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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  What a piece of crap - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By joemahn - October 12 - 2:00 am

  This is the single most unreliable car I have ever purchased. I purchased this car for my daughter in April 04 and have had nothing but problems. Check engine light is constantly on, requiring oxygen sensors, air sensors etc. Also, problems with the remote, including the car locking automatically with the keys inside. Windows have come off the track. The car interior is all cheap plastic resulting in broken cup holder, broken glove compartment and the list goes on.

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  What a mistake - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By vwgoof - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Ive driven Volkswagens since 1982, time to move on! The lease was up on my Golf so I took advantage of a special lease deal on the Passat. MAJOR MISTAKE. Warning lights on the dash signal impending doom and then just reset at random, Dealer says just ignore no big deal. Car cant track a line down the road, wanders off on every bump, joint, and groove(Steering Suspension and/or Tires?), Dealers answer, deflate the tires!! Car is hard to control when it is windy,(I live in a windy state!)car changes lanes before steering inputs have any effect! Dealers answer, see above. Newest fun, gas fumes coming in through vents immediately after start up, to the dealer again! Internet search, LEMON LAW!

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  A disappointment - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By MylastVW - October 10 - 2:00 am

  This is my third VW and when I drove it from the dealers lot, I was very pleased. Since then there has been the problem with wear and ride of my Good year Eagles (dealer replaced), the springs popping out of my from seats, the MAF sensor ($400 for the part), the constantly blown driver side break light, the dead alternator (36,000 mi, $850 to replace), and finally the front window lift failures (acknowledged as a defect by VW after many years). And need I say the long wait times for a maintenance appointment at the dealer.

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  Wouldnt buy it - 2007 Volkswagen Touareg
  By miamicustoemr - October 10 - 1:33 am

  Car is too heavy, get ready for changing brakes and tires every 20K miles even with my wife driving it. Worse warranty in the industry. poor pick up performance due also to the weight. Horrible customer service, road side assistance sent my car to another dealer across town and it was sitting in the parking lot, no one knew about the car even after being assure by the customer service department that they had received the car. If you must buy this car I suggest at least never buy from south motors in Miami.

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  Im an Idiot - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By quest - October 9 - 10:20 pm

  I bought this car brand new, two weeks later when washing it I discovered what looked like the back window had been broken and replaced. Long story short, it had been broken during transport and nobody knew...? The best they would do is give me free maintenance for two years as compensation. Then while fixing the window, they broke a strut in the trunk. They just fixed that and now my heater is broken, no air and no heat. My speakers seem cracked, they found nothing. The car revved high and the light came on, they again found nothing. I have under 6,000 miles on this car. Im "farfromgroovin" right now!

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  Love my car but I hate the repair bills! - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By Dianna - October 4 - 9:02 pm

  I bought my car used in Feb of 2012 with 70K miles on it. I was happy to find a 3.6L AWD version. We paid $15.1K. This car is my 4th VW. Im a huge VW fan, and have only driven VW. The good things, I like about the car: AWD system-it grips well!, the ride is really comfortable-it makes a great trip car! Leather seats (I prefer it), 6 disc in dash CD player, cargo room is huge, roof rails (I bought a rack that attaches to them), Sport shifting option (taking off is fun!), rear seats can be made flat to haul stuff (which makes a lot of room!). The bad: the clear coat on both my fenders are peeling off, my passenger door lock doesnt always work-sometimes it locks and other times it doesnt. It will alarm if the door is opened at least!, the Leather is cheap-I already have a huge tear and 2 tiny tears in the drivers seat, The film around the window, emergency brake, and radio buttons are peeling off the plastic, the rear hatch does not open when I use the button-I have to pull on the hatch to open it. I have had to send the car in for 2 major repairs. One was because the rear alignment was way off because the car had been in an accident when the former owner had it. I dont blame VW for this, I knew it had been in an accident however I thought it was the front end of the car. I went through 2 tires before I took it to the dealership and they told me I had to repair a bent rear A arm ($700 repair). The rear alignment went from 3 degrees out of spec to 0.7 degrees. The other major repair was for a bad sensor. Over the 3 years I have the car, we have spent approximately $3K for repairs and such on the car. I thought about trading it in for a 2013 Tiguan but I only have $5K left to pay on the car and we just bought a house. Im hoping the car will last until the next model comes out however, I am doubting the quality of the newer version considering what I have had go wrong on this car (excluding the alignment issue). I currently have ~110K miles on the car (as of 7/15). I am hoping the new wagon model (coming out in 2017 in the US) will have better quality than this model and that my next check engine light will not be a major repair where I have to shell out at least $500 to get it repaired....

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  Money Pit - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By Never Again - September 28 - 3:30 pm

  The check engine / emissions light came on within months of the purchase (new) and hasnt been off for more than two weeks since then...and Ive owned the car for five years now. I have put about $7,000 into repairs for this car and still it leaks coolant and cant get the emissions light off. The plastic panel parts were cracked and ugly within months for no reason, the adhesive for the fabric around the windows melted in the AZ heat within two summers, and the plastic peels around the handles and looks really bad. This is with EXCELLENT care and maintenance / hand washing. I wont buy a VW again! And, I dont recommend VW to anyone else, either!

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  Blown Engine - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By ET - September 26 - 5:40 am

  Owned since Jan 2004. New off ship. Just had to replace engine at 43k. Cost $15k. VW of America and Germany no help. Constant electrical issues with car. (think that was the reason for the blown engine--faulty warning system). Poor gas mileage, tire wear, dealerships will admit they are a problem. Check VW LEMONS on the net to see how many problems with the Touareg. Springfield Imports in Missouri were zero help. I have had 4 VWs but never ever again. I think the people that say how great the car is want to convince themselves they made a good decision. I admit it. I made a dumb mistake paying about $50,000 for the Touareg.

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  Lemon - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By 1998 new beetle - September 24 - 10:36 pm

  This car has been a lemon since we purchased. We have spent over 22 thousand dollars in repairs. As we speak the car is broken again. We spent more in repairs than we paid for the car. I called the corporate office for Volkswagen, their comment was that they could do nothing about. The car has been broken down ever few months apart from the lat. Each visit is always 1 or 2 thousand if not more. I would not take another one of these cars if it was given to me.

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  BuyerBware - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Beyond Frustrated - September 20 - 11:00 am

  Many miles logged on this unreliable vehicle, with MANY service/repair trips to dealer after less than 1 year/8K miles. Elecrical system, warning light problems, trim breaking/falling apart - little annoyances = BIG frustrations! Even more frustrating is wasted time spent trying to make an expensive new car "right". A difficult life lesson, and major ouch on depreciation! Maybe I could give it away and claim a tax deduction? I was told 2005 Touareg has the "bugs" worked out - Would you like to spend 40K+ to find out? (I think not!) Getting ready to clash with VW on a "solution" - this car IS a LEMON (whether they admit it or not).