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:

• 

  Fun to drive, but expensive - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Birdman - January 26 - 2:00 am

  My 99 Passat is fun to drive and very responsive. However, there have been far too many repairs. Some repairs have been under warrenty, but too many expensive ones have not. I have needed two tie rods, a water pump, a throttle and two sets of brakes. The trim above the driver side fell down. VW promised to fix it at no cost, but later changed its mind.

• 

  Fun to drive, but expensive - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By birdman - January 26 - 2:00 am

  My 99 Passat is fun to drive and very responsive. However, there have been far too many repairs. Some repairs have been under warrenty, but too many expensive ones have not. I have needed two tie rods, a water pump, a throttle and two sets of brakes. The trim above the driver side fell down. VW promised to fix it at no cost, but later changed its mind.

• 

  Low Quality Parts. - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By sassyson - January 26 - 2:00 am

  1st problem was a poor paint job or lack of a clear coat. Within a month I had spots on the paint. Problem resolved by them repainting the car. 2nd Problem Valve noise. I had a horrible diesel sounding noise coming from the valves. An oil change solved the problem, but this car only has 22k miles on it and the oil was last changed 4k miles earlier. 3rd problem was my rear break were 90% worn out at 21k miles, which I find to be extremely unusual. Front breaks have 75% of the pads left. There was no unusual wear on the rotors. They wanted $187 to replace the rear brake pads. There is lots of other makers of cars out there..find one built better

• 

  Outdone - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vwhassled - January 26 - 2:00 am

  If the window clip problem were not enough, I am back in a rental with the third ignition coil change. VW refuses to change the last one, that is sure to malfunction as well. Great car to drive when it is not in getting fixed. VW America not doing a good job of fixing own mistake.

• 

  great value - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ScottT - January 26 - 2:00 am

  good car 4 the moey, the 2.0 is not strong, but good enough to ride around town. simple but functional, great for high mile drivers

• 

  IT DOESN"T RUN - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Patrick - January 26 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car after researching on this site and others. We have a little over 5,000 miles on our Passat and it has been in the shop 4 times for igntion coil failures. This results in not being able to drive the car. The last time the tow truck driver stated he had towed over 100 of these one with only 23 miles for this problem. We have had some other minor issues. VW has left us with bottom of the line Toyota as a loner with no date on when we will get our car back as they have not parts to fix it.

• 

  Most fun I have ever had driving - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By bedecked36 - January 26 - 2:00 am

  This is flat out one fun car to drive. The V6 is really peppy! Had the car out in a snow storm and the kept up with SUVs great winter traction and handling in the front wheel drive version. Great fit & finish you can feel the quality they build into this car the first time you drive it. ROCK SOLID

• 

  Glad we bought the Wolfsburg - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ndmike88 - January 25 - 9:20 am

  Only have had the car for 3 weeks (500 miles). Its fun to drive, looks great, and is roomy inside. Looks like a car that costs $1,000s more than it does. We were going to buy an 08 Malibu LTZ but decided on the Wolfsburg instead. (More standard features and cheaper price.)

• 

  excellent car to own - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vwdude - January 24 - 8:23 am

  My wife and I have loved this car from day one. I think sometimes this car gets a bad rap but I think the build quality is just fine. We have 16,000 miles on the car and not a single problem.

• 

  Whats up with the brakes? - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By Second Thoughts - January 24 - 1:33 am

  I owned my car for 3 months and the brakes started squeaking. Took it to dealer who says brakes had a little dust and they clean them. One month later same and worse. Rain, early morning worst, but sunshine too. Im simply embarrassed that I drive a new car with less than 10,000 miles that screams like it needs a serious brake job, thats dust? Never had any stopping problems and love the car otherwise. More later when dealer looks at the car again. Not too happy right now.