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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  Money pit to repair - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By RonS - August 5 - 8:23 pm

  Having owned a w8 now for 6 years, let me just say you have better have the income to repair this car. First, repair is extremely expensive at the dealer ship. For instance, replacing one driving headlight cost $400, bulb alone was $212. Wow. Pray you never have an electrical issue because they are extremely expensive. Engine sensors are extremely high to replace. Not only does the part cost a ton, $100 to well over a 1k each for the part and then a huge labor bill to put it in. I will never buy another vw for the this very reason, repair and maintenance are very expensive. So much for German engineering. Is designed to make repair shops (dealerships) wealthy.

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  Check Engine Light - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JLZ - August 5 - 9:53 am

  Not tightening the gas cap enough, moisture in the air, wrong oil, wrong gas, when it feels like it light. Thats what I call it. You would have thought I would have learned from the first VW I bought, but oh no, I bought a second one. What a waste of money. A lot of money. 3rd time is not the charm in this case. I will never buy another VW, warranty or not.

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  Nice Car - Poor Build Quality - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By damien - August 5 - 8:36 am

  Buy another car. Within the first 11 days of owning my New Jetta: 1. The driver’s side light cover fell off. 2. The outside temperature sensor failed. 3. The driver’s side door rattles 4. The center console cover rattles. A month later I am happy to report that my car has been back to the dealer twice and nothing is fixed. In fact the service manager called me to let me know that the temperature sensor has arrived; but Volkswagen has instructed the dealer that they can not install this part and that they must return the part and wait for another one. Nobody can tell me when my car will be fixed.

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  Steal of a car! Audi in VW clothing... - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By wario - August 4 - 2:40 am

  We bought our 01 Passat GLX 4Motion this past January and LOVE IT! What a solid car, even with 110000 on it. We purchased it from a reputable dealer who inspected it and serviced it before we bought it. They replaced the belt, water pump, and brakes... the car needed nothing else! Its a dream to drive in all weather. Looking forward to putting the next 150k on it!

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  Super Good Time - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By jt - August 4 - 1:03 am

  I have had this car for 2 years now and it is absolutely the best car Ive owned (out of 6). Lots of room lively engine, suspension. Very easy to get along with. Had only minor probs. Fan switch and leaky coolant for a/c.

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  Dont Buy One - 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By princesserin - August 3 - 3:06 am

  My boyfriend and I bought this car because i wanted it! I have had nothing but problems with it since the day I drove it off the lot! The night that I drove it home, the check engine light came on and I have had to take it back up there and pay for the problems even though I have only had it for not even three weeks! Getting this car was a big mistake.

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  A great little car - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mlinth - August 1 - 7:16 pm

  We now have over 7,000 miles on our Jetta, and I must say as a first time VW owner, I am impressed. I tried all the others, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Pontiac Vibe, and there was no comparison to quality and quiteness of the ride and the build of the VW. Followup by the dealership here in Orlando has been poor, with them not returning phone calls on questions but the car itself is great.

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  Great so far - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By Sean - August 1 - 9:30 am

  So far, we love this van. We have put 4,000 miles on it. The seats on this van are very comfortable and it has plenty of power. Performance is fantastic and it takes sharp corners like a well-tuned sedan. Gas mileage does fantastic on the highway (27 mpg), but it only gets 14.7mpg in the city wthen the A/C is running. Rear ceiling height is a problem if you get the moon roof. The moon roof needs room to slide back, so you lose several inches of ceiling height. This means that the rear seat TV is low enough to block the rear view mirror and that the rear seats cant tip forward because they hit the ceiling. We have had four 8 hour trips with the family and we loved every minute.

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  Think Twice - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By dtown73 - July 31 - 11:00 pm

  It looked great on the lot. I did my due diligence and had the car checked out prior to purchase - where they found a rear-main leak, bad CV Boot, and some other minor items. All-in-All it seemed like a great vehicle for my teenage daughter. The car was a nightmare - ELECTRICAL problems. I had read that on Edmunds - but ignored it. The ECM was replaced 3 times. My daughter was stranded 6 times over 11 months. Thank GOD i purchased an extended warranty (1yr/12,000miles) for $1,100 (the premium warranty) - which covered (ready for this) $4,652.27 in repairs. Please Think Twice before throwing good money after bad. Traded it yesterday for a 2012 Nissan Versa... never again VW.

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  Great car - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Ray Ohio - July 31 - 9:27 pm

  I bought this 2.0T Passat in 2006 and have been driving it since then. Now it has about 100K miles on it. Great car. Never had any major issues with it. The handling is much better than some competitors in its class. My wife and I both like the look very much. So classic. I was surprised to see many negative reviews here, but I do understand normally only people who had trouble would spend time writing reviews. So I wanted to tell a little the other side of story.