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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  true lemon - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By tailor - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Braks: Required new right rear brake repairs $400.00 approx. Was told by dealership"due to my driving habits", I had to pay for repairs eventhough it was during warranty period. (I had just given up a 2000zx nissan purchased brand new in 1985--an automatic). Second brake job...$800.00 plus. Currently needs shocks and struts. Left window control lever has broken. Just installed new battery. Nearly blew out enjine twice because beetle loosesengine oil...from I dont know whe

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  NEVER BUY A VW !!!! - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By sk - September 30 - 12:13 am

  I bought vw passat 03 as certified used and had a very bad experience. The only reason I bought the car was because of its sexy interior and exterior(silver). Last 4 yrs, I had nothing but bad experience, done every service regularly, almost every time the vw dealer finds some problem costing anywhere from $300.00 to $1500.00 for that repair or this repair. I was driving probably about 50 miles a month as I had a Honda Civic. After about 3 yrs of use, I was worried and purchased a top vw platinum warranty, but the problems didnt stop nor was any part/problem covered by this worthless warranty - i paid about $2000 for this warranty. NEVER BUYING A VW AGAIN.

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  THINK TWICE - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Tammy - September 28 - 1:36 pm

  What a beautiful sporty suv that really hauls and is fun to drive. But be very wary, I have this car for almost 2 years and only have a little over 11,000 miles and I have had the suv in the shop more times than any other car I have owned. We have the 19" high performance sport tires, well at 8,000 miles we had to spend over $1,200 on new tires, the wood interior has cracked two times; the rear lights have been replaced twice due to condensation, the air suspension has gone twice leaving me with a $56,000 low rider. All in all I have been very displeased with the mechanical and lack of fuel efficiency. Once our lease is over we will never purchase another VW again. I am tired of loaners.

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  99 Volkswagon Passat - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Colleen Piacentine - September 22 - 1:56 am

  We have had a lot of problems with our 99 Passat. The timing belt went at 80,000 miles, causing $4,000 in damage to the engine. This car is very expensive to maintain. I can only put in 93 gas in it due to turbo engine. I will not buy another Volkswagon again due to the high maintaince costs.

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  Seats are killing my back - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Steve W. - September 21 - 11:41 am

  Front seats are not supportive, too concave and the headrest is too far forward. Didnt seem so bad when I test drove, but my back started hurting right after I bought the car, and its now killing me. Im average height 511"

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  Never will i own another VW again! - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By alwillia - September 20 - 8:15 pm

  I bought this car thinking it would be a good way to save on gas and still able to haul my mountain bikes around and travel, was i wrong! To mention some of the problems... Tire went flat then the spare went flat, the glove box handle broke off, the knobs on the stereo came off, the alarm will go off at random times, the serpentine belt broke and fried the motor, gas cap door wouldnt open, the thermostat in cold weather sets off my check engine light, the hatch stopped opening, oh and to top it all off i have to put premium in the car which then makes it just as much much as my old SUVs to fill up. I have had an 88 Landcruiser and it ran better and was more reliable than this car!!!!!!!!!!

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  Poor build quality and transmission lets it down - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By ricochet65 - September 19 - 3:38 am

  2003 Convertible, lightly driven with 43000 miles. Transmission failed, due to what now appears to be a known problem with the "valve body". VW support extremely poor. This car looks nice but has been nothing but trouble: windows do not work correctly, have been fixed twice, roof gets stuck and VW fitter wanted $1500 to repair (it took me 10 minutes to snap the loose clip back on and cost nothing - so much for service. Everything is a hassle to repair - battery is over $200, bulbs cannot be replaced easily, airbag light cost $250 to temporarily repair. If you want the beetle style spend the money on a restored air cooled one, from when VW knew how to make serviceable vehicles!

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  This car awful - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Liza - September 15 - 1:13 pm

  I have had this car for only a year and a half and I have had the coils replaced twice ($400.00 each). Then I experienced a crack in the cylinder head which cost me $3,800.00 to fix. My mechanic said that such a crack should not happen to a car that had less than 100,000 miles on it. Furthermore, it shouldnt happen to a car that hasnt overheated (which mine didnt) which basically points to bad materials used in the part itself. Besides the mechanical flubs, the oil changes are very expensive $80, because it has a "turbo". Honestly, there is no point for a turbo in this car since it runs worse than most 4 cylinder sedans without one. I hate my car.

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  Unbulllllyvable !!! - 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
  By Labbaga - September 12 - 9:24 am

  Today I was so close to tears with my Red VW Turbo Beetle. I had all the problems stated from the reviews below... from the windows having a mind of their own the moment I got them from the dealership... up to injection fuel pump issues and being stuck only to have the same problem all over again in a week, after its supposed to have been fixed... and some loose screw coming out of nowhere under the hood... Too many problems, if you ask me, from a supposedly brand new car. CRY !!! Its almost like being bullied by all these issues...by my own car. I head to leave my car in the dealership for a whole month (or more)... and this was with the car being less than 3 years. Also, my car has this odd stink coming from the vent... could it be me ? I dare not admit. Even the media jack inside the glove compartment had issues right from the beginning. This is my second VW Beetle and I am switching to another brand. The only thing that I enjoyed was the Fender sound system...

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  Many problems too fast - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By jettasnotrok - September 5 - 8:46 am

  Bought a new jetta it seemed to offer good fuel economy and it does. I drive from Michigan to Florida a lot so it seemed like a good car to drive on the e-way with its good fuel economy. Well a week later after returning from Florida the car had 3,000 miles on it and the starter broke. Dealer fixed it free. The tires dont hold air (maybe there is a hole) so I replaced the tire that I filled up every week. But the check tire light was still on. Took it to the dealer and it was broken. When I go to start the car in the morning it revs up to 7,000 rpm for no reason and the slowly will settle back down. After the fuel injector went bad I sold the car with 17,000.