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 hybrid - 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
  By Linn Ardner - August 23 - 7:42 pm

  Sharp car....two tone seat..great wheels...sports car handling👏👏👏

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  Worth the money when compared - 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Cdog64 - August 23 - 12:26 pm

  Ive had the Rabbit for 1600 miles and have enjoyed the drive. The fit of the car is good. The perfomance is great. The comfort is good. The 2.5 with the auto is a fantastic match. I have had plenty of go when needed. You have to watch your speed til you get used to the ride at speed (youll be doing 80 before you realize it). The Rabbits handling is very responsive with good road feel. When the weather is bad there is no problem either. The sound system is very good and easy to set up. Im 62 and 250 and fit in the seats comfortably. The car has more room than you think. All in all I have enjoyed this car a lot and find myself smiling when driving. Drive it and compare.

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  WHAT A CAR!!! - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By psyopgod - August 22 - 10:26 pm

  All around best car Ive owned in 30 years of driving. My advice: GET ONE! Oh Wait - there arent that many left. Well - good luck. FUN FUN FUN!!

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  Young again - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By redhead - August 22 - 8:13 am

  After waiting 6 months to get a GTI w/V6 and cloth interior, I am very pleased with my new Volkswagen. This is my first car with stick shift since my Corvair days. My wife and I took a 500 mile trip in a rain storm last weekend. I felt totally in control while driving on wet roads at interstate speeds. The GTI is very steady on the road and has plenty of power for acceleration at any speed. My red GTI really attracts attention and turns heads when this 67 year old guy gets out of his new car.

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  Its almost everywhere perfect car!!! - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By Tim - August 22 - 5:23 am

  I have been so satisfied with my Passat Performance 200HP 207TQ is good enough when I need power and its comfort as well as my dads E350. Surprisingly, it still has great fuel economy I can get 60 MPH/ Cruise 37.5 MPG 65 MPH/ Cruise 35 MPG 70MPH/ Cruise 32 MPG In local way, I usually got more than 25 (26~27) Not to mention that it looks awesome in and outside. I dont know whats gonna happen in the future though but the Reliability is so far so great. and I can kinda feel this build Quality which is so much concerned by VW I love it so much!!

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  Great Car, Great Value - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By James - August 21 - 9:13 am

  Pondered over buying this car for months. I am glad I pulled the trigger. Lots of power, sweet 6 speed. Build quality is great, better than the BMW, Audi,or Infiniti I have had in the past. Good sound system (not great). I think this is the best 21K car sold in the past 10 years. Test drove the DSG and that was pretty awesome but I had to go manual.

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  Underrated All The Way. - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Earl - August 21 - 2:16 am

  Ive had the Touareg for 7 months now but I still feel in awe walking up to it and getting in. Its a beautiful vehicle. It handles really well. Its cornering, breaking, and acceleration (with the Tiptronic transmission) are great. Two things Id like to address: 1. its fuel economy isnt that bad on the V6. If you compare it to other SUVs youre getting just about the same if not better MPG than an Explorer or even a 4Runner. 2. It is agile. The reason why it feels sluggish at times is due to the fact that it goes to the 6th gear almost immediately. I see my car in 5th gear entering the freeway; of course it wont have any torque. Learn to downshift. It has awesome features, apples to apples its the best value ever!

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  Great Buy - 2010 Volkswagen Touareg
  By stanleys - August 20 - 10:50 am

  Traded a Toyota 4 Runner for the Touareg. Best luxury SUV, I found for the money. Reliability and VW customer service seems to be improving.

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  This is a fantastic automobile - 2016 Volkswagen Golf
  By Camden Porta - August 19 - 3:08 pm

  The 2016 Volkswagen Golf TSI S 4-door hatchback equipped with the 5-speed manual transmission is truly a great car. I chose the model without the sunroof for the reason that it costs around $1,000 more for that model, and the sunroof was not worth it for me. Starting with the exterior, the Golf looks sporty yet refined (not as bold as the GTI, yet still retains some sportiness). The standard 15" Lyon wheels look good, and the 195/65 tires transmit almost zero road noise, which makes the ride very quiet and comfortable, especially when coupled with the suspension setup. The four-door model offers plenty of space as well. I am 6 3", and with the drivers seat in my setting, I have 1.5"-2" of leg room in the back seat, which is more than I have in most sedans which outsize the Golf considerably. The hatchback design also allows for a ton of cargo room, which is great when compared to sedans. The door panels are tight and make a solid "thunk" when closed. The halogen lights on the Golf are good (the lighting package cannot be had on this trim, an $1,100 option) and give you good visibility at night. I was surprised that the signals on the mirrors are LEDs, and the Golf has heated mirrors standard (great for the northern folks). Moving to the interior, the Golfs seating surfaces are a sort of cloth, but it is thick and durable, not like that found in a Toyota or Honda. The steering wheel is the same as the one found in the GTI model, leather-wrapped and having a flat bottom, which is very comfortable and feels great. The gauge cluster is very appealing, with easy-to-read font and a well-spaced layout. The steering wheel controls allow the menus to be navigated easily on the mini-screen between the tachometer and speedometer. This moves me to one of my favorite aspects about the car, and that is the Volkswagen Infotainment System. I have driven many cars (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Porsche, and many more) and this is one of the top systems I have ever used. This is because it is simple, yet loaded with useful features that other vehicles lack. For instance, the VW system offers Apple Carplay and Android Auto, which essentially converts the screen to appear just like the phone you are using. It also has a wealth of vehicle information, such as MPGs, a ThinkBlue Trainer (which measures how much fuel the drivers style saves or loses), and much more. This system arguably works better than vehicles with price tags double or triple of my Golf ($21,495). In the glove box, there are outlets for three SD cards and a CD player as well. In the center stack there are the USB and AUX input jacks for your telephone. The Golf also has three 12V power outlets, one by the E-brake, one in the center arm-rest, and one in the right side of the trunk. This allows for plenty of charging of any devices. The seats in the Golf are not as supportive as those found in the GTI, but they do the job. They are manually adjusting for forward/backward and height, but the backrest is electric for whatever reason (I found that rather odd) However, the overall quality of the interior is good. You can tell the quality of the materials used is economical, but altogether it is pretty good for the price point. Mechanically, the engine in this vehicle was one of the reasons I chose to go with the Golf. For the price point, you get the most power (170 hp, 200 lb-ft tq) and it is fantastic. The engine sounds great when it is revved up to around 5-6 thousand RPMs, and it does not sound annoying like some inline-4 cylinder turbos of today do. The 5-speed manual transmission is great as well, it is smooth, and the clutch is firm, which I like. The windows in the Golf are all auto up and down, and the actuators work well and do not feel/sound cheap at all. Driving the car is a blast. Though it is front wheel drive, there is virtually no torque-steer under full acceleration, and this car takes corners like a champ, despite the 195/65 tires. There are also many different accessories available for the Golf to make it an even better car than I have described it to be here. Overall, I give this car a 5/5 for the power, value, build quality, and overall fit-and-finish.

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  FUN2BEHAD - 2009 Volkswagen EOS
  By FunFunFun - August 19 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2006 Passat on lease. I had been looking for 6 months for a convertible. VW let me out of my lease for a ridiculous amount and I got a EOS. I had tried the Toyota, Sebring and a few others but loved the handling of the EOS. Its fun, no problems, lots of compliments. Most fun driving ever. The back seat is small, but deep and bigger then the Volvo, Lexus etc.. I always get compliments on the car. Its been so much fun. Great for road trips to the beach.