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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  Awesome diesel (TDI) - 2002 Volkswagen Golf
  By dmelgar - December 1 - 10:00 am

  Great driving car. Smooth over bumps, good bit of body lean in turns but feels very sure footed. Torque makes you feel like youre driving a much more powerful car. Highway ride is a nice, tracks straight (autobahn heritage), eats up twisty roads, steering feels great. We traded in a 6mo. old Civic. Civic was roomier, better basic transport. But for a fun refined driving machine, this is it!

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  Fun Ride!!!!! - 2001 Volkswagen Golf
  By Jan K. - December 1 - 10:00 am

  Besides the power window failure and busting out the driver side window and getting glass all over the place.... i love it!!! its cute!

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  Great VW - 2001 Volkswagen Golf
  By perfect vw - December 1 - 10:00 am

  i bought my vw gls golf in jan 2002 and it has been a wonderful car.volkswagens are great this is my 4th golf i love them . there is just a couple of items i want to address and they are as followed my check engine light has come on a total of 14 times in two years and the dealer i take it to cannot tell me what is wrong also my airbag light has come on a total of 7 times and the dealer cannot tell me what is wrong w/ that either. i would just like for the dealer to be able to give me some answers.

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  Its the little things - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By NL - November 30 - 5:50 pm

  This car was not what I had hoped. The headlamps needed to be changed every two months, the gas door froze, then broke, the front console where the cups holders are broke. The a/c broke at one point due to a mechanical failure...a little piece of plastic broke inside the dash, ended up costing me $500 to fix. Ive paid the car off and hoped to keep it until the engine died...but I think the inside will fall to pieces before that happens.

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  Amazed - 2012 Volkswagen GTI
  By ryanzno - November 30 - 8:44 am

  I absolutely love this car. As my daily driver, its fun, convenient, and unique. Its extremely versatile, and surprisingly roomy. I cant get over how well this car is made either. The materials and fit and finish feel like it belongs inside a far more expensive vehicle. Normally a car has weak points, and I find them quickly. This is the first car Ive EVER owned that I havent found at least 1 thing I dont like. If youre on the fence, hop off and buy it! In summary, its well made, handles and performs excellently and is very affordable. Cant beat it

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  Finest Diesel. Ever - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By WKHRSE - November 30 - 7:43 am

  My TDI is just unbelievable. I have maintained MPG of 38-40 city/41-46 hwy. I truly believe that it runs better in cooler weather. Had never owned a VW before and I was a little skeptical. Not anymore. I have had to answer many questions at the pump from curious onlookers. Smooth ride with great handling. Replaced tires at about 31K with a 4 set of Goodyear. My wife drives the Mercedes Bluetec Diesel and whenever I tell my kids that we are leaving to go somewhere I will say to go and get in the "best" car. The get immediately in the Jetta. Go VW.

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  Love the vehicle - hate the repair bills. - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By farwest - November 29 - 7:13 pm

  Wife uses this as a daily driver to work - 20 mile round trip - almost all highway miles. But is horribly expensive to maintain. $700 for heater blower motor (in California - so hardly ever used). $2800 for timing belt at 60K miles. Just got quoted $3500 to replace the [non-permissible content removed] alternator (have to lower the friggin engine to do it). As much as I like the Taureg, Id never recommend anyone buy one that is out of warranty.

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  5 years and going - 2003 Volkswagen GTI
  By joel - November 29 - 12:10 pm

  My gti is 5 years old and generally runs well and is reliable. I would buy another gti. However here is a list of my negatives or complaints, radio knobs have loosened or fallen off, radio has poor am reception antenna was replaced once already, two different sensors [computer chips] had to be replaced in one year, original tire were low quality [had an abnormal number of flats] changed tires 1 flat in four years. Cup holder bad place. Almost impossible to do your own oil change. These are the problems I have had. Most of which occurred in the last 2 and a half years. It is a great car and I love it but everyone should know what its weaknesses are.

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  Have almost 60,000 miles and am still loving it - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By traveling nurse - November 29 - 7:56 am

  I have had my vehicle for over two years and it is a workhorse. I havent had any trouble finding diesel gas and even thought it is 10 cents a gallon more I get about twice the gas mileage. We took it from Chicago to Niagra Falls and on to New York City on only 1 and 1/2 tanks of gas. It gets a whopping 44 miles per gallon on the open road. We do all our own maintenance but have never had to do anything else. Even the tires have lasted.

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  Fantastic Car! - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By richpa - November 28 - 4:33 pm

  This is the 3rd VW Ive owned in a row and the second GTI Ive owned. This is head and shoulders better than my last GTI, and I loved that car! In terms of performance, its a blast to drive, has great power, hardly any turbo lag, great handling. Inside it is beautiful, the seats are really comfortable, the stereo is good (not great), the materials and fit and finish are first rate. I have 6000 miles on it so far and it is running great, averaging about 28.5 mpg so far using premium gas. The 4 door has surprising room in the back for passengers and I keep getting comments from people about how attractive the front end of the car is. Sweet looking 18 inch rims as well. Glad I bought it!