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:

• 

  One word: Boring. - 2003 Volkswagen Golf
  By Bahumut - February 4 - 12:03 pm

  Ive read all the reviews for the 2003 VW Golf GL on this site, and I cant tell if everyone is over the age of 60 or just emotionally tired, but this car puts me to sleep at the wheel, and often! The 120 HP engine is fast enough for me, thus the GL works, but if I had test driven the car longer, I would have realized the the suspension is really, really tame. The car wallows in turns, the back end (even with the short wheelbase)trembles mid corner, and the nose dives under the most gentle of braking. If I could choose a VW again, itd cope with the reliability problems of the turbocharger and buy the GTi. Other than the performance issues, the standard kit is surprisingly nice for the price.

• 

  Poor build quality of new VW Atlas - 2018 Volkswagen Atlas
  By Iakov - February 3 - 6:17 am

  Could not even imagine that VW produces such cars and has such a poor level of technology and poor level of quality at the factory. My car was bought totally new (16 miles) from the official VW dealership and it has lots of issues, there is almost no exterior panel on my car that wasn’t adjusted or detached after my vehicle left the factory and after they painted it with the brush (I mean the loops). VW of America says that it is ok for them, they call it final adjustments, but I haven’t seen such issues on other VW cars (including Atlas). I ask them to recall my car and to exchange on the same Atlas without such issues but they don’t want to do it. Obviously, loops at the car are the main indicators that something was wrong. I don’t know what I should say to the buyer if decide to sell this car in future, how I should explain why hood, f​ender and doors were detached from my car. Probably this is a pre production vehicle and VW tried to adjust all the procedures and technology of production, but why I should suffer because of that an pay for it. So, if you decide to buy new VW double check it, inspect entire car as it is used already.

• 

  HIGH fuel economy+LOW quality=Little fun - 2002 Volkswagen Golf
  By Daddy-D - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car because of TDI engine and fuel economy. Worst car I have ever owned. 26K miles and more than 7 dealer visits! check engine lights, rattles and squeaks, moldy smell from AC after 1000 miles. Rough running engine-idle could not be fixed to date. Too much body roll. Buy this car only if you drive a lot and need the 45+ mpg fuel economy and dont care about crisp handling. Low interior build quality level (rattles and squeaks). If you live in cold climates, beware: heater doesnÂ’t produce significant heat until about 5-10 miles of driving due to very efficient engine. Too small for child seats.

• 

  Beware of the Jetta - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Ownerofjunk - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Volkswagon in the shop five times in the last two months for it leaking coolant at aprroximately 21000 miles. They have replaced the heater core, radiator, water pump, head gasket, and resevior cap. They have only managed to slow the problem. I contacted Volkswagens customer advocates, and they refused to give any assistance. They advised that they would only continue to honor the terms and conditions of the warranty. Keep in mind that at the time Im writing this, the car is back in the shop AGAIN! They say Volkswagens are safe cars. Its because they dont run long enough to become involved in an accident.

• 

  VW Routan Brake Problems - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By carshopper82 - January 29 - 2:14 pm

  I purchased an 09 Routan, and have driven it for 33,000 miles since. The van is nice and is perhaps the nicest minivan ride based on my experience. However, there are a lot of design issues with it. I have replaced the brakes all around including rotors, pads, and calipers three times - this at no cost because I documented to VW of America this is a design issue. Similar vans from 2009 (Chrysler Town Country) had the same issues - my in-laws own it. As you know, the Routan is a brand-labeled T&C. Othe rissues pertain to transmission hoses. So far VW has taken care of me but it is definitely a lemon.

• 

  Buyer Beware - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Dara - January 29 - 6:36 am

  I will never purchase another VW again in my life. It runs great while its under factory warranty, but be prepared to shell out at least a quarter of your vehicles market price afterward. Under warranty, the tire pressure monitoring system failed, and I brought it into the dealership 6 times--for which I was told that I was at fault for not "properly monitoring my tires." After the warranty was up, they finally found a problem--and it costs $2000 to repair. My airbag light went on for the first time this week. Total cost: $520. Since the last time I took it to be serviced (1 week ago), the chime on the dashboard malfunctioned, another $1700 problem. ItÂ’s a serious money guzzler. Buyer beware.

• 

  VW Gets an "F" in Customer Service - LEMON - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Patrick - January 22 - 6:06 am

  I purchased a 04 Touareg in 12/03 for $49,365. Finally two months ago, 28,420 miles later, IÂ’d had enough and dumped it for a $26,865 loss. During the time that I owned it, it spent 46 days in for repairs, everything from trim/buttons falling off to major problems, too many to mentionÂ… I had to make countless trips back to dealer due to partsÂ’ unavailability. I made countless calls to VW of North America trying to get it recalled under the lemon law. VW couldnt care less and pacified me by repeatedly saying: "Well continue to service your vehicle as outlined under the terms of the Warranty." Enough was enough. I will never, ever buy a VW again. The Touareg had a nice design, it was comfy, and fun to drive, if you donÂ’t mind 10-13 MPG and weekly trips to the dealership! I hated it.

• 

  Bad Trans. Twice. Plus other major problems - 2012 Volkswagen EOS
  By johnlaf - January 18 - 3:02 pm

  Weve had the car for about 30 of the 36 month lease. During the 30 months, car has been in the shop MORE than 60 days total (lost count). There have been 3 major oil leaks, parts failures, and the transmission needed to be repaired twice. The parts had to come from Germany. Glad we chose to lease. Cant wait to get rid of this thing.

• 

  Buyer Beware - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By heartbroken - January 17 - 11:50 am

  My beloved dream car has an engineering flaw that apparently comes to light after 60,000. The auto transmission becomes erratic clunking into gear, screeching off, staying in 2nd gear. After months and hundreds of dollars of investigation and fixes, the only cure is a valve and electronic trans. replacement to the tune of $4000-$7000. VW will not admit to any problems or pay for a fix. The government car safety website (safercar.gov) has 28 complaints registered about this issue. I would not recommend any VW product to anyone-new or used.

• 

  Terrible Car - Will Never Buy One Again - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Della - January 15 - 12:46 pm

  I bought my 2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 the first day it was available in Texas - Huge mistake! My car has been in the shop 5 times in 9 months, and the worst thing about it is that I am still having problems. The sunroof has broken twice. The speakers rattle terribly! They have already been fixed once, but I still have the problem. There is a clicking in the dashboard that they supposively fixed (still there). It is an automatic, but I can feel my transmission stick as it goes from gear to gear. The clock doesnt keep accurate time. They were unable to fix either of these problems. When I start the car, it is extremely loud! I am a first time VW buyer, and I can guarantee that I will never buy another!