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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  Stay Away!! - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Liz - June 2 - 9:09 am

  WORST car to own! I have had it for 3 months and it has given me more problems than any other car i have ever owned! It is not worth your time and MONEY! omg. So many electrical problems and the inside is just falling apart! Dont let the cuteness fool you! Lesson learned here!!!!

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  Almost killed us! - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By kiddycargo3 - May 31 - 7:23 pm

  We have had this thing in the shop 7times over two months when you add up all the days. 9 recalls, tons of electrical issues including the sensors not working on the side doors and smashing my two year old twice! The biggest issue was when I was driving my three kids going 40mph and the engine shutoff and I had no power steering or brakes! we almost smashed into a dump truck! God was watching over us and as I was somewhat able to turn the wheel and took out half the landscaping at MC Donalds right before I hit the dumpster the brake came on! Took it in and the computer was bad and come to find out there was a fuse missing this whole time. VW said well we put in a new computer and fuse sorry!

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  Dont buy a Volkswagen - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By briang - May 22 - 1:30 am

  Ive had my Volkswagen Jetta a year now and it is the worst vehicle that I have ever owned. I am constantly at the shop spending money and Volkswagen does not help with the repairs at all, even though they should. I will never buy a car from Volkswagen again. My advice is buy from another manufacturer. Everything from the stereo, the moonroof, the center counsel, the cup holders, the starter, the windows, ingition coil, the break lights, and the transmission breaks. And thats not all. Dont buy a Volkswagen... You will regret it 10 fold. You would be better off with the Accord. Dont say I didnt warn you.

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  Worst Car I have ever owned - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Frank - May 9 - 9:11 am

  I bought new in 2010. The combined cost of warranty and non-warranty (my cost) has surely exceeded the purchase price of the vehicle in 150K miles. It has spent much of the last 4 months in the dealer shop and they finally admit they cant fix it. Problems started around 10K miles when VW replaced a $7000 part in the exhaust system - this is crazy. Then the problems just went on - 3 times the cruise control failed; several sensors and relays have failed; wiring too close to exhaust part have burned; the particulate filter clogged; the started failed; the waste gate has been freed up at least 3 times; the radio failed; the ECM failed; and now the turbo actuator and a sensor have failed. This is my 11th and last VW.

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  Dont buy this vehicle - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Justin - May 5 - 8:42 am

  Im purchased a few VW now but I think this is the final one. My first car was a VW so there is a bit of nostalgia, but its gone on long enough. So I purchased this vehicle used two years ago. Its a 2006 Passat 3.6 4Motion. The acceleration, driving, etc is quite good... but the reliability and built in flaws of the car make it worthless. Specifically, when I purchased it a few weeks later one of the shocks sheared off and I had to replace that. Then, a week ago several things occurred at once and its mind numbingly bad. Ill list the issues and the associated prices so you can gasp with me: 1. Headlights. These are HID, so they should be pricey. However, VW cant figure out how to design product, so they literally blocked one of the headlight entry ports with the windshield wiper fluid case. YOU CANT CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT WITHOUT REMOVING THE BUMPER. This is a thing. Im not lying. Somebody literally built a car and blocked the headlights so you cant change them without taking the bumper off. Cost to change headlights? $800. Thats not a joke, its $800 to change the headlights. Not even the highbeams. Just the stinking low beams. $800. 2. The trunk logo is inset... and when water gets in the inset it causes it to rust out. So I have a huge rust tramp stamp on the back of my VW because the engineer decided that having an inset logo with a well for water to sit in made sense. Price: Whatever a used trunk goes for since itll be more expensive to have the entire thing sanded. At least $600+ 3. Some random pipe broke in the engine when the headlights went out: $400 4. Super duper awesome fuel pump: $1,200+ What the what? In a world where replacing headlights and a fuel pump costs $2k... yeah, stay away from VW. The first Passat I had years ago had issues, this one has issues, and the engineering is just ridiculous. Next week Ill find out that they glued the tires to the wheels for some crazy reason and I have to replace the entire wheel when a tire goes flat. Derp.

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  Where can I start - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Tomy - March 30 - 10:00 am

  This car realy dissapointed me deeply. So much could be better.

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  A Good Deal? - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Joe - March 19 - 6:33 pm

  I stole this Beetle for $18,000 new! But...the trunk doesnt work and the gas mileage is 14 mpg! Docs right about the wind tunnel and Meyer about the lack of lumbar support. It has no power seats, no power top, no power mirrors, a bad stereo, plenty of spacious blind spots both in the front and rear, starter problems, noisy brakes, and sloppy shifting. I love its looks and it is fun to drive when it runs. Heck, the $18,000 would make a good down payment on a better car, you know?

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  The Lemonader - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Irv King - March 5 - 5:13 pm

  I purchased a new 2003 Passat GL 4-door sedan. Not including regular maintenance, here are the repairs headings taken directly from my receipts: CV Boot. MOC Cleaner. Light bulb. Power steering Pump. Battery. Coolant Leak. Serpentine belt, AC belt. Power steering pressure hose. Timing Belt. Brake light. CV boot. Driver headlight. Coolant leak. Transmission fluid leak. Cam tensioner seal leak. Rear coolant flange coolant leak. Axle boot. Engine & transmission mounts. Coolant leak. Master Power Window switches. Vacuum check valves and connecting hoses. Automatic transmission service. Brake boost vacuum mechanical failure. Headlamp. Coolant bottle and multiple coolant leaks. Axles/CV boots/CV joints. Recharge A/C system. Power steering leak. Glove box door latch broken/replaced. Coolant leak. Thermostat cover. Engine leak/pan gasket. Axles/CV boots/CV joints. Passenger headlamp. Radiator hose leak. Front lower spoiler and hoot strut replaced. Rear shocks and front upper link bushings. Splash guard/front grill replaced. Anti-lock brake system. Cooling system and oil leak. An average of more than $3,000 a year for repairs over the last 6 years. Worst car I have ever owned. THE LEMONADER.

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  GARBAGE! - 2018 Volkswagen Atlas
  By mike1964882@yahoo.com - February 2 - 9:36 pm

  $50K for a basic car! Does not have any instrumentation! No TPMS! No Battery Volt Gauge, No Engine Oil Pressure, No Engine Oil temp, No Trans temp. Horrible gas mileage 22 hwy 15 city. Three dealerships and no one knows anything about this SUV?! The service dept does not know anything the parts department the sales department. DO NOT BUY! You can buy a basic toyota, honda subaru ford chevy anything and get critical gauges and TPMS!

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  Junk - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By Themistaken - January 20 - 8:10 am

  I do not not like anything about this car. I had it for one month and had to take it back. It was slow, the styling stunk, and the seats were uncomfortable. I am a huge VW fan. I race their cars on a touring circuit, and have two corrados, a 93 GTI, and a 97 Jetta, but this one by far is the worst that I have ever seen, sat in, and driven.