterior with beige interior and real wood accents, very impressive. Leather seats have held up well, no wear apparent after 64K miles. Reliability problems have been minimal with exception of stereo system which has been disappointing. Overall a nice vehicle, plan on moving to a used Audi A4 in next few months to upgrade handling and power

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  Painfully unreliable - 2004 Volkswagen Golf
  By Peter - September 21 - 7:43 pm

  We liked it all till we had it a week. The weather turned cold. The car had no heat, replaced the computer. Had to go back numerous times to find the problem. Still not good heat. Would not start. Ignition key assembly replaced. Glow plugs quit. Other electrical controls faulty. Car jerks and bucks. Transmission controls were replaced through a complete removal, repair, replace. Still not fixed. Very noisy rubber bushings in the rear were replaced but needs it again. Economy is about 38-40 mpg, not the 65 that was advertised. There are numerous annoying squeaks and rattles in the dash and front doors. VW dealership is trying, and the warranty is still working. Ouch!

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  Need quality control - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By VW owner - September 20 - 7:53 pm

  I have owned this car for more than 6 years, never has any major work done on it. The only dealer repairs that I had made was a leaky crank shaft boot, and a couple of recalls. The ride still solid and sound. I have only paid for new brakes and 4 new tires at 60,000 miles, and scheduled maintencance. But the little stuff like the dash board back light, the hood release latch (cost $200 to replace), a broken mirror control switch ($70), were coughed out from my own pocket. Also the car had a few glitches during the warranty period, i.e. air bag sensor, trunk lock. I guess they should use better quality parts at the plant. But other than these, I still like my car.

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  ITS NOT A BMW OR A BENZ - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By glaxowelc - September 20 - 2:00 am

  The Passat is a wonderful car and despite the reviews title, I do like mine. In my opinion, it falls far short of either the BMW or the Benz in most categories but, it doesnt cost over $45,000 either. This more than makes up for any of the cars shortfalls. German engineering at a bargain price.

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  So far so good - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By bostonbrian - September 18 - 10:00 am

  What can I say..yea the fuel economy..however as far as SUVs are concerned it should be a less important issue. Quality I had a simple recall to fix a rubber piece of somekind took about 45 mins to complete. Waiting for the snow to come to really put it through its paces. Great emergency handleing in wet weather. The V6 has to work to carry the weight but does the job well enough. the S (sport) mode I feel makes a difference. I only wish that they would allow the United States market to receive manual transmissions. It was hard for me to choose between the BMW X5 and this VW. But I had a VW Jetta GLI 6 speed and loved it in the summer, not so happy with it in the winter..but this year....

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  Great Machine - 2011 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By robert perez - September 18 - 3:23 am

  I is one of the greatest pace of machine I even had.

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  6 year review - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By bjss - September 17 - 9:13 am

  Bought the car new in 3/2002, very fun to drive. However, would agree that it is expensive to maintain. Oil changes and recommended mileage checkups are not cheap. Have read many postings about changing the timing belt between 60-70K (VW manual recommends 90K), plan to do, but will run 1000-1200K at an independent shop ($1500 at dealership). Concerned about oil sludge issues since the dealership did not use full synthetic until VW announced it should be standard (2004).

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  2002 GTI 1.8T Tiptronic -- 41,000 miles. - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By Gigi - September 16 - 3:23 pm

  I purchased my GTI in 2004 with 22,000 miles on it. It is now at 41,000 miles. Issues: sunroof rails changed, new ECU programming, driver side passenger seat heat system replaced, airbag light went on - changed resistor in driver seat, arm rest latch snapped, and coils changed, coolant latch changed. Small issues that are annoying, but overall car is super fast and consistent: red line it all the time, mechanically super sound. These are small gremlins that once resolved give you no more headaches, Fortunately I got all of the issues described taken care of in first two months of ownership. Now I just do scheduled maintenance and fill up with gas and GO. For a beater car, this is not dissappointing at all, and did I say it is SO FAST.

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  Some bad things some good things - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Not Too Happy - September 15 - 2:00 am

  Ok, it has been a good car but there have been some problems. First, in the last three months we have heard a rattling sound in the car....Over head cam tensioner needs replacing...., the running day lights have gone out twice...cheap bulbs burn out. The turning lights switch burnt out...needed replacing. Overall a good vehicle but beware it does not get mileage in stop and go. I live in NYC and my city mileage is like 170 miles on a full tank (12 gals). Better for surburban or rural open roads type atmosphere. Would probably have bought an SUV...