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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  Yet another lemon New Beetle - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By onclewillie - November 27 - 1:36 pm

  The worst VW I have ever owned. Hideous number of electrical problems with multiple trips to the dealer for air bags, engine indicator lights, turn signals and so on. Transmission died a few miles from expiration. I actually pulled to the side of the road, called the dealer on my cellular phone and reported the problem and gave them the mileage a told them the problem occurred UNDER warranty. The timing belt broke, roughly a 300 buck fix, but it took out all but 2 valves. Cost over 3,000 to put back on the road and then more problems with the exhaust and gaskets. Now the turbo makes a funny, and not ha-ha, noise and I am looking at my fourth set of tires. Will never own another VW.

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  Dont buy this car ! - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Mary - November 27 - 8:20 am

  I have a love hate relationship with my car. When its running, I love it the feel of the wheel and the way it handles the road. Unfortunately I didnt know of the known electrical problems until they started happening to me. From the first month of ownership this car has made repeated visits to the dealership. The electrical sleeve had to be replaced on the driver side because the wires broke, are they kidding? I had the ignition replaced, tires 2x, brakes... electrical components and more electrical components... Poor paint, it blisters in the summer and it wears off.

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  Nice car, when it isnt in the shop - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Werewolf - November 22 - 4:56 pm

  This is one of the best driving cars I have ever had. Fast, quick, and amenities up the wazoo. I love the nice leather, rain sensor, Monsoon sound, and tight feel of the car. Unfortunately, this is not ofset by reasonable reliability, and has been the worst car I have EVER owned for reliablilty. In the shop over nine times for major things, not to mention the minor ones. Transmission lock, coolant leak, two coils, three O2 sensors, window fell, fuel pump relay, and on and on. I guess the really bad part is that VW just doesnt seem to care...

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  POS in nice skin - 2014 Volkswagen CC
  By geo40 - November 20 - 11:07 am

  Its a money pit. Talk about high maintainance German cars. Have to replace the tires every 30K miles. Water pump went out at 60K. Oil leak at tensioner at 65K miles. Rear break pads wearing out before fronts. Each of those cost me over $1K a pop. Not good for a $35K vehicle when purchased new. Long time ago, I had a 1980 Datsun 510, carburator, manual. It went to 200K miles with oil changes only. Think the Germans have learned how to make reliable cars? They have not. They have learned very well how to drain your bank account. And for reference, Ive had a BMW Z3 and A Mercedez C240. Same high maintainance POS in pretty skin.

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  Consumer Reports Top Pick? - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By gojo - November 18 - 7:20 pm

  Two weeks after we bought the car, we were smelling oil. It took the dealer two weeks to fix all the leaks, they had to redo the top half of the motor. We later found out it was the second time these repairs were made in 40,000 miles - luckily all under warranty. It needed a new air sensor, two new air pumps, new a/c hoses, and new rotors. Both the front blinker assemblies fell out while driving the car (within eight months of each other). The parts man at the VW dealer said this happens frequently. All of these problems in 50,000 miles. Now it needs over $1,000 in preventative maintenance. What do you think?

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  Long term value - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By javoice - November 18 - 1:08 pm

  Lets see what I should say about this car: with $10,000 HPFP failures, sunroofs which doesnt close, doors which doesnt shut right, intercoolers which ice up in cold weather, rear cupholders which get stuck even after dealer fix it and more Fact: no car is perfect but also the fact is how many cars are out there which can devlep a mechanical failure which cost more than 1/3 of the price of the car to fix it? Another sad fact is the company which doesnt take responsibility to admit to the problem and blames the poor quality fuel. It is not like that the fuel quality was good here before! I made a mistake to buy one. Thats all! READ VW FORUM

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  Not worth it in the long run - 2007 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Dont get excited - November 17 - 1:23 pm

  A car is supposed to be a reliable transportartion and reliable it is not. Too many trips to the service department, too many recalls, too many service lights coming on worrying me about even more problems. I see likewise frustrated people at the service counter everytime I come in. Im charged an arm and a leg every time, without a guarantee that the fix will work. A 10 year old KIA has had no problems. I got too excited about aesthetics of it. But the features dont work and have to be repeatedly fixed. If only I read more reviews of long-term owners. Never another VW again. They are nice when on the dealer lot, but in reality too much trouble.

