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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  Dont Do It! - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By smn - July 2 - 6:42 am

  I bought a 1998 Beetle, 5 speed manual transmission from my neighbor. They saw me coming! The car now has 112,000 miles on it and the control module, catalytic converter and ignition module all went out. It is going to cost me more to fix it than its worth. Dont bother with VW. The glove box and trunk release are broken. The clear coat has peeled off. Regretting spending $3K on this car. My Honda has 200,000 miles on it and runs like a top!!

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  Poor Tire Performer - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By unhappy - June 24 - 3:30 am

  I have been disappointed with my vehicle since I purchased it. The tire sensor is on regularly, even after numerous repairs. The tires wear quickly and are expensive. Rotating every three months is a most. The interior wears poorly also. The door panels, garage opener panel have rubbed off from use. The wood look panels have cracked. Not a good buy.

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  Volkswagens are unreliable - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Vinny C. - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I have had nothing but trouble with my Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T. By far the worst car I have ever had in reliability, and the people that work at University Volkswagen in Albuquerque are very rude and not into helping at all. I would advise never to buy a Volkswagen.

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  Buy Another!!!! - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ejamon - June 1 - 10:00 am

  I hate this car and want to get it off my hands. I have had problem after problem with this car. It started with leaking of transmission fluid, then the lights on the dashboard going out(could only be reset by the VW computer), the O2 sensor, brakes and rotars, the cupholder broke, and funky smells coming from the AC unit. Please, I know how cute this car looks but DON"T BUY IT!!!!

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  Worst car we have ever owned - 2005 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By jpj22 - May 30 - 6:10 pm

  Stay away from this lemon. We got my wife a new one in Aug 2005. That was the happiest day or her life until we got rid of it and then that was the happiest day of her life. Transmission problems, rear side window problems, top problems, sensor problems trim problems. There is no room in the car. I have nothing good to say about this lemon.

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  The Worst - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By Jimmy - May 29 - 5:20 am

  Issues w/ terminal connections, burnt out fuse box on battery, always replacing head light/blinker and brake lights. Engine light always on, airbag light always on (had to replace seat belt buckle 4xs) newest addition, blown engine w/ 85k miles. Now replaced w/ rebuilt engine 2 weeks ago and engine light back on. Can you say lemon! Do not buy this car!

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  LEMON. PERIOD. - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By frne - May 20 - 2:25 am

  Where do I even start. First off, DO NOT buy this car. I had this vehicle for almost five years and it is indescribable the feeling I had when I got rid of it. Never will I stray from Honda or Toyota again. There is a reason there are so many Hondas on the road and very few VWs. I learned the hard way. This car consistently broke down and needed repairs. Not cheaper, either. The air compressor went out twice, cold air return motor died, and numerous recalls. I honestly still cant believe a car could be so bad. On the bright side, I tell anyone who will listen how awful my experience with VW was. I have convinced at least 30+ people to never buy a VW with my previous experience.

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  Drvrs Wntd-bc thy lose the 1s they have - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By alwakeham - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Brake rotors are completely warped and need to be replaced after only 10,000 miles (according to VW, they were fine at the last major tuneup). Blown fuses that arent fixable by owner because VW makes it so the owner cant get to the fuses unless the entire front end is taken apart. Poor poor gas mileage!! Would rather drive an SUV is this is the mileage (15-18 mpg!!! - this sucks!). Been to three different VW dealers and have never come away completely happy

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  this car will bug you - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By mtunic - May 4 - 10:39 am

  this car has 60k I has had the water pump go out smog pump out air bag out the only thing not to go out is the check engine light now the transmission 1&2 shift fork is broke plus 3 set of ignition modules. I have never seen such poor excuse for a car ever 6ok and all this vw should be ashamed to sell a car like this the Yugo seems to be a better choice!!!!!!

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  Good If You Dont Like Driving Much - 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
  By R.D. - April 26 - 6:37 pm

  First of all, Sport has nothing to do with it. "Sport" is an overstatement. If you performance and an engaging car to drive, get a GTI or GLI. I bought my 2016 Jetta Sport last January to replace my 2000 Audi A6 2.7t and boy do I regret it. The "Sport" model includes the same suspension setup featured in the GLI, fog lights, a lip spoiler and sport seats with more bolstering than your standard Jetta. All good things, but unfortunately the rest of the car doesnt match the persona that Volkswagen tried to get with the "Sport" trim. If you want to merge onto a highway with a speed limit of 70, good luck doing that safely. If you want to pass somebody on a highway at about 70, you arent going nowhere. The 1.8t is an absolute dog of an engine. No torque, no pickup and absolutely atrocious gearing. If you care, even in the slightest about performance the Jetta Sport is not the car for you. The five speed gearbox features nice, smooth, short throws. But thats about all its got going for it. The clutch has an excessively long travel, the engagement is horrible and its feather light and feels like its pushing away from you. Its also worth nothing that the reverse gear of this car does not have a syncro. What this means is that it sometimes wont engage into reverse properly and will grind occasionally when being put in reverse. This also means that the car cant be put into reverse while moving at all. Something that most cars nowadays have. Throttle application is uneven and not smooth and the turbo lag is annoying. The interior build quality is pretty horrible, expect plenty of squeaks, rattles and badly pieced together trim. Everything is hard, hollow plastic and everything from the speakers to the headliner will rattle at some point. One of the few redeeming features this car has is that you can get up to 45 miles per gallon highway. Thats pretty damn good.