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 fabulous - 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By Jody - August 5 - 9:55 am

  Its beautiful; theres plenty of room inside. Im 52" and my husband is over 6 feet; we both feel comfortable behind the wheel. The adaptive cruise is amazing! My one complaint is the shifting. Previous car was a Subaru Outback - which wasnt very powerful, but had very smooth gear transition. This one seems to have more power, but shifts from gear to gear with a noticeable ... jump? Sport mode is much smoother, but is less fuel efficient. Admittedly, I have only had the car for 24 hours, but I have never (46 years) driven a car with this harsh of a shift. I could shift smoother manually in my old Miata!

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  Lots of issues with the tiguan - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By lbrosco - August 5 - 2:47 am

  First I want to start out by saying I am glad I found this site, because after reading most of the posts on here I realize I am not alone. Normally I dont post to sites like this but if this stuff helps somebody else going through what I am going through then its worth it. I bought my car in Arizona in november of 2009 so I have owned it for 1 yr 4 1/2 mths. I will list the problems I have incurred so far. By the way I now live in northern California and I have apprx 30,000 miles. Satellite radio always says linking Back up camera gets stuck Drivers side cornering light went out Brakes jerk when stopping abruptly even at slower speed Emergency brake sticks Burns out cell phone chargers- gone through 5 oem Sensor had to be replaced. Mold inside my car! For the past few months we have been getting a lot of rain in northern California. I have noticed a lot of moisture on the inside of my car, mainly on the windows. I have to dry it every morning with a towel. It would be too much for a defroster to handle. I didnt think anything of it other than it being a pain in the butt. This morning I noticed mold growing underneath all 4 of my floor mats. I removed them from my car and wiped down the carpets with resolve carpet cleaner. I wasnt able to get it all because it is growing under the seats as well. This is a huge problem for me because I am allergic to mold. I have broken out in hives and didnt realize that was the cause. 

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  First car. - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By Phill - August 2 - 5:33 pm

  I am a new driver and this is the first car that I have bought. I didnt really pick this car, it was more seredipity that i found it. It was everything I was looking for, relativly cheap (under $4,000) spacious, and not an American car. At first it was great, then a couple of problems occured. Nothing too serious, a dead battery because of a broken relay, an alternator that stopped working. These are significant problems yes, but easly fixed and they are not harmful to the car or people inside of the car. Overall the car is very exciting, fast, and handles beautifully. Even with its problems it has been worth it. I couldnt have asked for anything more.

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  Great, but know what youre getting into. - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Jeff Rut - August 1 - 10:26 pm

  I own an E-Golf, and generally I love it, but I dont think general discussion touches on two important points. First, my only real negative to the car: the Navigation/Entertainment System is a complete joke. The entertainment/navigation console takes a minute to boot up. So if youre going to use navigation, you have to turn on your car and wait a minute before you can get on your way. Then, the screen is slow, its small, etc. I do like the little dashboard screen. Overall, Google Maps is incomparably better than VWs navigation. Theres also a problem that it doesnt have standard USB power, and they just assume you have an iPhone, so no micro-USB/Android charger is available for their proprietary slot (I got a 3rd party wire off Amazon, but its crazy slow). Also, it has a weird bluetooth problem where it switches up music sometimes. Its just generally clunky and ugly and problematic. It does allow an SD card full of MP3s, I know thats like 2003 tech but I actually really like it. Also, about the range: I drive with a heavy foot, mostly on freeway, I dont use the annoying auto-brake or evo modes, and I get 85 miles or so. Before I got the car, I thought charging stations were going to be a big deal. But unless you have charging at work, charging stations are really not a large part of the EV experience. Even in the Bay Area, you just cant count on one being available - somebody else is parked there, and will be parked there for at least another hour or two more. Or its broken. Or a non electric vehicle parked there. You just cant rely on it 100%. Anyway, who wants to wait around an hour to charge up enough to get home? A better way to think about it is, every morning your car starts with a quarter tank of gas. Sure, if theres an EMERGENCY, or you need to BARELY extend your trip past the cars range, something will probably be available. But if you think this will be a regular occurrence for you, buy a gas or diesel car. OK, not to scare off buyers, because yeah I do love this car. If you have a regular daily commute its incredibly cheap to operate, especially with the lease deals out there. Quality isnt luxury car, but its very high-end for a low-end car. With the torque and tight turns, its really fun to drive around town - I feel like Im driving a go-kart around on city streets. Its not quite as good on the freeway, but its not bad. Im six and a half feet tall and my wife isnt all that much shorter, and its still surprisingly spacious inside, I dont keep the slider all the way back. However, tall people up front does mean that the people in the back row have basically no space at all.

