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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  Surprisingly Good - 2017 Volkswagen Passat
  By Adam - June 18 - 6:26 pm

  I recently leased a 2017 Passat R-Line and I have to say I am surprised by how good it is. Im pretty OCD and normally take a long time and make careful decisions. I cross-shopped it with other mid-size sedans, mainly the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Kia Optima, Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu, and Ford Fusion. Basically I rented or test drove all the main mid-sizers except the Subaru Legacy. In terms of handling, the Passat is middling. It is a bit bouncy and feels just a bit floaty at high speeds (over 80 mph, which is normal speed on SoCal freeways when not congested). Of all of them, the best driving were the Mazda 6, Ford Fusion, and Honda Accord, followed by the Malibu, Optima and Passat, with the Sonata bringing up the rear. In terms of comfort, however, by far the most comfortable was the Passat, both for the front seats and especially the crazy large backseats. It also feels very airy and the sight lines are very good (except to the direct rear, where high back headrests intrude a little). The little 1.8 liter turbo engine is a champ. It felt at least as powerful as the base engines in the other mid-sizers, and more powerful than some. Yeah, its 170 horsepower doesnt sound very impressive, but its 184 lb ft of torque is always there and gives really good oomph. I will check mpg when Ive had it for longer. In terms of technology and infotainment, I would say the Passat ranks pretty well, but is not the best. The R-Line has the key safety features I was looking for: Wide angle rear camera, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitor, and forward collision alert with emergency braking. The one feature it is missing which I wanted was adaptive cruise control - I would have needed to go up to the SE With Technology for that (I think Edmunds lists it in the normal SE, which seems to be a rare error by Edmunds). One possible safety issue: The headlights arent the best. I have the halogens - the LED headlights are supposed to be a bit better, but mine doesnt have them. I can see fine with the halogens, but they arent very bright and some people might wish for more brightness. In terms of looks, I would say the Passat is attractive from all angles, especially the back and side, although I think looks are really a matter of personal taste. Trunk space is very good - 15.9 cubic feet, and the space is very functional, plus the rear seats fold down 60/40. The main reason I chose the Passat was that, looked at as a whole package, I felt better about it than any of the others. It just feels extremely easy to live with, and also feels like a premium car but at a lower price than others on this list. There is nothing it doesnt do well, and some things it does great (did I mention the huge open airy comfortable cabin? Let me mention it again). Plus the dealership (Mossy VW in Escondido, CA) was more willing to work with me than other dealers. So I drove off with what I felt was the best car of the bunch, at the lowest price of the bunch, whats not to like? Its too new to give any reliability impressions - I might do that after Ive had more time with the car.

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  Not too happy - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Deanne - June 18 - 5:10 pm

  We have had this car in and out of the shop several times. Tires are ridiculous on our model. They keep going bald with not even 18,000 miles on them. Weve had countless sensors go bad, seatbelts recalled. The middle back seatbelt keeps locking up anytime we put the seat down. I have two small children that it makes me nervous to be in the back seat with the amount of stress and tension thats on the seat itself. VW customer service is an absolute joke to work with! If you have a problem you can forget any speediness in resolving the issue. We are on our third seatbelt, second set of tires and on our third call to an attorney!

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  Amazing performance, and little gas consumption! - 2014 Volkswagen Beetle
  By Gabeybaby - June 18 - 1:01 pm

  Terrific to drive, a true drivers car. Im 64" and I fit in nicely. Excellent gas mileage, 30mpg on daily driving! Premium gas only.... The fit and finish is EL CHEAPO. Flimsy upholstery and lots of hard plastic. Rear seats are "pretend", it should be classified as a 2+2...Interior components fail, having seat railings and the seatbelt changed under warranty. Also, several issues with engine oil leaks were fixed under warranty, and I am a rather gentle driver, so reliability is not all that good at all. It looks beautiful, its designed to accommodate all drivers, even very tall ones. Its great on gas and, with the GTI engine, its a BLAST!

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  7 months and window still not fixed - 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
  By anubis2012 - June 18 - 11:34 am

  I bought myself a new 2012 VW Beetle for Christmas on Christmas Eve 2011. Since day one the driver window will not function properly and close. Most times it starts up the reverses and goes back down even when you hold the button in the up position. 7 months later even today I was told VW is researching the problem with no fix yet. I just took a 2+ week trip to remote areas of CA, UT and NV. It was very annoying not to have functioning windows.

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  Good year for the Jetta - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Andrea - June 18 - 5:26 am

  I never would have thought about buying a foreign vehicle until my bf got me psyched about the idea of owning one. We just went to some random dealership and I was so happy when we test drove this. Ive had it almost a yr now with no problems. Its got over 96,000 miles on it and is still a young one. I plan on keeping this vehicle for as long as I can.

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  Great car... when it works - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Steve - June 16 - 9:40 pm

  A very fun car to drive, with great mileage and design--but expensive and time consuming to maintain once its out of warranty. We made the mistake of buying one at 80,000 miles. In the first 18 months we owned it, it was literally in the shop more often than not. Most of the problems werent that major, but there were many, many problems and the parts were expensive (and VW sent wrong/broken parts every single time). In 2.5 years it depreciated about $7500 and we spent thousands in repairs, but only got to drive about 20,000 miles. Also, lots of buzzing/creaking inside the car, and exterior cosmetic parts fall off way too easily.

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  We Love Our VW Touareg - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Nick N - June 16 - 7:50 am

  We traded in a brand new Mercedes-Benz ML 320 for our Touareg. We had nothing but problems with the Mercedes. We cannot believe what a great vehicle the Touareg is. It is fun and stylish.

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  A Touareg is like a Fine Wine - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By NYTouareg - June 16 - 2:00 am

  The Touareg - is a gr8 SUV - you will enjoy all of its features - VW thought out a lot of thinks for the driver - this is a drivers SUV/Sports car 4wd - tight handling - great tires/brakes - you really feel the road - I had it in the snow , just eats it up . If you want to enjoy you ride to work - this is the car - everyone at work wants a ride - people think you paid a lot more fro the Treg than you really did - tons of buttons and knobs - you will have fun learning all the new features - very happy - it is a whole new level of Mid price SUV.

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  Expect Improvement Once Broken In - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Artback - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Had some intial trouble with the CD player which was replaced under warranty. In this same service call, the dealer replaced the ignition coils (note well known problem in 2003). 0-60 time has improved from 7.4 secs to 6.7 secs (vs. new) at 5,000 miles. This car is great on the highway, and during Chicagos 1st serious snowfall of the year, I have discovered what this car is all about. 2 tons on 4 wheels with 8 cylinder power and a Quattro system is close to automotive Heaven. There are few performance sedans (i.e. Subaru WRX STi here) that move as sure- footedly in the snow. ESC stability control is a real bonus.

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  12 Times in Shop in 1 year - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Newk - June 15 - 3:03 pm

  It is a shame that this car has rubbed me the wrong way because I really like the Passats, espeically the new 2006 model. I have had the engine cleaned 3 times because of oil sludge, I have changed it with sythetic oil religiously. The majority of the time, VW has waived any cost, but it is a hasele to take it in every week. Simply changing the battery or air filter requires a trip to the shop. I had both the daytime wiring harnesses replaced and the daytime light replaced twice in one year. I also had work done on the CV joint, brakes, and the check engine light came on twice. I love the car, but it would take some convincing to buy another.