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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  Great when running - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By kate001 - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I have been extremely disappointed since I bought my Jetta in November of 2001. I have been stranded and had to tow my car twice in the past three weeks from ignition coil failures (26,000 miles and 26,800 miles). The check engine light flashes randomly and the electrical controls on my car have been repaired three times. My brake switch failed at about 18,000 miles. Not a good year for the Wolfsburg. Id sale mine as soon as possible, except I would feel guilty turning it over to someone. I must say, it is a great car to drive...I just cant call it reliable.

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  2006 GLI 2.0T - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By VW - July 1 - 8:10 am

  I have had this car for 6 months and love it. Interior is much improved from my 03 GTI VR6, the ergonomics are far superior. The turbo engine is strong no matter where you catch it in the RPM band and the six speed is excellent. Features such as the trip computer, auto up/down on all the windows, and ventilated glovebox are all small features that set this car apart from its competitors. This car represents excellent value. Oh did I mention I have logged 34.5 mpg on the highway?

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  Love every minute of it! - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By ThaiChick - June 23 - 8:16 pm

  I just bought this car 2 months ago. Im not into brand new cars, I love to buy pre-owned cars, so, Ive been looking around since March 06 for a 2004 pre-owned vehicle. Nothing drives like the R32. I test drove the Nissan 350Z, Audi TT, BMW 325i, or Lexus IS 330 and none of them gave me exactly what I wanted. When I took my 2001 Jetta VR6 into service I found this R32 not knowing what it was or how special it was at that time. I asked the salesperson for test-drive and that was it! It has the kind of drive I was looking for.

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  Nice looking however? - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Ed - June 23 - 4:00 pm

  I bought my 4 cyl automatic GLS for sporty looks and was hoping for sporty performace. However, it generaly feels weak and turbo takes a long time to kick in and slows down acceleration. I have been in my freinds accords and camrys and those engines seem to have better acceleration and also seem much quiter. My turbo engine is very loud but with little to show. When I go park the car and go back to get it in it I smell engine fumes inside the car plus that engine gets very very hot. After 26K miles I know hear pumping when break at low speeds and am really concerned about expensive maintenance bills. As it is I pay for premium gas and synthetic oil!!!

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  Annoyed - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By rob - June 21 - 8:03 pm

  Car rides great, looks cool, but for a 2 year old car it has gone to the dealership too many times... engine light on, and on, and on.... they cant find the problem, glove box compartment handle broke, cost to replace it $500.00, for a simple handle, they have to repalce half of the dashboard. So broke it will stay... xenon lamps failed, very costly, but no choice, drivers seat broke, fortunately the warranty covered it... bottom line, nice looking car, great handling but will never buy a VW again and Ill get rid of ot ASAP, any takers??

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  145K and still driving - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Vdubber - June 21 - 6:23 pm

  My V6 has had some minor suspension repairs, such as 1 tie rod and an upper control arm. I think its entirely reasonable to have to replace tires, brakes and some suspension components when mileage exceeds 100K. Great car overall. Had I known it was going to last so long, Id have gone for the leather. Love the interior. Easy to upgrade and find parts after 9 years.

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  not for short trips - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Marla - June 20 - 3:40 pm

  I purchased a diesel specifically so I could run it on biodiesel made from used cooking oil. I was in touch with a good source for an unlimited supply of bio and not sending money overseas to people who dont like America so I was happy until...I had a $2,000 bill to clean the engine due to it being "carboned up". It basically stopped running because it was clogged up with carbon. My driving needs and style are mainly to blame since I take short trips, many not on the highway so the engine doesnt get to warm up and clean out. If I were still commuting 100 miles per day this would be a perfect vehicle but not for the driving Im doing now. It got 40 MPG and smelled great running bio.

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  For mpg/power mix theres nothing better - 2011 Volkswagen Golf
  By rickallen - June 20 - 2:37 pm

  I traded in an Audi A4 which was costing $$$ at the pump w only 22 mpg. I previously had a VW diesel and longed for its combo of power and efficiency that the Audi was unblanced on. VW makes a great car. Design is well above the rest of the class with clean lines and a very plush interior for the price. Puzzling, though, is VW"s decision to disable features in the software that were previously there such as comfort closing windows, coming home lights, etc that just take a check of a box in the system. How much $$ can you save by just not checking a box? That said, mpgs are great, passing power is there, utility is there, and it looks nice. Hard to complain.

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  Electrical Faults - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By mark wheeler - June 20 - 2:53 am

  My 2000 Volkswagen Beetle is fun to drive, but has had multiple electrical problems. The gas cap release failed at 250 miles followed by the drivers window motor at 12 months, 6 days and 7,500 miles, followed by the battery at 23 months, the speaker wiring at three years and the radio at four years. The dealer tried to make me cover the window motor because I was six days out of warranty but I shamed him into doing it gratis. I plan on replacing the VW with a more reliable Japanese car.

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  Drives great, economical. Media interface and customer care, not so good - 2012 Volkswagen Golf
  By radsm - June 15 - 12:19 pm

  We purchased the Golf TDI to be a solid feeling, fun to drive, high mileage commuter car. It has all off those attributes. It gets 40mpg combined highway and city. Its much zippier than my Passat V6, and is solid and well-built. The media interfaces, however, are very buggy. For instance, I pug in my iPhone and am listening to a track, when the bluetooth pairs with the phone. On that event, the multimedia interface dies and no sound comes out until I unplug the iPhone and re-plug it back in. This and other annoying bugs make the navigation/multimedia package a very bad deal. Customer CARE will not pass along bug reports to the QA department for fixing, so dont expect it to work ever.