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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  CC Gets an A - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By CC Rider - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a used 2009 CC and love it. The short-throw manual shift makes every drive fun, and the 4 cylinder turbo has plenty of power. I had my selection narrowed down to a Honda Accord 2-door coupe or Nissan Altima 2-door coupe, and then drove the CC and bought it on the spot. Handling is excellent. Theres something exceptionally solid about German engineering that you just dont find in most other makes. My only mistake may have been installing splash guards. The car sits low to begin with, and now the front splash guards only have 2.5 inches of clearance. It doesnt take much of a bump for them to scrape the highway. Oh well.

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  TDI fuel system self destructs!!! - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By No More TDI For Me - December 24 - 2:00 am

  The 09 TDI was in many ways the best car Id owned in 20+ years. Safe, comfortable, good handling in snow, and amazing MPG (44 hwy, 37 city over 20K miles). However, the TDI has a faulty high pressure fuel pump design and complete failures are showing up all over the US due to the poor quality of US diesel compared to Europe. Bottom line? at 21K my pump failed and shot metal particles through the entire fuel system. It was all replaced (tank to injectors) at a cost of about $10K. This was covered by warranty and the dealer was great-- but there is nothing to prevent it from happening again, out of warranty. And who needs are car that may self-destruct without warning at any time? Stay away.

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  Overall, a Great Pick - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By cknudsen - December 23 - 6:20 am

  I bought this car as an economical AWD car with great features. My only disappointment with it has been the gas poor mileage. Over two years the best mileage that I have gotten has been 24.5 mpg and the worst was 20 mpg and I am averaging around 22-23. Since I traded in my previous car in hopes of the 28 mpg on the sticker, this is a disappointment. It has great pickup for a 4-cylinder vehicle. The interior is very nice with comfortable seats. This car has only been in the shop for routine service (24,000 miles and counting). Note: some places (Walmart, etc.) will not do oil changes on this car.

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  Excellent choice - 2011 Volkswagen GTI
  By bluesmaster1 - December 22 - 5:32 pm

  The GTI isnt all that fast but handles well, gets great mpg, and is practical and comfortable. Its very easy to live with on an every day basis. The interior is nearly ideal, the blue tooth works flawlessly and the navigation system is easy to use. The standard stereo sounds great and the I-pod integration works fine. There is good torque available at low rpms and the shifter and clutch are very smooth and easy to use. Another 50 horsepower would be ideal. My 4-door has been solid and rattle free for the first several thousand miles, and the second set of doors is very practical. The 4 door also provides power seat back angle adjustment rather than the dreaded lower knob.

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  A BIG lemon! - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By KMAC - December 22 - 2:46 pm

  My parents bought my bug for me when I turned 16. I was so excited when I got it! But soon I started to hate it! So many things have gone wrong such as I have had to get a new clutch, thermostat, headlight, taillights, window motors in both Windows, plastic parts in the car are always breaking and etc. Taking it to a VW dealership is crazy because they charged me almost $400 just to look at it not to mention that the parts are very costly too! Overall its a cheaply made car! I would not recommend this car to anyone else!

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  2004 Touareg - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By GrayZ0ne - December 22 - 2:40 pm

  I only drive a few miles to my studio daily, but about 12 times a year I go to the Mojave Desert to do landscape photography. I find the Touareg an excellent ORV for my purposes and consider it a unique vehicle for its combination of highway manners and off-road capability. The low MPG is understandable given the vehicles weight, but could be better.

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  love my passat and support vw! - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Edward Zhao - December 22 - 10:45 am

  i love Passat from my first look at this car (i also test drove and like subaru legacy ), which is obviously very nice and very well built in every detail. design is both classical, detailed and appropriate. the ride is very comfortable and quiet. engine is enough for me or even pretty strong if you press pedal hard. very roomy for second row guests. i got Passat at a great price partly because of recent diesal scandal. although i love it, i was hesitant due to some bad comments. but once i get it, i fell in love it, and dis not have any issues so far. i cant comment on long term reliability, but the initial quality, original parts, assembly are in high quality and flawless. it is way way better than my toyota cars in terms of premium feeling and detailed consideration. safety is very good and actually my top reason to pick this car. mine passat is just the base model, but are still well equipped. compared to Passat, my toyotas (rav4, matrix) is much simpler, but has been proved to be super reliable. vw now has problems, but i think a company that builds such a nice, quality car (especially on the fundamental side which demonstrate its responsibility and professionalism), deserve my love and support. if other vw models are similarly competitive on pricing as my Passat, i may only buy vw in the future.

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  Awesome car, BUT........ - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By John Y - December 22 - 1:46 am

  This happens to be one of the most fun car to drive. I use it as a daily drive for work. And my commute is usually a 1 1/2hr commute through Boston traffic, and ever since I got this car, the commute is a whole new experience. The DSG is the best transmission i have ever driven. The Bi-Xenons are great, while the fogs adds little to barely noticeable lighting. I love the steering wheel also, and MFD (Multi-Function Display). The only negative things that I have to say about the car is the BUILD, it seems that there are just minor details that aesthetically are unappealing, more minor annoyances but dealable/fixable. Overall, I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!

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  Great so far - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Lore - December 21 - 8:00 pm

  Had the car for about a week now and no issues. I had a pebble stuck under the car and it made a weird noise for a few minutes, but now its gone. The ride is smooth and excellent. I like the handling of the manual transmission. The interior is very nice and comfortable for passengers. The sound system is pretty good. Its got a whole lot of features you normally wouldnt get from a car at this price. Exterior window movement, heated side mirrors, diffuser climate control, rear vents, etc. Just a blast to drive, fun car but has a look of style.

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  Cant beat it for the price - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By bruynje - December 21 - 4:00 pm

  Buying the diesel was the best thing that i could do. I have a dodge ram with a Hemi with $ 800 per month fuel bills. now i spend about 200 USd per month. The car is for my wife but its really the only vehicle we use. m consistant fuel miles are averageing 32-33 MPG city and highway. at 85 mph i get about 32 mpg. If you keep it to 75-78 mpg you will get 38-39 mpg with the AC running. The engine noise is strong in the first 2000 miles but then it really smoothens out. Diesels are meant to be driven, so if you keep it in the garage, buy a gas engine. There is a big of a turbo lag below 1500 RPM but once you pass the lag the power is great.