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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  James Bond meets NASCAR - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Russ - July 2 - 5:36 am

  Traded in my old dapper 2003 Passat V6 4Motion for this bigger, wilder animal. V6 is extraordinarily responsive and gets better mileage than I feared-- about 30 on the highway, maybe 15 in town, a few mpg better than my old Passat. Although steering gives less feedback, as others have said, it corners precisely and enthusiastically while the wide, low tires grip tenaciously. Slaloming at high speed on twists and around corners at night, watching pivoting headlights track is a sublimely James Bond movie experience. No defects after 3-plus weeks. Ride is a little busy, but comfortable seats absorb little bumps well. Much appreciated front legroom, good GPS.

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  Love and Hate. - 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By Brett - July 1 - 6:29 pm

  I bought the 2016 Tiguan S fwd in November 2015 (9months ago) as my first brand new car loved it at first but now Im just okay with it. A few problems Ive ran into is strictly with the dealership. When purchasing the base model we was told we could upgrade our stereo system to have navigation and XM radio added, after purchasing the car we took it back to have the upgrades service told us that its not compatible? Another issue, my anti lock brakes are activating for no reason making it hard to stop its happened 3 or 4 times since Ive owned it on smooth dry roads. Brought it to the closest dealership 30miles away for them to tell me they cant pull my warranty information I had to take it to the dealership I bought it from 50miles away. Why?? Ive had it in the dealership 3times now for the antilock brakes and service says its not throwing a code nothing is wrong with it bring it back when it happens again.. Some pros about the Tiguan I really like how the car handles and the fwd does excellent in snow. MPG is great! I average about 29mpg combined (better than advertised).I like that the base models comes loaded. Heated leatherette seats, heated mirrors, push button start, kessy, auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, Bluetooth and back up camera. Cons, turning radius isnt all that great and the transmission shift points are a bit sloppy, mirrors are really small, anti lock brakes activating is concerning... The support from the dealership is terrible. Im developing a bad taste for VW

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  Great value! - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By vaflixio - July 1 - 2:50 pm

  Promised my wife and self I would lower mo. lease payment. Saved $150 per mo.and will save $100 addl. in gas as well. Cant believe how station wag. Could feel like my Miata sports car! Car is "rock solid"inside and out. Only neg. Has been a rattle from pass. Side seat belt Post. Dealer says its design- related and cant be fixed. Only happens going over sizable bump. Love drive, comfort, gas mileage and looks.

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  I love my convertible - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By CK - July 1 - 4:46 am

  Looking for a fun car thats sure to get peoples heads turning? The Volkswagen new beetle convertible is it! This is the best car Ive ever owned. It is reliable, sturdy, gets great gas mileage. Ive had no problems with it. I would highly recommend this car! If youre thinking you see a bunch of bad reviews--try it for yourself, it may surprise you with how great it is. Thats what I did, and it was the best choice. Good job Volkswagen!

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  new to me cpo passat 2.5 s - 2013 Volkswagen Passat
  By tunisjs - July 1 - 12:14 am

  i traded my cpo benz glk for a passat s. i wanted german driving at lower cost. i found it. i tested automatics jetta and passat, 2.5, 1.8 and diesel. the 1.8 really livens up the jetta, passat not so much. diesel with dsg is sluggish in town and costly at 40k service. i was most pleasantly surprised by the passat 2.5. not alot of driving difference with passat 1.8, $4k cheaper (both cpo), 2.5 online reputation is bullet proof while 1.8 is too new, i prefer cloth to fake leather seats. my 2.5 gave me 27mpg suburban dc area and 38mpg i95 and i64 dc to va bch, at or just above speed limits, hand calculated, almost unbelievable. my advice: try the passat in 2.5, great cpo deals now.

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  Run Away, Dont buy this car!! - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By pennstater - June 30 - 9:53 am

  I was in the shop 13 times in the first two years! Things broke on this car that Ive never heard of breaking before! 2nd day engine was smoking, some type of lid flew off and was burning, alarms and door locks never worked right, locked at various random times, alarm sounded at various random times, I asked for this to be disconnected, was told cannot be done. Fuel pump went at 80,000, cup holders- we wont go there, center console lid broke, headlight on/off button stopped working, all dash lights stoppped working, front spoiler falls off frequently due to being too low, This was the worst car ever.

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  Best looking car on the road today - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Greg - June 29 - 11:13 pm

  I looked at the Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Acuras. The CC looks better than all of them, and has an incredibly large trunk, with a back-seat that also folds down. The technology package is awesome - even accepts a mini-flash card for music, and plays DVD movies while waiting. Another cool feature is the "auto-hold brake. It automatically holds the car until you press the accelerator - great in rush hour traffic. This is a great car and excellent value. Its design will last at least 10 years or more.

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  BEST CAR I"VE DRIVEN IN MY LIFE - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Wolf12 - June 29 - 12:30 pm

  The cars interior design is one of the best when it comes to a sedan of its class. The vehicle is very well detailed, the mileage per gallon is rock solid 25 in city and 30 in highway. Comfort on top of comfort, beautiful leather seats, and all except for the driver seat fold down to give an spacious way to carry your personal stuff. The most beautiful in handling and the acceleration is awesome when in an emergency.

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  the wheels havent fallen off yet. - 2011 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By rakiura - June 28 - 6:05 pm

  Fun to drive on the twisties. Not Mini Cooper S fun, but good enough for a wagon. MPG so far is in the 40s. Has adequate power in the mountains , and plenty of power for passing and merging into highway traffic. It was hard to keep the RPMs low during the 1000 mi break in period.

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  Black Turbo Launch - 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
  By 2012beetle - June 28 - 6:00 pm

  My 2012 Beetle is a blast to drive. It feels great in the curves and shoots out of them with a force. It very comfortable and the arrangment inside makes since and everything is handy for use. BIG PROBLEM - The drivers door automatic window does not function correctly. From day one it does not close all the way and takes 5-6 attempts to get it to go all the way up. It has been rained in two times already because of this. I took it to the dealer and they say there is no problem and if there is its because of the window tint. I explained it has had a problem since day one and that there are numerous complaints across the internet regarding the same problem.