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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  Take a long test drive - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By arbee - December 31 - 2:00 am

  Purchased a 2004 in dec 03, partly for the tax break. Car is built like a bank vault, everything seems to be of high quality, switch gear feels very audi/mercedes like. Acually i like everything about the car except for two thing. Fuel milage is poor - best i can get driving only for mileage is 19-20 on the highway. Regular driving 12-14 mpg and this is on premium fuel. Second thing is seat design, seat is comfortable for about 1/2 hour, after that, the much too firm side bolsters cut into my nice normal sized rearend. Like the car enough though to have seat bolsters changed at upholstery shop, right now using a seat pad that works ok.

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  Great Car buy poor remote antenna - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By asamreth - December 31 - 2:00 am

  Great car, but VW needs to improve on the range of the remote entry. My previous car, G35, has a range approximate 10 times. Folding seat concept not all that exciting. Wind noise can be annoying. VW needs to redesign rack system or improve on the aerodynamics.

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  Lemon or Not - 2002 Volkswagen Golf
  By Ladybug - December 30 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rdtime taking the 02 Golf in for service. The 1st problem -the auto transmission would get stuck in Park, and thus wasnt driveable. Dealer first made "an adjustment" which subsequently was unsuccessful. 2nd time I brought the car for service, they replaced a "celanoid-something" to correct it. Ive taken the car in for the 3rd time because there is sometimes a long delay engaging into Drive or Reverse. Upon engaging, the car jerks. When having an intermittent problem like this, it is hard for service dept. to fix, if they havent encountered it. Next they will reprogram the transmission control board

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  my mystery machine - 2000 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By KP - December 28 - 8:20 pm

  Let me start by saying I love this van. We are a camping and bike racing family, and we love the utility, comfort and space. HOWEVER - the HVAC system, which I replaced outside of warranty, has been a problem. 5 dealer visits in 18 months, and the error code for the HVAC just started flashing again - so I guess 6 visits (expensive ones) in 18 months. Other problems (electronic mostly) have also cropped up making this the most expensive vehicle to keep on the road I have ever owned. And this is in the first 80,000 miles.

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  Yeah, well, ok. . . - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Victory - December 26 - 10:00 am

  We bought the volkswagen passat as our first family car, and it just didnt meet our needs like we thought it would. When we purchased the passat it seemed roomy and exceptionally quiet, The roominess quickly wore off but it still remains one of the least noisy cars (behind the wheel) weve been exposed to. I didnt like the fact that this car was the first I had to take to the dealership to change out the headlight; Its very complicated under the hood. It was alright, but didnt thrill us at any point.

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  DSG trans slippage?I - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mark - December 25 - 11:30 pm

  light purchased car april 09,and really like the gas mileage esp. in town. Having problem with the DSG trans. slipping when on an incline. The trans. slips to neutral and the car starts to roll backwards for a few feet and then engages.Talked with dealer today and he said that was because the trans. goes to neutral at a stop. Offered no fix except possible software upgrade. Was wondering if any one else had same problem and what the fix was? Also added on a dimming mirror with homelink. This should be an option on sportwagon.

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  Electrical Problems Galore - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JettaGirl06 - December 25 - 6:33 am

  Love the car and its great mileage, but the electrical problems are horrific. Would never keep it past the warranty. Wipers jump when turned off, blew out two cell phone adaptors, one head light stays on sometimes after engine turned off. There are annoying rattles. A screw fell off of the door panel. The batteries in the key chains last about four months. One tire blew out (could have hit something, but not sure). Radio has poor reception. But love the engine, the really clean smell (does this thing have an ionizer?), the fuel mileage is above stated once broken in.

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  Better than I thought - 2002 Volkswagen Golf
  By buffalogolfer - December 24 - 10:00 am

  Great car to drive. Bought it for my daughter, but I think I like it as much as she does. Im over 6ft tall but on long (2+hr) thruway driving, easy and comfortable. We got the moonsoon sound system- wonderful sound.

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  Review of 2001 Jetta Wagon - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By gbuccolo - December 24 - 10:00 am

  The Jetta wagon looks great, is fun to drive, and can haul a lot of stuff...but it is not reliable. It has spent 30 days in the shop in one year. The problems have been sensor malfunctions, failed switches (casuing the car to be unable to switch out of park), and transmission problems (causing 4th gear to fail and the other gears to malfunction). VW dealer and customer service has been terrible. I have serviced the vehicle at TransOcean VW in Pasadena. I would not reccomend them. In additional to the mechanical problems, they dented the car.

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  Just bought yesterday! - 2001 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By kourtnie - December 24 - 8:00 am

  So far I love my cabbie even though it is my first REAL day with it, I love the fact that it is a convertible, and the black interior is one of my favorites, it has more interior room than my old Integra in the back which is a plus for me, I hate the fact that EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING is manual! The windows, the top, I mean its a 2001 not a 1974! It could have been made a little more up to date.