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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  Nice sedan but BURNS too much OIL - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By Stevie - December 28 - 8:43 am

  Ive owned my passat for over 2 years know and use it daily for my commute to and from work. Overall I am happy with the car. its a four cylinder with a manual tranny. The car has had no real issues except that it burns too much oil between oil changes. Approximately 1 quart for every 1,500 miles depending on driving habits. If you drive over 70mph expect to burn even more oil. Dont forget this car runs on synthetic oil where an avg. oil change costs about $85.00 or $8:00 per quart. Adding all this up, an oil change with the additional oil needed to add between oil changes can cost more than $100.00. There is probably something wrong with the design of this turbo charger on this engine.

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  Never Again . . . - 2001 Volkswagen GTI
  By JDC - December 26 - 10:00 am

  This car has been plagued with problems, regardless of the fact that I bought it new. Where do I start? 1)Rain sensor was broken, which required a new windshield. 2)Rear-view mirror came detached twice. 3)Check engine light came on twice. 4) Passenger window fell in. 5)Air conditioning motor stopped working. 6) Alarm system malfunctioned. I take excellent care of this car, yet Volkswagen has let me down repeatedly. I will never again purchase a Volkswagen, and I am cautioning everyone I know to stay away from them.

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  Shouldve bought a Honda - 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Guni - December 26 - 10:00 am

  After having an 89 Accord for 10 years it was time to try something new since the body design on the Hondas began to look like suppositories. I really liked the style of the VW. This is not enough reason to buy a VW. Within 3 months the transmission acted up and the dealer tried to tell me it wasnt covered under the bumper2bumper warranty. A year later the ignition coil cracked and had to have that replaced which the dealer did do but the cleaning ($200) wasnt covered. Now theres either a bearing, the tension pulley for the timing belt or the AC compressor has gone. Never had these problems with my Accord. Not worth the headache.

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  2003 Passat GL - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By panderholm - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I enjoy this car. I had a 2000 Accord EX V6 A, and I simply like the Passat better. It handles great especially since Ive added 17 inch wheels and high performance tires -- like night and day. For a basic family sedan that looks sharp and drives well, the Passat is the way to go IMHO.

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  a new kind of vehicle - 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
  By may22 - December 25 - 11:36 pm

  brought my 2009 jetta into the dealer to resolve a problem , and while waiting browsed the show room and met a used dealer jetta hybrid on display , went for a demo drive and bought the demo 2013 jetta hybrid SEL . although the 2009 jetta is a great car to drive with plenty of torque , the hybrid is quieter , smother with a bunch of bells and whistles . and drives like a cloud , compared to the tdi jetta , and gets 49 -50 MPG. average for a month worth of driving averaged 47 MPG. although having to use premium gasoline (that is cheaper than diesel) the MPG is a little better than the TDI . of all the vehicles I have had over the many years the TDI was the most fun to drive. hybrid +

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  Bug - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By JR - December 22 - 8:56 am

  The Volkswagen Beetle is a car with good room, power, gas mileage, and design. It is fun to drive and easy to park, which is a real plus in city driving and living.

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  Noise - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By behrang abbassi - December 20 - 2:00 am

  my experience has not been bad, but it wasnt exactly the bargain i thought it would be. i am dissapointed in 3 areas. first, the engine noise is too much inside the cabin at 4ooo rpm. perhaps there should be a 6th gear. second, the car is not very responsive in any gear if you need pass someone you need some time to pick up momentum before you can try to pass someone. Third, burns little bit of oil. at 70000 miles.

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  Passat passes them all - 2014 Volkswagen Passat
  By doug g - December 18 - 1:40 pm

  Great mileage. Comfortable seats. Large trunk. Great acceleration. Excellent for trips and daily commute.

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  Little bargain monster - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Dell_Boy - December 17 - 2:00 am

  If you want a cool looking fun to drive cheap to run runabout then this is it!! I actually traded down from a 2009 GTI with DSG to my VW Rabbit with the standard automatic and I actually prefer the drive of the Rabbit than I did to the GTI. Power delivery is obviously less but not a huge difference as it has 170bhp which has plenty up and go for me. The car is very versatile, comfortable on long journeys, love the 60/40 split rear seats to give HUGE cargo space for such a little car, 4 doors makes it a good family car with kids and cheap enough to buy out right so I have no car payments :-) I love it!!! You cannot go wrong with this well built European styling little rocket.

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  Review - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By New Owner - December 17 - 2:00 am

  My Vw gets me where i want to be. i drive it alot and it gets great gas mileage. It hasa lot of odd bugs that need to be worked out and it always has something going on but i guess what car with high mileage doesnt have that. Everything radio Wise works.. and heat and air.. so thats fine with me.