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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  Could of Been So Good! - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By Lorale - March 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car with 20,000 miles on it. Love the room and drive. Had way too many problems with the door handles that all had to be replaced! (at $343 each!) The interior door handles peeled, the engine light and ABS light came on and off. Had them checked, and dealer said, "No problem found". I found the car to have a ridged ride. Would of loved to have a glove compartment. This car could of been GREAT!! I wouldnt buy another one, because of the many small, but costly problems!

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  Can I Have a Do OVER! - 2000 Volkswagen Golf
  By Frank & Irene - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car to replace my infated 1996 Plymouth Neon due to mechanical problems thinking that I would not have the amount of problems with a new VW since we are previous owners of a 97 Golf K2. First year had the car serviced 12 time and with 3 problems took it in 2x to fix. Took the vehicle over to the BBB but VW did not want to buy it back. Will not buy another VW.

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  Pretty Good Car - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By roscoegas - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Very reliable car. Performance is fair, but gas mileage is only mediocre.

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  VW Diesel Rocks! - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jenny Solomon - March 22 - 5:30 pm

  Great little car. I run it using Biodiesel, which makes good sense to me. Better for the environment. Only complaint is the seats arent comfortable and the gaps between the seats are difficult to clean and reach those items that just disappear! Exterior paint scratches easily. Windows are tight when electronically moved up and down. Great performance and holding on curves. Love the mileage anyhwere from 45-55 mpg. All around, would highly recommend this turbodiesel engine. No bad odors and It flys!

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  2004 Volkswagen Touareg - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Dan Gonzalez - March 22 - 3:53 pm

  I experienced two problems immediately I after purchased my Touareg, the alternator blew out in the first 30 days and within first 90 days the computer chip operating the on board dash systems had to be replaced (I had a constant flat tire warning on the dash board system). My truck has had no problems since then. I am happy with this vehicle except for its poor gas mileage with the V6 engine (14 mpg city / barely 18 mpg highway).

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  Passat review - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Truman Todd - March 21 - 10:00 am

  The original warranty was for 2 years or 24000 miles.The extended warranty was for 10 years or 100000 miles. I had engine trouble couvered by the extended warranty. The fuel injectors were changed per a service bulletin as was a gas cap grounding problem. I had to change the battery Dec 2003. In June of 2004 the battery again had to be changed. Though covered by the dealer it really wasted my time. Changing the original battery cost me 215.00 because the dealership said they had to reprogram certain electronic features.I later found out that my model does not need reprogramming when the battery is removed. Over all this car is fun to drive but it suffers from to many mechanical problems.

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  Problems with VW of America - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Nothappy2 - March 21 - 10:00 am

  The vehicle has lots of minor issues that can not be fixed by dealership. VW of America policy is to review all work done under warranty. Dealership will not fix lots of little items under warranty because they are afraid that once information is sent to VW, VW of America will evaluate items as not being necessary. In other words, VW of America will not fix items. They deem items to be functional within their parimeters. Calls to VW go unanswered. Car has been in shop for more than 15 days. In addition, maintenance policy for 4 years is very limited. Lots of exceptions.

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  good car bad service - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By victorIA - March 21 - 10:00 am

  i was very happy the day a got my volks it was a fun car to drive. LOTS of POWER.HOWEVER, those days are gone.I spent more time in the dealership than i could ever think possible.Volks folks should update their service to match with the $50k-$90k cars they sell.They should learn from lexus and acura (my wifes cars what customer service mean, not to mention RELIABILITY.I almost never get a loaner car, and when i do its a rundown non automatic jetta.

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  Great Value - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By scotishtdi - March 19 - 9:10 pm

  As this is my 4th VW, I thought I knew of all the features this car offered but several time with the past 2 weeks of ownership Ive found new features that my Rabbit did not have. Performance, comfort, features and free maint for 36K miles cannot be beat.

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  where is US automotive industry - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By tttt - March 17 - 2:00 am

  Bought the first TDI diesel wagon in our state. Now have 25K miles on it and averaging 47.5 mpg. Ours was totally assembled in Germany and have had no mechanical and electrical failures. Note I was told by EPA that they have NOT tested the latest VW diesels for pollution specs and their website uses model year 2000 for their information which is totally out of date and erroneous. Second, why wont US manufacturers or EPA look at the extensive diesel availability in Europe including pollution controls? Suggest checking carefully as to the origin of the car. Mexican versions appear to have many problems.