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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  Lovin my Red Bug - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By RedBug - April 27 - 9:40 pm

  I traded in my SUV for this cute ride. The back seat is roomy enough for my two kids and I have even driven around my adult friends in the back seat. I love the way I can feel the road and take drives with the top down for pleasure. It is great for girlfriend trips to the beach and just having fun. Roadtrips are okay, just be sure to stop for the rear seat riders to stretch their legs. Ive had RedBug for over a year now, and the only minor problem was the interior was separating from the clips holding it to the back glass. It does have a blind spot, as most convertibles do.

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  Love it - 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By Joyce - April 25 - 6:26 pm

  We have had Volks vans since the green "bus" and hate/loved each one. The best one was the early vanagon with all that room in back and front, great interior coverings, etc....but the wind roll on the highway was bothersome. Our Euro is excellent to drive, sits above the crowd, no roll, a bit noisy, holds lots of people. Interior too fuzzy. Less width was not good. If only there were people out there that know how to service it. Looking for something more gas economical (we get 19 mpg)and a vehicle that fits tall people. Hate to give up on our Euro and its camp capabilities, etc. Dont like the backward facing middle seats and the cutback on leg room in the back.

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  Cheap plastic knobs are pealing - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By susan - April 23 - 11:06 pm

  Love the heated seats. Thought I would get better gas mileage. Plastic covers over knobs peeling off. Wipers come on without turning them on. Needed new timing belt, this was covered , thank god, very expensive repair. In cold weather, loud rattling noice from muffler area, was checked out, cant fix. Design problem. Right now, trying to decide whether to buy or walk away from lease.

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  My first review for my first VW - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Gabe - April 23 - 6:04 am

  Ive jumped from car to car quiet a bit in the last 10 years. Ive started off with an old Pontiac Sunfire and G3, gone through Mercury Mariner, Dodge Neon, two Honda Civics (04, 12), Hyundai Sonata (11), and a Subaru Legacy (09) and none can compete with the ride and comfort of the 2015 Passat. Im comparing this car to the other Ive had of course - the bumps on the road are hardly noticeable. The road noise is faint. The heated seats are a huge plus in the winter. However, I wish they installed "deeper" bucket seats. The salesman that sold me the car stressed, "Volkswagen, or any German car, is on a different level of comfort." I didnt believe him of course. He was there to sell me a car. Well, 2k miles later I now understand what he was saying. Its not a luxury car but it sure feels like it. The room in the cabin is incredible. It is the roomiest mid sized sedan Ive ever driven. The performance is adequate. I had a 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T before this. I went from 274 HP to 170, but I dont miss it as much as I thought I would. It has enough power to get you going - by no means is it a Toyota Yaris though. Gas mileage is pretty good too, if driven correctly. I have a heavy foot, I drive 40 miles a day, and I can still get 2 weeks on a full tank. I have yet to do any maintenance on the car since I hit 2K miles this morning. I hear maintenance costs are more expensive than most, but they also recommend an oil change every 10k miles. Thats plenty of time to save some cash for an oil change. *Update: about to hit 5k miles. I thought I had an issue with the power steering or wheel locking itself while turning into a curve. I took the car to the dealer and they couldnt find anything wrong. I noticed it only happens when taking curves too aggressively (55-60mph). I brought it up to the dealership again and it seems other people have had the same issue. The issue is that the magnetic power steering tends to correct itself if it thinks youre losing control. That just means I need to drive slower! Also, I had an issue where the reverse camera didnt activate. I opened and closed the trunk and it worked. No idea why that happened.

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  First few weeks with the 08 R32 - 2008 Volkswagen R32
  By Mark L - April 23 - 1:56 am

  First off, I am a 43 year old fun car junkie with a family. The Corvette has to wait till the kids leave. This is one cool car in the meantime. Looks different, lots of fun to drive. Not as fast as an EVO or STI, but so much more upscale and solid, still plenty fast enough though. My first AWD car, I have had both FWD and RWD, dont like FWD, like RWD, and now I also really like AWD. I have always owned a standard manual transmission so the DSG was an experiment, very very cool, I may never go back. Extremely linear power delivery, sounds cool while doing it to. Only have a few tanks on it so far, gas mileage is about 19 in mixed driving and no abuse since its still not broken in.

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  Really Durable with V6 and manual. - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By VWall the time - April 20 - 9:56 pm

  This is my 2nd Passat; 1999 V6 5-speed Sedan was amazing for 10 years and 140k miles. Despite hard use, reliability was excellent(6,000+ revs common; 50/50 highway/backroads; fast cornering; some rough roads; stored for long periods). The timing belt was expensive, replaced radiator at the same time since front of the car has to be dismantled. Also had to replace control arms/bushings and CV joints. Valve cover gasket prone to leaking. Cracked oil pan 2x on steep driveways/bumps (likely somewhat my fault due to 1/2-inch lower European suspension springs). AC conked out in year 9. Still has original clutch. My other cars are BMW M3s which I race - but cant sell VW, I like it too much!

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  7K miles in 3 months - 2012 Volkswagen Golf
  By ct_to_nc - April 20 - 9:21 pm

  My top 2 criteria for buying this car: 1. fuel economy, 2. performance. I average around 39 miles / gallon with mostly highway driving. As far as performance, it feels more like a sports car. In fact, it has a sport suspension. Acceleration is quick, whether looking to spontaneously pass on the highway or off the line from a stop. It is a solidly built quality vehicle. As of now, I have no regrets for spending the money to purchase this vehicle. It is truly a joy to drive.

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  Huh... - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By cpr8 - April 20 - 2:53 am

  Well, let me start off by saying, this is not my car, it is my brothers, but I have driven it enough. Lets start with performance. When you romp on the gas, wait a second, then you fly, and this thing can! It is so much fun, it feels like you are driving a rocket ship, the steering is so tight. But because of this, the comfort is bad, you feel every little rock, its horrible. Oh, and dont try to put someone in the back seat. I tried, lets just say it didnt turn out so well, Im 60". The exterior design is also top notch, in my opinion. The interior is also layed out very well, the Tiptronic is pretty nice too. The leather seats are supportive too. The A/C is also ice cold.

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  Save your money - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Fun to Ride - April 11 - 2:00 am

  When I purchased this car, I bought into all the hype of how great the Passat was. I am still kicking myself for buying it. I am not a large man (59) but I felt I was really cramped up in the drivers seat. My larger friends had a heck of a time getting comfortable in the back. The 1.8 turbo is fun and this car win get out of the gate quickly, but the 13 gallon tank will make you think twice about getting on it. Options on this care are nice but VW will make you pay big time for it.

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  b a vw bug - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By debra e - April 11 - 2:00 am

  4 words...I love my bug...If you like attention...buy this car. I am stopped at least once a day by someone telling my how cute it is.