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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  Why buy an SUV? - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By VWGuy2008 - June 16 - 12:53 am

  There is nothing I enjoy more than crunching the numbers. As a car guy, I love all the details but when I started thinking about a Wagon vs. SUV, things got interesting. Cool factor aside, the SUV gives me lower MPG, more money for insurance, traditionally rollover prone, not as sporty to drive, typically not great in the rain... My new wagon is awesome, first tank of gas 29 MPG, try that in a Mid/Small SUV at $4.50/gallon for gas!

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  so far, so good - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By athena - June 15 - 1:36 am

  I bought my used Passat Base model 2 weeks ago. Drove a van since 1989. Love my Passat. It looks great, drives and handles really well. Good gas mileage, especially on the highway. Bumps are sometimes a little hard. Seats are very comfy. Loads of space and leg room in the rear. Wish more features were standard instead of optional. Good sound system too. So far, so good!

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  Dont judge a book by its cover..... - 2017 Volkswagen Passat
  By Eric - June 14 - 7:08 pm

  Leased a 2017 Passat after my 2014 Accord lease expired. Accord is considered the cream of the family sedan crop. But, the interior of the Passat is far nicer than the Accords. The CVT in the Accord is unobtrusive but noisy during acceleration. I have found the VWs six speed to be a superior transmission and when paired to the 1.8L Turbo, offers spirited acceleration when needed and excellent highway MPGs. City mileage is average. The power train is a smooth and quiet operator. Ride in the Passat is at least equal to, if not slightly superior, to the Accords. The Passat offers an ever so slightly firmer ride, which I prefer. Neither the Accord nor the Passat are segment leaders in overall handling. But, again, the Passat is at least equal to, if not a little bit better, than the Accord. Overall driving dynamics in the Accord is softer than the Passat with more body lean in turns. Passenger room, both front and back, is enormous. The exterior design on the Passat may seem a bit bland to some, but, wind and road noise is barely above a whisper and visibility is excellent.

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  The best headache Ive ever had - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Alexandria - June 14 - 6:35 pm

  "Cmon, let me take this headache off of your hands," are the words that convinced me to give up my dream car of 13 years to a new owner 600 miles and 5 months into ownership. Yes, my near mint Passat W8, who earned the nickname, "German drama queen," was a headache but, to be fair, it was the best headache Id ever had. To put it simply, this high performance machine will create an addict out of you. Everyone should experience a W8 at least once in their lifetime! What is there not to love about a collectible, very rare, and crazy fast exotic 8 cylinder Audi with a Bugatti engine hiding in the semi-luxurious body of a humble B5.5 Passat? To quote the previous owner who endured 10 years of ownership along with a new engine and torque converter after the car spent 1 year in the shop for electrical issues ($20k worth of warranty work), "Enjoy your W8 to the fullest now because when something goes wrong it will make you curse or empty your bank account." I truly enjoyed my W8 to the fullest. It was a fine example of German over-engineering. Something very special. Still, at the end of the day, when a leaking gas tank and dying alternator (among a few other insignificant issues) caused my car to spend more time sitting in my driveway than on the road, my W8 lived up to its infamous reputation of being unreliable and extremely costly (at least $4,000) to repair with virtually no one who knows how to properly service them. I cant say that I wouldnt recommend the W8 as it is truly a fantastic car. However, only two types of dedicated people should buy it; the filthy rich and the everyday man who has enough mechanical expertise and experience with VW/Audi to bravely repair one of the most complex and wonderful cars known to man. Even then, only proceed with purchase if your W8 has had its engine, torque converter, and gas tank replaced (if it wasnt replaced under recall, it will wear out later). If you cant afford the repairs or know how to repair this car yourself, perhaps youd be better off with an Audi A6 4.2L.

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  Faulty Security System - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Richard Bradford - June 14 - 5:46 pm

  Vandalism is a problem with the Passat. RCMP states Passat is one of the easiest vehicles to break into. Thief simply drives a screwdriver through the door lock and turns it to open all the windows. This does not activate the vehicles security system. VW well aware of the problem but has taken no action to remedy the defective security system. FACTORY RECALL?? The 1.8 liter turbo is somewhat flat on acceration at low rpms but performs well above 2000 rpms. Fun to drive and handles well. Good fuel economy on the highway (40+ mpg) although this drops substantially in city. Mechanical problems have been limited to recurring difficulties disengaging the ignition key from ignition.

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  VR6 power kicks up the fun - 2003 Volkswagen GTI
  By rocket500 - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Test drove both the 1.8t and the VR6. Could have had leather, roof and monsoon with the 1.8t for the same money, but I preferred the greatly increased low end tourque, 6 speed transmission and more reliable engine of the VR6 vs. the turbo. Handling is fairly good, although tuned more to comfort than true sport car performance. The wifes Focus SVT will run circles around it through the turns. All season tires dont help. Power of the motor is best feature- flexible, lots of grunt, smooth revs. Comfort is high. Sport seats are nice- supportive and comfortable. Highway ride is excellent.

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  Like the ride, hate the repairs - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By CW - June 8 - 9:50 pm

  I really enjoy driving the car, it handles well and gets good mpg (ranges from 25-32 mpg) big downfall to this car is terrible reliability, it seems as though I am in the shop every 3 months! purchased the car with 30k on it now it has 105k. in last 75k miles Ive had to repair the following: fuel lines from tank to engine, major fuel leak inside engine compartment (got reimbursed due to recall) 3 times replaced cv joints 4 coil modules transmission mounting bracket power window regulator headlights constantly burn out - at least 5 times in last 4 yrs timing belt water pump mass air flow sensor will be trading in soon, tired of dumping $ into repairs!!

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  vw passat glx feedback - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By vwpassat responder - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Overall I enjoy my Passat GLX 2002 very much. It is a fun to drive vehicle and very tight/quiet for a smaller car. I have had some problems, left turn signal needed repair, couple of headlight bulbs replaced, but overall very satisfied. Enjoy using the triptronic auto shifter occasionally. They need to work on improving the gas mileage considerable for a smaller vehicle.

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  Nice car, not good on NW roads - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By markb9 - June 6 - 6:16 am

  The 2011 GTI is without a doubt a nice car. It performs well, is fun to drive, and the interior is first rate. The only very disappointing aspect of the car is road noise. I dont expect a small sporty car to be super quiet, but this car has a split personality. I test drove it on some smooth highway and, as advertised, is very quiet. The problem with WA State is that a lot of the highway is fairly rough, and when this car hits rough road the interior noise goes up exponentially, it even makes my old Ford Ranger seem quiet. As I said, overall a very nice car, but like most other small cars its not going to be quiet.

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  VW R32 Reviewed by owner - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By ilya - June 5 - 7:16 pm

  Overall very good reliable car, no problems whatsoever. Very fun to drive and difficult to put on cruise control, because of the urge to step on the gas!! I like this car a lot and unfortunately will have to sell it because of a need for 4 doors.