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  not as good as 14 years ago - 2014 Volkswagen Jetta
  By uttley - July 30 - 7:58 pm

  We have a 2000 jetta tdi that we purchased new, and put over 400k on in the following 14 years...AWESOME car. This new jetta is a bit of a disappointment. It drives and performs fine, although the MPG isnt quite as good as with our previous car (bigger car and bigger engine though). My disappointments come from areas where they have cheapened the build. For example; our 2000 has hidden trunk hinges so you can utilize ALL the trunk space, the new one has big cheap hinge arms that rotate down into the trunk and prevent you from utilizing the entire space. 2000 jetta had a flip down sun visor above the rear view mirror, 2014 does not. 2000 has gas struts to hold up the engine hood,not on new

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  Wise choice? - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By fwypilot - July 29 - 11:43 pm

  My wife and I have owned this car for about 3 weeks now. We wanted a car that is fun to drive but also gets good gas mileage. I traded my Toyota truck for this car. Some would say that was a risky move but we were looking for better economy. I think we succeeded there so far. Were averaging 25 mpg so far. This is our first VW and we like the experience so far. The VW is very well equipped for the price. We also considered the Camry, Accord, Civic and Corolla. Each have their pros and cons but none are equipped as well as the Jetta for the same price. I think the VW has the most bang for the buck.

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  144,000 miles and counting - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By txsaggie1 - July 29 - 5:13 pm

  I bought this car as it looks cool inside and outdoor with super comfy seats. Overall, I have been pleased and I plan on driving it until it dies. Get the V6 engine! Much more reliable than V4. (Ive also never used Premium gas. 87 octane works fine.) Interior and exterior has worn well. Seats are comfy. Ride is quite and comfortable. Paint looks great. But Ive had electrical issues similar to others: Headlights burn out often, dashboard and panel lights go out. Repairs are expensive, and some maintenance can only be done at dealerships. If you are buying a used one, make sure you are aware of the VW timing belt/water pump replacement at 105,000 mile-- its $1300.

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  Volkswagen Passat 2006 - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Itzel Galindo - July 29 - 9:33 am

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  FUN car...but..... - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Irby - July 29 - 2:00 am

  Fun car to drive, has a lot of pep. but i will not be getting another Beetle. And after 2 years of ownership (we bought it brand new with hardly any miles on it) i am ready to give it up. mechanically it is sound...but for a 2 year old car lots of little things have gone wrong with it as soon as we drove it off the lot. The drivers side window we were told is a known problem with Beetles. Also al of the face plates on the interior are coming away and becoming loose. the rear hatch almost never releases on the 1st try...usually it takes 3-5 tries before it will release.

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  Go test drive one yourself! - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By carloco1 - July 28 - 5:31 pm

  Yes, the 2.0 is under power, I wouldnt buy this car with the automatic. But with the manual transmission works fine. You can get this car to 70 or 80 mph with no problem. Actually, its pretty quiet at 75 mph. In order to pass other vehicles in the highway I have to put the car in 4th or 3rd gear. The Jetta is very roomy, I am six feet tall I can put the seat all the way back and my teenage sons fit in the back seats with out touching the back of my seat. I like this car better than my old 2001 BMW 325I. I am very with this car purchase, I just hope this car turns out to be reliable. I found out all the new Jetta come equipped with four wheel disk brake even thu the reviews say otherwise!