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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  Best compromise for $15k - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By 04passatvariant - August 7 - 10:30 pm

  Wanted an A4 Avant but too expensive and Quattro slaughters gas mileage - I recently bought an 04 1.8T wagon 5 speed - all I can say is FUN. Came from a 05 Grand Cherokee at 14 mpg, the Passat has more room, is SO much fun to drive, and returns 23/30 mpg.

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  Jetta Sportwagon TDI - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By tom az - August 5 - 5:20 pm

  This is a great, practical car for the money. For a fuel sipping economy car it has great acceleration from 0-50 then looses its oomph. Takes on the AZ mountains with no problems. Mileage averages have been City 32-35mpg, Hwy 40-48, overall after 5000 miles 35mpg. Cargo area has plenty of room especially with the rear seat cushions folded forward. Only complaints are some minor creature comfort issues, lack of storage and excessive road noise. Also, the ipod interface is useless, it takes forever to scroll through the ipod menu as if the stereo needs more memory.

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  Nice car, great mileage, no quality. - 2010 Volkswagen Golf
  By Hercules - August 5 - 10:00 am

  This is a nice little car. The interior is very user friendly and the exterior is about as good as you can get with an economy car. Downsides, dealers mark up from MSRP because of tax credit of the TDIs. The build quality seems lacking. Within 3,000 miles it had a small oil leak which turned out to be a faulty crankshaft seal. Also the side marker lamp went out and the dealership (Lewisville VW) claimed something hit it yet the lens was still intact and undamaged. Bought the car for dependable long didtance rides but having serious doubts about it now....

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  Never Look Back - 2010 Volkswagen Golf
  By mrtoad - August 4 - 11:33 am

  Ive driven this car for five full months now and it has performed beyond my expectations. Around the neighborhood or across the state, wonderful! I initially thought the seats too firm. Negative. Ive got a bad back and for the first time in years, I can make a six hour drive and still walk standing straight-up. Performance is excellent for 170 HP motor and the build quality far exceeds the Asian rivals. The quiet on the highway is almost eerie. It is quite amazing how much gear you can store in the cargo area WITHOUT laying the seat-backs down. All of this and the Golf comes with a functional rear seat, 26 mpg in town and 35 on the highway. Such a deal!

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  Love my Jetta! - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By alexx52093 - August 2 - 11:50 am

  I bought my 11 Jetta SE with Conveniance/Sunroof at the end of July of 2011. I have a 120 mile round trip commute to and from school every weekend and I also deliver pizzas 3 nights a week. I have just under 10k miles on it and havent had a single problem, despite the heavy usage! However, 2 months after I bought the car, I was rear-ended at a red light by a car going 40mph. The safety on this Jetta is remarkable! The rear end was completely obliterated, but everything that was in my trunk remained secure and unbroken. No glass shattered, and NOTHING penetrated the interior cabin! I walked out of it with nothing but a cut fingernail from hitting the steering wheel. This is the car to buy!

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  Pretty Good Car - 2000 Volkswagen Golf
  By paul - August 2 - 4:20 am

  I bought the car in winter off 2002 and it has been a pretty good car. So far the only problem Ive had with it was the window which I still havent fixed and airbag sensor. I didnt like how the car had 2 tone interior so I changed it to a full black interior. Do-it-yourself kind of thing cost me not even $300. I like the handling, but wish there were slight improvements in acceleration.

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  Nice car for not a lot of $.... - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By cavwguy - August 2 - 12:12 am

  Owned this vehicle for about 3-yrs. & 45K miles (bought it new). Overall impressed with quality, comfort, value and performance. I stayed away from the TDI because of diesel fuel pricing and the intercooler issues (well documented here). Very happy w/my decision. While this vehicle is not a "sports-car", it does have that "German car feel" to it. Even w/the mileage, it is still pretty tight feeling drives smoothly. I also get around 28mpg (combined driving), about 1/2 and 1/2. Free maintenance service was nice for the 1st 36K miles.

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  Great car to drive but super expensive to own and maintain - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By basictek - July 31 - 11:28 pm

  We got our VW 2010 CC luxury with 36K on it and within 8K the car has cost us a fortune to maintain and repair. On top of the very high sticker price (with options our car was about 35K MSRP and thankfully we got it for 20K used) Since then the windshield, auto sensing wipers, two front power windows, sunroof sliding cover, brand new tires, alignment, DSG service, oil leak (not covered under powertrain) Need for synthetic oil and super unleaded gas have cost us and the dealer a fortune (us 3.5K carmax 2K). As the car gets older one can only expect more gadgetry to fail, and very expensive maintenance (similar to BMW, Mercedes, audi). It also rattles a lot up front and has tons of road noise.

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  Worst Car Ever - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Rainey - July 31 - 10:43 am

  I bought this car used learned my lesson. No one writes reviews of the long term problems. A lot of electrical problems down the road. The gas mileage isnt all that wonderful either when you travel back and forth about a 100 miles a day. Mechanics dont like to work on these cars because they are so difficult to work with. And it is just a money pit. It would be a great car Im sure brand new, dont buy it used.

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  good with some reservation - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By touareg - July 31 - 8:10 am

  The GPS is impossible, none of the sales person are able to demonstrate, and they rely on a mechanic to come from the garage to demonstrate. I have met with this man several times but he demonstrates so fast that it only proves that it works. I have yet to enter an address and be directed to the location. I would not suggest any one to pay the price of this available item