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:

• 

  Fun, but... - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By newA4owner - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I had 3 major complaints. 1st, from day one the car had many unidentified interior squeaks and rattles that the dealer couldnt/wouldnt fix. 2nd, the 150 hp 1.8t is not a very powerful motor, but it was always enough to make the front wheels break free, causing a nasty, jarring hop under hard acceleration. 3rd, the damn check engine light was on for the last 10000 miles I owned the car. The dealer was always good about fixing whatever was wrong for free, but the light never stayed off for more than a week. In spite of all that, it was a lot of fun, and it always got me where I needed to go.

• 

  Underpowered V-6 - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By hoot - May 24 - 2:00 am

  The V-6 is underpowered when passing or accelerating on the highway. Gas mileage is horrific for a 6 cylinder SUV, undoubtedly due to the vehicles weight. The quality and workmanship is very good. While Im computer literate, the navigation system takes a programmer to operate with each geographic area of the US on a separate CD.

• 

  2003 GLX - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By vam - May 22 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive but Lots of road noise. Comfort is excellent. Bad Triptonic future

• 

  To early to tell - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By jimbopa - May 18 - 10:00 am

  This is my first non American car, overall I like the car, the v6 is has adequate power. The car is firm and noise is very low. Build quality seems good as well. The sound system is fine and most of the controls are placed well. Tranny issue-factory fix is to reflash the software-why not do it before you give me the car, now a rep needs to come in special and it take an hour and half-told this will fix. It occurs when the car is driving under 10mph then given gas, a loud bang into gear is what is heard

• 

  Unmatched TDI mileage, huge and comfortable, early build quality worries - 2014 Volkswagen Passat
  By hercules00 - May 18 - 4:21 am

  1) Mileage: You will get blown away - the EPA numbers are junk (as usual) but in the opposite direction of gas cars. Here you get more, a lot MORE than claimed. Note: Hybrids will always outperform in stop and go city traffic. However, on the highway, diesels will blow hybrids away. The choice is thus dependent on driving environment. 2) The engine is silk smooth, once above 1.3k rpm. 3) The car is big, especially the back seat and the trunk. 4) Suspension is on the softer side and absorbs bumps very nicely. 5) Very low road noise 6) Have had a couple of squeeks and rattles from the dashboard in the first month. A little worried about build quality.

• 

  VW Has Lost Its Way - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By Sean - May 16 - 10:13 pm

  I purchased my first VW for $300 in college. I was the third owner of 1990 Golf with 164,000 miles. I drove it on the highway while red-lining, never changed the oil, rode the clutch and NEVER had problems. I got nervous around 180,000 miles and changed the clutch. The mechanic said the clutch still had about 2,000 miles left! Fast forward to 2002: I purchased a new 2002 GTI 1.8T in August. Before the end of 2003 I was in the dealer countless times. There were three separate recalls plus countless other problems (ignition coils, dead battery, two broken control arms, driver-side window fell into the door panel). I love the car; hate the reliability.

• 

  I hope you are a mechanic - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By DJW - May 14 - 10:16 am

  V-6, 5 speed. Gets great gas mileage - 26 in town, and 33 hwy. Leather interior still looks new. However, when things go south, they go quickly. Keep an eye on CV boots over 60k. At 70k, the whole top of the engine started leaking, and after 2 re-dos of the valve cover seals, they still leak. Shocks shot at 30k. Headlights go every 10K until I disabled the DRLs. Electronics in drivers door shot. Coating on interior peels. Sunroof is possessed. But - I wont sell it because the new Passat looks Japanese, nothing this good looking gets mileage like this, I still get comments on how unique and cool it is, so overall - if you are a mechanic - you cant go wrong!

• 

  Surprising little car - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By powerdriver82 - May 13 - 11:15 pm

  Recently purchased this car used for my girlfriend, not exactly my style though i am a devoted fan of german engineering. As much as the exterior designing has just never appealed to me, this car continuously surprises me. The 5-cyl engine is peppy when you need it to be, yet quite fuel efficient when just cruising along. I find im regularly able to keep up with my friends Jetta 1.8T which most people just wouldnt expect. Excellent 8 spkr stereo, convenient mp3 input jack, power convertible top moves quickly and easily, heat warms up quickly, a/c cools down equally as fast, amazingly smooth drive, nimble handling. Really the only complaint i have is the body styling. Just not my bag there

• 

  diesel jetta - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By larry kean - May 13 - 10:00 am

  great gas mileage, handles well, comfortable, dependable, surprising power and acceleration with the 5- speed.

• 

  I LOVE MY JETTA!! - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bandgeek19 - May 10 - 11:19 pm

  I got my 2004 VW Jetta used after losing my 96 Honda civic in a tragic accident. I love everything about my Jetta. I live in IA so the heated seats are a really nice feature to have. I feel super safe in it because its heavy, and has every air bag in every place you need them to be. I havent had any big problems with it and its super fun to drive. Its a great car for liability and I wouldnt trade it. I used to love hondas, thats all I ever owned. But after driving my Jetta, I really have a liking to Volkswagens! People say theyre expensive to fix but I repaired two things on it and found someone to do it cheap. Just look around for the right person! If you live in Iowa, go to Bensons