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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  Good to be back! - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By William - March 1 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned several VWs in the past, none ever gave me any extreme issues. Gave Dodge a chance, good cars, just not for me. Had a 2008 Honda Accord that was absolutely great, reliable, fuel efficient, and loaded to the gills with features, and convenience. Having said that, I traded it in yesterday for the CC! Man, what a difference!! 1. Interior is gorgeous in the CC 2. Radio touchscreen, Bluetooth, are top notch. 3. No 5th seat! 4. QUIET INSIDE! The Honda, let the world inside of it with noise. 5. Handling, refinement, and quality is very good.

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  Fun plus fuel efficient - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Andy - March 1 - 10:00 am

  Purchased a manual transmission tdi wagon in late august. Have owned a diesel rabbit back in the 70s, since then nothing but hondas and volvos. Vw has hit a home run with the jetta sportwagen. Fun to drive, great gearing, 40+ mpg since day one. Decided to purchase when vw finally had incentives on the diesel (1.9%) plus the tax credit. Hope it lasts like my hondas and volvos. So far no complaints, and pleasure to drive. Looking forward to how it handles snow this winter.

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  Price to Value off the charts - 2010 Volkswagen GTI
  By Jason - March 1 - 4:36 am

  I purchased the 2010 GTI after selling an Audi 2.7T that was fun to drive but a financial nightmare to repair. Ive got 1200 miles on my base level GTI, and have got to say that its the best vehicle Ive owned. The base package includes everything but premium wheels, nav/stereo and sunroof and I must say that for 23k its a steal. The car handles incredibly, cruises well on the freeway (29-32 mpg at 75 mph) and is nice a beauty to look at. Only flaw is that the touchscreen menu for the stereo is hard to navigate through (to switch cds or ipod tracks) while driving.

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  Traded in a Hybrid - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Annapolitan - February 28 - 8:16 am

  I traded in my Highlander Hybrid for a JSW TDI and cant be happier. After nearly 10K miles, the car is driving great and the engine is really breaking in. I drive 60 miles each way to work, and on one trip home last week, I average 50.8 mpg! Thats more than twice what I gut with my hybrid. Car is comfortable, and I love the nav with satellite traffic. Makes picking a route home during the evening rush much easier. Highly recommend this for commuters who need to carry stuff, or have big dogs, like I do.

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  Great German car made in America - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By venkat_pal - February 27 - 12:33 pm

  I have bought the VW Passat recently with the 2015 1.8t engine. Drive quality is excellent. very good car as family sedan with lots of room. We live in Chicago which is a windy city especially balance very well in the shaky roads because of the wind. overall car is very good.

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  My Passat - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By phista4169 - February 27 - 6:20 am

  This car has everything I have ever wanted except for a moonroof. this car is great, from being able to fit four guys my size in it with no problems and to how quick it is, It may not win any races, but it gets there with plenty of frills including windows that automatically go down and up.

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  A Best Kept Secret - 2011 Volkswagen Touareg
  By rvb1 - February 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my 2011 T-Reg Lux for several months now and I am blown away by this vehicle. It meets all the expectations of a luxury SUV. I traded in my 2004 T-Reg V8 for the V6 and had some concerns with the power and some of the previous glitches, however this is one amazing SUV. Well worth the high 40s one pays in comparison. The Nav/Media system is smart and easy to use; The comforts are endless.The back seating is far better than most comps. For those that take it off road and on the beach it eases through the sand beautifully. (Always air down to about 20lbs) A simply knob turn to off road. So much easier than the 2004.

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  It IS fun to drive! - 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By KPW - February 26 - 5:10 pm

  Never thought Id be writing a review about a car and writing that its fun to drive but it IS! I used to drive a Ford Explorer. Of course it was bigger and had more room but it also took a heck of a lot more gas. I was pleased with the gas mileage for an AWD on this car-I go double the miles that I used to with the Explorer. Its got about 5k miles so far and has been through everything New England could throw at it already since February (snow, ice, flood, heat waves, etc). AWD worked excellent. I was concerned about this after driving such a big SUV for so long. This site helped me a lot.

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  Great Car - 2003 Volkswagen Golf
  By calvinebox - February 25 - 2:00 am

  This is my first VW and I love it! Test- drive it and you will buy it. If you are interested in Golf, go and get a GL instead of GLS because the sunroof actually cut off the interior height above your head. It was amazing I got a 110 speeding ticket when I was trying to test the performance of my new car. It can run stably around 80-90.

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  Gem of a car - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Praney Mittal - February 25 - 2:00 am

  It has been an extremely powerful car, still has the fastest pickup of many other cars I have tried. Extremely lovable possession