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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  Just Fun - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By DW - June 28 - 10:00 am

  Car is fun to drive, and safe feeling

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  It is good for the money - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By max becker - June 27 - 2:43 am

  It always starts, the TDI is great for mileage. The handling is good for a car that is not a performance car.

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  The Good and the Bad - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By kyoung116 - June 26 - 11:00 pm

  Love the tiptronic transmission in my 2003 Jetta Wolfsburg! It makes driving an automatic almost as much fun as driving a stick. It is great on fuel and has awesome handling. It is amazing how much power you get out of that little engine. The low end torque from the smaller turbo unit almost makes you forget its a 4-cyl. However, the worksmanship is pretty bad. The paint and windhshield scratch too easily. The paint has swirl marks everywhere. The VW CD player just doesnt sound good, its missing a certain clarity to the sound. I replaced the head unit, but kept the Monsoon speakers...which sound GREAT! Some fabric came loose on the passenger seat and a rear seat came off its hinge. Also, my trunk is getting so stiff that I can barely open/close it. This is a great car, too bad its made in Mexico.

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  Great Car - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By whaler71 - June 26 - 3:53 pm

  I love my VW Jetta. Its quick, handles great, and gets good gas mileage. My only major repair was when I replaced the cat converter (the check engine light came on) at 75,000, but VW paid for this. Besides that nothing major has gone wrong in 83,000 miles. Just some small stuff, like the clip on center console broke, the window stuck down at around 20,000 but the dealer fixed it and it has had no problems since. It doesnt burn oil and it still has the original brakes, gotta love a manual tranny.

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  Solid, Well-designed and great MPG - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By jklo16 - June 26 - 11:38 am

  The Volkswagen TDI SEL 2.0 is a very good highway car in the $30k range with a strong turbo assisted diesel and great milage. In eight months, I am approaching 18k miles and am averaging 42 mpg which includes a good mix of bumper to bumper stop and go Tollway driving as well as open highway cruising. As pro reviewers stated, its solid and very roomy. The radio display is a bit boring with a basic red on black display and the response time is slow from pressing the touch screen to seeing anything happen. ( The screen is not an iPad) The Fender stereo setup is decent for the price range.

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  Wish the execution was better. - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By squashpup - June 26 - 7:36 am

  The car itself, in everyday use, is great. Comfortable, good power, good gas mileage, styling is excellent inside and out, roomy, sporty handling, fun to drive with a good feel on the road.

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  The Good and bad - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ihatebadrivers - June 26 - 3:53 am

  I bought this car used from a local dealership. I have found the gas mileage to be great but the transmission has a mind of its own at lower speed and sometimes while slowing down to a stop it clunks into a lower gear. Its disturbing and annoying (almost scares me) when it does this. Sometimes when I put it in gear (mostly in reverse it hesitates and then goes in gear suddenly. I have to make sure I always have me foot firmly pressed so it doesnt lurch forward or backwards suddenly. I dont know if this is normal for all Jettas this year or not but it makes me think that I could have transmission problems down the road?! It does have plenty of pickup when I put it in "sport mode"

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  Its showing signs of age - 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Joan Crawford - June 25 - 6:19 pm

  This was my first car, Ive had it for two years. I paid $9k, turns out the car is only worth about $2k. The car runs very well, very stable and smooth and is great on the highway and city, very good gas mileage, it lasts for a long time, the tank lasts maybe 300 miles and only costs $25 to fill up! It goes pretty fast to me and stops very fast too. It makes a good winter car too! Great defrosters and with new all season tires it has never gotten stuck in the snow! The heated seats get super hot too! The only time its had issues in the snow was when the tires were more than 4 years old. Right now though, its having some minor issues. It still starts right up and runs everyday, however right now the trunk will not rise open, the interior plastic on the doors are cracking, the glovebox handle and center console handle have broken off, the dash lights for the heat will not turn on, the front headlights are loose and theres a bunch of annoying electrical things like it sounds like the blinker is on but isnt, the car doesnt make any noise if you leave the keys in, the windows sometimes dont move automatically and theres this oil leak under the car no one can fix . I really take good care of this car, I am not rough on it, but I feel like now I have to drive my other cars because it Seems like more and more things are breaking on it, its minor things but still. It is a good car though, reliable, zippy and runs (which is the most important thing!). But if you check safety ratings, this is not the safest car and defiantly not a good first car due to blind spots and the safety ratings and also volkswagen isnt known for being a very good brand. But my specific car has been very good but I wouldnt recommend spending what I spent on this car or getting any other volkswagen car.

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  Piece Of Crap - 2001 Volkswagen Golf
  By AELinuxGuy - June 24 - 10:00 am

  This has been the worst car I have ever owned! In 30,000 miles the airbag indicator went bad, car alarm stopped working, oxygen sensor went bad twice, rear winshield washer stopped working, and both windows fell down inside of the door (happened twice on passenger side). Avoid VW like the plague.

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  So far, so good - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Tocacat - June 24 - 3:46 am

  I have been driving this baby for three months. It has a great ride. People are blown-away that this is the base model. All the sensors work (yes, even the tire pressure one). Watch out, this is a big car. It has more blind spots than I had expected. Its shifting is smooth. The parking brake and hill assist are nice. The guy whos getting 37 mpg on the highway must be driving like an old lady though. Im averaging 25-27 overall, and maybe 32 mpg if driving highway only. How can you not cruise at 80 mph? Thats so easy in this ride. Go for the alloy Tango wheels. They are a pretty good deal for an upgrade. To the comment about the autolocks - you can modify the settings with the computer. Just read the manual. Its slightly smaller than the bible.