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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  overall a nice car, but poor gas mileage - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jetta Jetta - April 27 - 10:00 am

  Owned my Jetta for two months now and its been very reliable. Only things added are EPS and auto transmission. Its comfortable to drive -- Im small (slightly above 5 feet) but the adjustable seat makes driving the Jetta easy. Slightly better than the Honda I owned before. Cons: 1. turning light doesnt go off very quickly after making the turn. No big deal, just the clicking sound is a bit annoying. 2. Poor gas mileage. The window sticker says 24/30, but I was getting below 20, now typically around 20-22. (I have about 1900 miles on it so its not a break- in thing.)

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  Cute, but Little Power - 2005 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By amattke - April 27 - 12:53 am

  My dream car is a Porsche 911, but circumstances require that I get something else in the meantime. The bug is very cute, and will eventually move fast, but the lower gears are slow off the line. Mine has the Tiptronic automatic transmission like the Porsche, which allows shifting manually. The gear throw isnt as satisfying, but I like having the ability. It looks slow even when cruising at 80 mph, but I suppose that isnt a bad thing if there is a patrolman nearby. It is surprisingly comfortable. I smile every time I open the garage door and see it there smiling back at me - its just charming. There is a reason that so many cartoon cars look like Beetles.

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  Sadly Disappointed - 2008 Volkswagen EOS
  By KZigg - April 25 - 5:06 am

  I have a 2008 2Turbo Eos for just over 1 year I had to bring into the dealership for service a few times: hard top would not go down, coolant system leak. My car would run low on oil not long after a scheduled maintenance oil change. I was told that I must frequently check the oil in- between recommended oil changes because the car will burn oil fast. This should not be with a "high line car" just over one year old. A recall was recently done "What"? The trunk latch would close back soon after unlocking. Too many problems.

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  not bad for the price . - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By Chris Muldoon - April 25 - 1:30 am

  I got my van new in 09 , and its been driven coast to coast with little or no trouble , so far the only part I had to pay for was the coolent temp sender . Yes it has had some recalls and I to have had the brake wear issues but if fixed that by installing power stop extreme towing and hauling pads and rotors, no problems after that . I think alot of people are just bashing it , for the price you cant complain , I paid 26k for a fully loaded van with 2 dvd players and 3 screens , go look at a Honda of Toyota and they coast over 40k at the time, in todays money thats over 50k , all in all Im happy with my fake VW and she just keeps trucking .

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  I have to be honest! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Alex - April 23 - 6:43 am

  I am a big VW fan and Ive driven 3 different VWs, this 06 Passat is the latest one I owned and then reason I bought it is because of the performance and the design. I already know that they break a lot but i did not know that they REALLY BREAK A LOT! Ive had AC replaced, fuel pressure regulator replaced, rear brake replaced in 2 weeks of ownership- 1 week the car is in the shop. LUCKILY I am still under warranty until 04/2010, I dont know if I should keep this car or not, I still love the car, but I never thought it would be such a big pain, I have to be honest with you guys and it wasted tons of my time and money to drive the car to service and have someone pick me up!!!!!!!!

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  VW in New England - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By rwsotr - April 22 - 2:30 am

  Costly repairs with the dealers. Much easier to buy parts online and use the neighbor to assist with repairs. Replaced injection pump x2, timing belt q60K, now need new drivers seat.

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  I must have gotten the good one... - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Stan Balog - April 20 - 10:00 am

  2001 GLX "Sport" limited edition bought in 9/2002. In contrast to 90% of the reviews here, I have never had anything go wrong with this car. Not one thing. Three years of perfect servitude. My dealer could suck; I wouldnt know. Beefed up the turbo with a performance chip - this thing is an Audi TT with more headroom (62") but with a mushier suspension for those hard turns. Bought this as a winter car to complement my C5 Corvette, and its held its own. Checked out this place to see whether to buy as its going off-lease- all these other reviews made me think that I got lucky (maybe thats the limited edition part?

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  Amazing car! - 2015 Volkswagen Golf
  By dublove - April 17 - 9:39 pm

  Ive been a VW guy my whole life and when the mk7 Golf came out, I just knew I had to own it. And no that I have one, I just cant get over how awesome it is. The star of the show is this, gem of an engine, 1.8 TSI. It gets phenomenal fuel economy (over 40mpg, AND I have lots of power and can embarrass many cars on the road at a stoplight. And filling with 87 octane fuel is just another bonus. I love this car to bits! The NAV system is OK, touch screen response is okay, but zooming in and out is laggy and it glitches out sometimes but for the most part, this car is perfect.

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  Read reviews before you purchase - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By qbk2205 - April 17 - 1:51 pm

  I bought the car new and it currently has 90000 miles on it. Last year the fuel pump exploded. Dealership replaced it, saying it was under warranty at 70000 miles. The warranty is 3 years, 36000 miles, whichever comes first. Makes me think VW knew there was a potential problem with the fuel system. Last week we replaced the turbo at a cost of $2600. This one is most irritating, because while under warranty I told the service department how the car hesitated at initial acceleration and they responded with it was due to the double clutching action of the transmission. Liars. We did not expect VW to be of such poor quality

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  My Wolfsburg - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Arthur Seabra - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I recently bought this car and so far it has been a very reliable car and is extremly fun to drive. The car has nice performance and is very easily upgradable.