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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  Cute Car for everyday driver.. - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Antonella - September 13 - 10:26 am

  Ive owned my jetta gls for almost 2yrs. Never had any major problems. However i bought the cloth interior and it is HORRIBLE. Every piece of lint sticks to it and its really difficult to clean. Spend the $ for leather. Its not a very quick car, if you want something fun, this is not the car for you, something pratical,then yes. Im thinking of buying something with a little more power. 115 horsepower is pretty minimal. Cute car for a first time driver.

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  Great Golf TDI - 2005 Volkswagen Golf
  By Billsbuddie - September 13 - 8:53 am

  This is my 4th VW and all have been diesels. This car now has 15,000 miles and my last tank yielded 46 MPG. It is a manual and I drive it pretty hard, I love the torque. I have had one plastic part which broke, fixed under warranty. There have been no other problems with this car. I am 61" and experienced a bit of difficulty with getting in and out of the car, but I am no spring chicken. Once inside it is quite roomy. The back seat is a bit small for full grown adults, however, it is usually just my wife and myself so the back seat is not a problem.

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  Fun to drive, awful to own - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By j palum - September 12 - 11:50 pm

  A stone lodged in the brakes, the front grilled chipped from a small stone hitting it on the road, the front drivers side window fell inside the door on a cold day, the car had problems starting if the temperature was below 0 degrees, it also bogged down on the highway if you turned on the air conditioning, the power fuse blew and stranded my wife on the highway, the tires lasted less than 50,000 miles, the torsion bar for the trunk stiffened making it serious exercise to open the trunk, the clip on the armrest cover broke, and the "mag" wheels peeled. It handled well and got good gas mileage, but it wasnt worth the hastle.

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  I need a Chiropractor after 45 min - O, the seats! - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Thom - September 12 - 12:38 pm

  Ive owned a 2015 Passat TSI SEL for about 18 months. This is my 5th VW product over the past 40 years. Granted my other cars have been Volvos during this same period. I currently have both. Since I bought this car, I only need to drive about 45 minutes and my back is breaking. Same for my passengers. I wish VW would do something for owners of these vehicles - offer some "goodwill" or replace the seats. I think there may be an issue with DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) similar to being on an airplane. The seats are too short and therefore offer no support. The suede / leather seats are hard as a rock! Dealer told me to drive with the seat warmers on to add flexibility to the seats - pretty tough to do when its 100 degrees outside !

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  its a blast - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By AWDBurnout - September 12 - 10:00 am

  This car gets two big thumbs up in every way except for fuel economy. I love driving my R32 everyday

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  German Reliability A Thing of the Past! - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By geezer4 - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Annual maintenance costs have exceeded past cars that were 3-20 years old. The Malfunction Indicator Light is forever coming on even though mass air flow and O2 sensors have been replaced several times. The blue temperature light failed due to a short. The right side marker light fell out of the fender because the plastic clips failed. The master key with the remote control was dropped 3 feet resulting in total failure. The outside temperature indicator failed. The power window switch on the driver side has failed. The engine had significant carbon buildup requiring expensive cleaning due to other sensor failures mentioned above.

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  Awesome - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Terrence Griffin - September 12 - 10:00 am

  I love this car

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  Nothing But Problems - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By JJP143 - September 12 - 10:00 am

  I have had nothing but problems with my Passat....After taking it to the dealership for service 7 times now since I bought it for numerous problems I am now looking into Lemon Laws as Volkswagen keeps insisting that "The car is working to manufacturers specifications". What a joke!! I have had it in for service 3 times on the same issue and the dealer cannot fix the problem...Not the quality I expected from Volkswagen nor for paying the amount of money I did!

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  I get so many compliments! - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By probinso - September 12 - 10:00 am

  At the risk of jinxing myself. . . I *love* the car. I have 10K miles on it to date and the only problem was a trouble light that was fixed in a quick (free) visit to the dealer. Shell cruise at 85 all day no problem, eats traffic on the highway around town. So quiet I have to use the cruise to keep from speeding. Had to get used to downshifting more to pass -- can be sluggish in wrong gear. So pretty, people stop me on the pking lot to tell me. Great winter car with heated seats and ASR for ice.

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  Luxury on a shoestring - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Robebrown - September 12 - 10:00 am

  We looked at a lot of cars, from budget Subaru to opulent BMW 500 series. The Passat won out, not because it was the best at any one thing, but because it had more good things in one package: comfort, convenience, driveability, roominess. And the wagon is easier to parallel park than any other car Ive owned. GLX is not exactly cheap, but for the money, it gives you more than most other cars in its class.