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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  Sweet Jetta - 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Zack - November 21 - 8:51 am

  So much fun. So sporty. Looks like an Audi. Much more affordable. Fun to drive.

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  Great Car To Drive - 2012 Volkswagen Golf
  By aom1 - November 20 - 8:33 am

  I got the 4 door hatchback with the base 2.5 engine. Like most VWs this is a drivers car. Its still built in Germany. Great feel on the road, very comfortable seats and a sophisticated feeling suspension. Very little road/wind noise. I have been getting around 27 mpg with mostly hwy driving. This powertrain has enough pep for my needs while still using regular gas. Theres lots of room with the seats folded down. VW still has great lease rates if you can negotiate.

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  QUICK AND FUEL EFFICIENT...but DSG confused. - 2012 Volkswagen Golf
  By dankocke - November 20 - 12:16 am

  I traded a 2011 Optima Turbo and dont miss the 270hp at all. The diesel torque is Fantasitic for spirited driving. My mileage has been around 39 mpg with A/C. The trip computer is off by as much as 4 mpg. I have 2000 miles on it and filled up 5 times. Only Issue: DSG can make your passengers feel ill because it is Jerky/seems confused when you first start out. Make sure to have all people in the car for test drive. Otherwise, the car has plenty of space for 2 adults and 2 kids. Backseat has actually more legroom than you realize by looking at it.... the footwells in the front are so deep you can easily move the seats up and still have room for the folks up front and back.

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  Awesome - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Some dude in Louisia - November 19 - 10:00 am

  I love this car its the best car i have had in a long time. I love the gas mileage and everything about it.

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  Its a Turbo - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By splijetta - November 19 - 10:00 am

  great car... the turbo is sweet... goes fast... kinda slow at a stop light... ive been very dissappointed with the engine. when cold it sounds like a lawn mower. tiptronic is a joke, it has to think about it before it acts and doesnt let you do much, other than gear down - a useless feature.

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  Awesome Sports Sedan at Excellent Value - 2014 Volkswagen CC
  By kettemr - November 19 - 6:13 am

  This is my second VW CC. I traded my 2011 CC Sport 2.0 for a 2014 CC V6R 4Motion. Also researched and priced Audi A6 3.0, Audi A5 Cabriolet, and BMW 535. The CC V6 AWD Executive offers nearly all the same features and quality with exceptional styling, comfort, and ergonomics. IMO drives very similar to the Audi A6 3.0 Quattro for nearly $20k less.

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  My first VW - 2008 Volkswagen GTI
  By Sam - November 17 - 12:56 pm

  Test-drove a friends GTI; I was so impressed I traded in a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 GT. As expected, I took a pretty good beating on the trade in. But it has been worth it, the GTI is a much more refined driving experience than the Speed 3, the suspension is more compliant to road irregularities and the turbo power plant provides power with virtually no wait time for the turbo to spool up to boost. On paper it is not as fast as the Mazdaspeed 3 but you would swear that is. Quality materials and workmanship throughout, engine and DSG are matched prefectly and is a really wonderful piece of engineering.

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  Awesome! - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Deej0401 - November 16 - 2:13 pm

  So I just bought the car at the beginning of the year and I have to say this is best car that i have driven. I had a 2000 nissan pathfinder that was a really good car in terms of reliability but it had a lot of miles on it and this car was on sale and only had 40k miles on it. Drove a lot of different cars that were in the same price range, and this is by far the best car that i have ever driven. The only problem that I had was I drive aggressively, the roads in Jackson Ms are terrible so I had to put new tires on the car after about 10k miles. The tires are pretty pricey because of the rims. Other than that I have not had any problems what so ever. I love this car!!!

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  Rock solid, but pricey for the VW badge - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By Vlade Divac - November 14 - 12:50 pm

  There are too many things to love about the car, so Ill only list the cons: The navi takes getting used to, and for $1,800, there are PLENTY of things missing: 1) voice-recognition, 2) touchscreen capability, and 3) you cant play CDs while using the nav. The iPod: its great having the dock connector and an aux input, but the display doesnt include artist/song/album info. Ridiculous! Also, the aux input should be in the armrest, not next to the dock in the glovebox. The Dynaudio is crystal clear even at high volumes, but needs more bass. My Sirius capability didnt work and had to return for servicing immediately after I got it. Bummer. Theres a button for it but no Bluetooth!

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  The last sensible VAN on this planet - 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By Paul Huang - November 14 - 10:00 am

  The following made me choose this old discontinued beast over the Toyota Sienna: Toyota has shiny plastic in the instrumentational which causes specular highlight before 10 AM and after 3PM. EuroVan doesnt hat that stupid decorative panel. four-wheel disc brakes (Toyota only available in XLE: $32,000) third-row EDGE-to-EDGE seating. Not even Suburban has this. Easy (easiest) to get in and out of the passenger compartment.