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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  Problems with replacement coils! - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By KJWCT - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Problems with ignition coils still exist with the new, replacement - yes, replacement - coils. Just had one replaced today! Car is just not reliable. Its too bad.

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  Nice Car - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jim from MA - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Nice car to drive, comfort, features and some power in a midsize car. I love the extras that VW packs in their cars and the 4 motion system is a plus to have in new england. I cant wait to use it in snow. The car has become the household favorite due to features and ammenities. I traded a 2002 Jetta which was nice but small. I like the VW experience. This is an impressive car and i have 13K miles on it after afeww months of ownership

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  VW MKV GTI - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By bigmiza - April 8 - 8:06 am

  I love the car. I looked at other cars such as the Civic SI and Subaru WRX, but I fell in love with the VW. I love the design, both exterior and interior. The performance is great, when requested. I love the ride--a great balance between comfort & performance.

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  Well I had enough - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By lemurees - April 7 - 10:03 pm

  Just got rid of my brand new(when I bought it) 2006 Auto Beetle convertible and I am relieved. Powertrainwise everything was great, but I just wanted to forewarn anyone that you will have lots of small problems. And off warranty I am sure these problems will cost $$$. Lets just say an oil change was $80-120. Over a 2 year period I added that it cost me over $400 in oil changes and PM. The dealership was a rip-off and the only reason I had the oil changed there was I ALWAYS had something to have fixed, including the conv. top not coming back up. I can go on. I traded it in with a broken headlight! Anyway I bought a new car with PM included. The beetle is nice if it is not your only!

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  2011 Tiguan 2.0L turbo rattles!!! - 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By howieb38 - April 7 - 5:37 pm

  I bought this 2011 Tiguan because I also bought a 2010 VW Passat wagon. Unfortunately the Tiguan has an annoying rattle in the engine when ever I accelerate from a stop and cuts out at about 3000 RPM. Ive had it to two dealers and they claim its normal for the engine?? When I explain that I also own a 2010 Passat with the exact same engine and theres no rattle sound, they say "That is normal for this car". I cant believe that VW wont acknowledge that theres a problem. I would return it and buy another brand if I could, but after going back and forth with VW for three months, Im stuck with this lemon. Its a $40,000 mistake. Its also the last VW Ill ever buy.

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  Cool Car - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By vj_sant - April 7 - 10:00 am

  Always drove a Toyota. Bought my cc, have it for 2 weeks drives great, Exterior /interiors superb. Got lot of compliments on it.

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  Great car - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By dave - April 6 - 11:20 pm

  After 22 months of ownership, this car beats all others that I have owned. NO trips to the dealer for anything but scheduled service, great performance and comfort, pretty good fuel economy (29 average city/hwy, goes down to 27 when driving 80+ on highway)--and it cost $26,000. Surprising amount of interior space--holds 4 adults comfortably for short and medium trips.

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  1st Month - No buyers remorse yet - LOL - 2016 Volkswagen Golf
  By New Golfer - April 6 - 6:23 am

  Got a 16 SE on closeout. Had I been able to get it with a manual, Id be supremely happy, as Id say the only flaw in this otherwise fine machine is the odd and irritating shifting of the auto transmission. The computer and I are rarely in agreement. I find it to be over-eager to upshift and then lug (esp. on an incline) at 900 RPM or so, and in so doing, the normally peppy demeanor of the car is lost. It also seems to get confused when coasting, downshifting as one decelerates, only to then think the revs are too high and upshift again, and then back again. This issue aside, I continue to be impressed with the Golfs able handling, surprisingly good noise isolation for such a small car, firm seats, logical controls, clean design and other general German virtues. Just wish I could have gotten the SEs 17" rims and leather seats on the S, OR a manual tranny on the SE. But ultimately my aversion to the Ss 15" rims outweighed my desire for a manual transmission (not available on the SE).

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  When youre battery dies... - 2014 Volkswagen Beetle
  By H. J. K. - April 5 - 6:23 pm

  When youre battery dies. Its will give you every warning in the book. Key not in range. Key defective. Brake error. Parking break. When youre battery finally fails (no indication other than the key) it basically does what a normal car does. Doesnt start. Bit goes though this weird every error thing. I REPLACED THE BATTERY IN MY FOR. it was a stupid dead battery. I wasnt stupid enough to pay the reprogramming fee to discover this (99$) thank God. I needed a jump and a new battery. The car didnt indicate that at all. Runs great now.

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  2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Mir - April 5 - 2:13 am

  I bought my Volkswagen passat brand new in 2003 with 0 miles. Weve owned it for about 5 years now and it has 41,000 today, barely driven people, only driven to work (5 miles away) and back to the garage. today I regret ever getting this Volkswagen, 2 weeks after the purchase the stereo threw me an error code and it turned out the whole unit needed replacing (warranty). Ive never experienced so many recalls in a single vehicle, heated seats started burning (recall), brake light switch (recall), fuel pump (recall), engine heat shield (recall), replaced whole front drive shaft at 30k ($400), replaced water pump at 40k ($450). Over all I have had nothing but problems.