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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  Vanessa - 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By sara - May 14 - 6:56 am

  My dad bought me this car off of ebay my senior year of high school! I love it its has broke down a few times. The only real problems ive had is the abkc seat is really small. and my distributor cap and rotor died. The mass airflow thing has been a problem too. My automatic top stopped working due to the hydraulic pistions brekaing down. But its at 104,000 and still running beautifully. I absolutely love my car. and its fast and samll so you can fit into any pakring spot

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  Solid Effort from VW Lets You "Go Green" - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By wk - May 14 - 4:56 am

  2010 Jetta TDI; Graphite Blue, Titan Black interior; 6 spd; 17" rims. Love the styling of this car inside and out -- paint color is absolutely gorgeous. Interior fit and finish is stellar, especially for this price range. Trunk is enormous. Everything you touch feels solid and thoroughly German. Genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter a nice touch. V-tex seating surfaces do get insanely hot, but theyre the best synthetic leather interior pieces Ive seen -- cant wait to try the heated seats in the winter. Above-average mileage around town, terrific mileage on the highway. Its not a dragster, but accelerates strongly on the highway (3rd-6th), and is quite bored at 90 mph.

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  Very Disappointed - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Disappointed - May 14 - 1:23 am

  I bought my VW Jetta new in 2001. Its beautiful and fun to drive, but NOT RELIABLE! I have been in the shop many, many times in the almost 6 years I have had it. Electrical problems, power window problems, console and seat breaking easily. The repairs werent extremely costly, but MANY! Its too bad such a nice and attractive car has been such a pain when it comes to repairs. I am going to trade it in for something else. I am tired of seeing my VW repair guy.

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  I love this car - 2009 Volkswagen EOS
  By Cindy - May 13 - 8:30 pm

  I love this car. I have a new 2009 color-gold/silver, not the official name, it is beautiful. Everything works well, very quiet and I get lots of looks. I love having the moon roof so I have a great sun-overs car all year. The only thing I dont like, is the movement of the windows after you turn the car off- they go down a little before rolling all the way back up. This is bad in a rain storm. I would recommend this car to anyone who had considered buying a convertible. It is better than a convertible with the sun roof! It gets great gas mileage so I dont mind the premium gas.

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  Wunderbar! - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By DMW - May 13 - 3:13 pm

  So far none of the negative criticisms can be found with this vehicle. It meets all expectations. Purchased it as a pre-owned (or pre-loved as they say) and it has had only one visit back to the dealer for warranty work. The rest of its service has been done by and will be done by, a reputable private mechanic. I have had 6 Jettas, 2 Passats and a GTI. We are VW people and realize no car is infallible. Take care of it and it will return the favor. Most people are too reliant on dealers for service and that is not what dealers are known for despite their claims.

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  Awesome! - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By Pete - May 13 - 3:03 pm

  The 2005 Volkswagen GTI is absolutely amazing. My previous car was a mid-90s BMW 325i and let me tell you, its just as luxurious as the bimmer, minus the power seats but hey now I have heated seats for the winter :). The car is quiet and comfortable but upon demand, the power is there to put a smile on your face. Handling? Absolutely amazing! These cars love the twisties! Now its competitors are the likes of the SRT-4, WRX, and RSX. The car is more comfortable and enjoyable then the rest, now power is an issue but there is a solution. If you dont care about warranty issues, chipping it is the best the best thing you can do! With APR software I beat modded RSXs,SRT-4s, and WRXs. Two words,buy it!

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  Love my MV! - 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By CharlieD - May 13 - 2:03 pm

  Wow! I dont understand why more of these sold? I love my Eurovan MV - Comfy, usable space, easy to drive and the fit and finish is great. About the only thing I think I miss is rear AC, my kids have to wait a while to get cool on hot days. I plan on driving this car for a long time and Im completely satisfied with its overall performance and ride. I cant find any safety data about the Eurovan, but I found a danish site that rated cars by accident per million miles and fatalities etc, and the VW van was rated excellent - for all years including the newer faster types like mine.

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  Great car...so far - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Vic - May 13 - 6:56 am

  My wife and I love our Passat. It has been one of our favorite cars since the 98 redesign. My wife drives this car (and I get the minivan). Its big enough that we feel very safe with our 2 little ones in it, yet we still consider it a sports sedan. I worry about long term reliability on VWs. Thats why we are leasing. Nice thing is that the basic warrenty will cover the entire lease.

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  32K miles and 1.8T REAR MAIN SEAL BLOWS OUT!!!! - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By James D. - May 12 - 3:03 pm

  I bought this car in March and do a lot of highway driving, not racing it around. Highway driving is easy: I drive conservatively and all my fluid changes have been done on time. Come to find out, Im blowing smoke out the rear, and I blew a rear main seal on the engine and may have done some internal engine damage, too. The repair bill was nearly $3,000, but fortunately for me, it was covered under warranty. I looked up a VW tech I went to high school with who works for a large VW dealership in Dallas, and he says, and I quote, "VWs rear main seal design on their 1.8ts have been pure garbage for some time, and VW knows about this. Weve seen a few Passat rear-main blowouts already. Its the same motor with the same problem the Golfs and Jettas had. This is how we make our money. Once the 36K mile warranty expires, the cost is no longer (negotiable, as always to the dealership) by VW. So the owner gets screwed." He went on to say, "Most 1.8ts are designed to hit 45K miles without serious problems, but with the 2014 to 2016 Passats, were seeing this problem all the time. Whats an owner to do? Sit around and say, No, Im not going to repair this. They end up forking over the $2600 and thats that, but in the end run, we lose another customer." He thinks VW does this by design, and to me, its no wonder after realizing what they did with Dieselgate, with an aim to deceive. I should have gone with an Accord but was tempted by the extra inch or so of front-seat leg room the Passat offered me. BEWARE DO NOT BUY THIS CAR UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY TO FIX IT.

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  Really a great car - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By lovetodrive - May 11 - 8:30 pm

  I love this car. Great mileage, great ride. Compared to both Prius and Civic Hybrid before buying. For the expected longevity, and amount of long distance freeway driving, the TDI (with ability to use biodiesel) was the best choice for me. Seems to be a much better ride than either other choice, and much larger. All-in-all a great car. Hope for reliability. If so, cant be beat.