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  Most unreliable car I have ever owned - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By NMS - November 16 - 10:00 am

  The Jetta GLX is a fun car to drive the engine is powerful, the handling is great and the brakes are respectable. Unfortunately this car is so unreliable I can not recommend it. So far I have experienced a fuel sensor failure, a broken center console clip, a coil pack failure, spark plug wire failure, a catalytic converter failure and a mass airflow sensor failure. To make the situation worse the car only came with a 24k mile basic warranty so I had to pay for the coil pack, wires and mass airflow sensor myself. If you are in the market for a new car avoid the Jetta GLX.

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  Pain in the back - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By tac724 - November 14 - 12:56 am

  I have had more trouble with this car than I care to admit. I got more frustrated because I like the way the car drives but I have had to replace so many parts in this car from an oxygen sensor 3 times to the turbo engine at 40,000. That is ridiculous! The dealerships want to rake the consumer over the coals in price of repair!

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  I will never buy another Volkswagen - 2011 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By mary jean byrne-maisto - November 11 - 9:40 am

  2/17/17: I sold the car to a volkswagen enthusiast shortly after posting this review. VW dealer offered a paltry buy back amount. I sold it for Edmunds suggested price. Since then I bought a Subaru because I live in snow country. I have to admit I miss having a peppy, manual transmission. But the VW was NOT good in snow, and I still find it exploitative that they willingly misled the consumer. I have owned the car since 2011. I bought it for the mpg and low emissions. I had heard about the expense of maintaining a volkswagen because of high repair costs but bought it anyway. Within a year the door hinges started squeaking as if the car were 10 years old. After a year, I periodically notice a diesel fumes smell when I start the car. It comes and goes. When I asked the dealer about it, they didnt understand the reason and said they never found it. Finally, a professor at SUNY Morrisville in the Auto Tech school identified that it may be some type of self cleaning filter. There is no repair for it. It just happens. The road noise can hinder conversation. The car has needed more small things done in a shorter time than any other car Ive owned. Ive had 2 Subarus and Hondas and Toyotas. The dashboard is an odd mix of basic, old fashioned dials and updated more technologically advanced controls. I didnt mind that at first. I figured thats how they kept costs down. If it aint broken, dont fix it. But the first time I needed to adjust the heating system while driving, I changed my mind. The icons around the dial for heating and AC are small and not easily visible from the drivers seat. They are located at the bottom right of the control panel under the radio. The defrosters are not sturdy or efficient enough for the winter climate where I live, or even spring and summer foggy, humid rainy weather. Windows stay fogged for a long time, and the edges of the front windshield never fully clear of snow or slush. The back seat windows remain fogged. The heated seats are nice. It is not a great snow car despite excellent snow tires. I have learned to avoid particular hilly streets in the snow. I never had to do that with my other cars. It sits very low to the ground which can make exit and entry awkward and gives little clearance for dirt, mud, snow and gravel. The doors are also very heavy. There isnt much headroom but Im only 57" so I fit. My father at 5 11" did not fit easily. Driver visibility is poor on the right and left of the front windshield. Ive had multiple mechanical problems in addition to the door hinges that I did not experience on other cars at the same ages. The car is a difficult to repair. Frequently small parts cannot be acquired individually but must come as part of an entire assembly which elevates the costs of repairs considerably. Add to all of that the deceptions VW deliberately committed regarding emissions standards and the appeal of the car hits rock bottom for me. I will never buy another volkswagen.