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 should give cars away for free and charge for repair. - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By starzyd - January 6 - 6:52 am

  The 09 TDI Jetta was the worst car Ive ever owned. At 67,000 miles it fell into the exhaust manifold warranty and VW put an entire new system in my car at a value of $8,000. At 78,000 miles the ABS system went out, AC stopped working, Exhaust system failed again, and transmission was slipping. It needed $8,000 in repairs to keep running and was only worth that much for a trade in. I prayed for months that someone hit me so I could dump this car as the trade in value was only $500 bucks with all it needed. Im severely disappointed in VW. This car cost $23k to purchase and within 4 and 5 years it needed $17,000 in repairs to maintain it barely running. Stay away from this vehicle!

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  Not as good as I thought - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Vdub - January 5 - 8:53 pm

  I have loved my Jetta until today. All of sudden, I was stuck in the middle of the road because my car would not go into gear (manual transmission). I have read many complaints on the National Highway and Safety website of other owners complaining of the same problem and VW who will not take responsibility. My warranty was up less than 1000 miles ago. My car has only been driven 50,000 miles. I should not be having problems with it so soon. It is costly to fix and I am very upset. I had planned on upgrading to a Passat in 2 years because I was so happy with the Jetta, but I dont think I will.

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  Awesome Passat 2.5 - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By twmfam3 - January 5 - 5:14 pm

  Great room great fit and finish great engine, transmission, steering and braking. I push this car hard when Im on the Interstate, 80 plus mph for hours this car can run with the best and step out and lead with no problem. Change the oil 2x per year runs like a top. Great back seat room, great front passenger and driver comfort. Very well executed sedan.

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  Pretty good car - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Gml - January 5 - 5:13 pm

  I owned a 5 speed 2000 Jetta for about 7 years, bought it used with 4,000 miles on it. Overall I was really satisfied; never had any major malfunction and never got a Check Engine light on. Drove it for about 50,000 miles. I actually bought another one but automatic when I passed this on to my wife. Same good experience overall. However, did experience the issues with the locks and windows. Very hard to diagnose and repair. Fortunately got guidance on how to repair them by myself in a VW forum and fixed them all, but was hard nonetheless. It appears to be that after reaching the 8 yrs threshold, soldering joints in the electronics start to fail.

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  Wonderful car - 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton
  By phaeton II - January 5 - 4:26 pm

  I have 5000 miles on the car and it is still a good feeling to get in and drive. The fuel economy is 15 to 16 in short trip city driving. Highway speeds 70 and higher where allowed 22 to 23 mpg. The car is solid and quiet at speed. The fit and finish on this car is perfect. I would recommend this car to anyone who wants a good luxury car for a price way less than some other brands.

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  Old Faithful - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Stephen H. - January 4 - 4:49 am

  At 243K, still going strong. Needed new transmission at 230K but likely because I overuse the 5th gear at low speed to improve mileage and wore it out. My only complaint is the interior parts. Rear seat fell apart in the first week. Center console fell apart shortly after. Surprisingly rotten and cheap parts on such a worthy vehicle. Diesel needs to be treated with anti-gel for 3 months of Northeast winter and I had a pre-heater installed after the glow-plugs cooked and were too rusted in to replace. This diesel car had real trouble starting below -10F with glow plugs working and below 20F after they died so a heater really protects battery, starter and engine. Check engine light has been on for last 100k miles but that’s just something you deal with in the age of science and technology. That crap never functions right for 1/2 the life of a vehicle. Still my primary commuter as it gets 45 mpg.

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  VW Touareg iis Awesome - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Mike Kaspar - January 4 - 1:30 am

  Fun to drive Awesome car

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  Surprisingly a good little car - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By gashley2 - January 3 - 9:59 pm

  Owned a 2003 Skoda Octavia in Germany was a fun car. Bought the closes thing to it in the US. the 1.8L is fun and great on MPG! I get better mileage then the EPA rating best i got was 40MPG on a road trip! Passat has great styling i think and rides nice really luxurious for what it is. Previous owner did all the differed maintenance cv axels, fuel pump, valve cover gaskets, heater core, timing belt, water pump etc... Currently has 180,000 mile on it and I really like the car, I will drive the wheels off of this car! Great on snow with regular tires. Only thing wrong is the trans makes a LOUD slam noise when downshifts when exiting the interstate, when that goes Ill buy something else.

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  VR6 - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By Big Mac - January 3 - 10:00 am

  This car is great. Even after 71000 miles I still enjoy opening up on some deserted back road. She has lost a step or two since she was new. The windows gave he alot of trouble, finaly they got it right with the new regulator clip. No problems since. Well see after another 70000.

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  New Beetle - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Casey B - January 3 - 10:00 am

  WE bought this car used with just under 20,000 miles on it.We had a hard time finding the automatic trans. ,but really tired of shifting. This is my wifes car and I dont drive it a lot,but handling and comfort are very good and it is very quiet at freeway speeds.We already replaced a window regulator and oxygen sensor under warranty no real complaints.