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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  5 speed SE with Convenience is the one to get. - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By dlevine2 - April 2 - 5:11 pm

  I was hesitant to buy a VW after having owned a 1993 VW Corrado SLC - most beautiful unreliable car I have ever owned. I did not want an automatic since I had been driving a 2006 Hyundai Sonata for quite a while (most boring, most reliable car I have ever owned). For me, the 5 speed SE with convenience is a great car - not too far over $20,000 and it has decent performance. The trunk is larger than my wifes Infiniti M35. My kid cannot destroy the interior because it is made out of, well, plastic and Vinyl. My hope is that it turns out to be reliable, because I do like it a lot. Its as much of a German car as $20,000 or so will let it be.

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  Love it! - 2011 Volkswagen Golf
  By oute - April 2 - 5:35 am

  I like everything about this car. The quality of the interior was the first thing that attracted me to it. I sat in one at the Cleveland Auto Show and the highly bolstered seats gave me a very welcoming hug. The trip computer is awesome. It drives even better. The 170hp engine has plenty of power and the exhaust sounds really nice. The manual transmission (I have the 5-speed) is really smooth. Better than on a Civic Si or a Kia Soul (other cars I have experience with). If I drive conservatively I can average 35 mpg on my commute. Only down-side is that I dont think you can open the trunk unless the key is out of the ignition?

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  Prius Owner - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Shatto - April 2 - 1:13 am

  Weve had a Prius for about 18 months, and needed a second car. I wanted a bit more inside the car - leather, etc. - but Id become addicted to 50 mpg. I hadnt thought about diesel but after I drove the TDI and read about the mileage I was hooked. I easily get 55 mpg with freeway driving - Ive gone through three tanks of gas so far and have gotten no worse than 46 mpg with combined driving. The car is much tighter and more solid feeling than anything Ive driven before. It took a few days to find a comfortable driving position but with the electric seats and telescoping wheel I finally came up with a nice combination. My wifes Prius is a fine car, but I havent driven it since I got my Jetta.

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  Cant stop driving it - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Live2skifast - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car for one reason. It was a Trek, which means it has roofracks. Then two of my buddies and I hope in it in PA and ended up in Colorado. Talk about a test drive. It as an amazing trip and the car kicked @$$ even at 12,000 ft. when we went over Loveland Pass. Its still kicking hard 3 months later, with only a new pair of tires on it.

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  Passat - Lots of Room - nice accel. with good MPG - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Casey Fitzpatrick - March 30 - 6:59 am

  Previous vehicles: 2003 Toyota Corolla, 2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe. Current vehicles: 2014 Nissan Rogue (CVT transmission). I bought this car with about 5k mi on it. The turbo is great, combined with the 1.8L to give you decent pickup and still have great gas mileage. We put our two little ones in the back seat in car seats, and you could still have the drivers seat sit comfortably without being right up on their legs. The transmission shifts out of first gear pretty quick, which is taking some getting used to for me, and shifting can be a little harsh. The DSG transmission is odd to me...will take some getting used to (or maybe its the turbo, I dont know). Love being able to downshift a few gears to instantly get the acceleration you need to pass a car and mean mug them for driving too slow. You do feel quite a lot of the road. When I looked at used passats for sale, I noticed some uneven wear of the tires, so Im hoping to rotate them more frequently to avoid this occurring in my passat. I feel like I could stand to put the bubble mirrors on the side mirrors...there feels like a blind spot at times...it could be that I am just getting used to the larger car. Overall space is fantastic. I had one instance so far when the backup camera did not turn on when I put the car in reverse. The MPG for a car this size is amazing. 32-34 mpg on average for me! UPDATE: 12/9/16 @ 17k mi. The turbo lag is tough to get used to. Sometimes the car doesnt "go" right when you want it to. Still a very smooth ride. I am going to get the oil changed and tires rotated shortly, as I have heard of feathering issues with these cars. I do wish I would have gotten the LED lights instead of standard, but I think they can be added on later. The bluetooth and backup camera are a little quirky. There have been a few times when I put the car in reverse and the backup camera doesnt engage. A backup camera is a must for a car this size. Im headed towards my first winter with the vehicle, so I will make sure to update after Ive driven in snowy conditions. VERY IMPORTANT: I got caught in a downpour while driving this car, and realized that the windshield wiper speed was slower than I was used to in other cars. I could not see; it was very dangerous, and had to pull off of the road. I HIGHLY recommend using Rain-X or similar windshield washing fluid to keep your windshield slick so that the rain wicks away.

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  2007 Rabbit 2.5 - 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By kendall - March 28 - 4:46 pm

  I have owned my Rabbit for one month now. Ive put just over 1,100 miles on it and have loved every minute of it. The car is responsive and fun to drive. Im really happy with my Rabbit. I just wish it got better gas mileage. I drive 30 miles one way to work every day. So far I have been getting around 25 MPG average.

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  Comments on the Rabbit - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By blas - March 25 - 2:16 pm

  The VW Rabbit is a fun little car. For the price that you pay and the options you get, it is amazing. The downside I found is that the manual gets fewer MPG then the automatic (must be because they want you to spend the extra $1075 for the auto) but the manual is a lot more fun. The ride is very bumpy but I have come to expect that from smaller cars. Other then that I highly recommend to any one this car. The price is right and the options (for base models) beat out any other car of the same size.

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  First and LAST VW - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Sara - March 25 - 2:13 am

  Love the car but mine was a lemon. Features are great, love the German design. Never own one without at bumper to bumper warranty

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  Potentially great car, mixed bag though - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By bostonaudi - March 24 - 11:03 am

  So far its been a good family cruiser, with lots of power. The sport suspension is a good setup. Couple of annoyances, I am 65", and find that the vertical height of the windshield is a bit low. I used to have 2001 Passat, with its higher windshield I found that outward visibility was better. The 07 Passats windshield is raked further, which reduces the vertical height. Another issue is the transmission. Mine has a fairly bad hesitation as slow speed (< 10mph), it doesnt always want to go back to 1st gear. Overall the 3.6 motor is quite the little monster, great acceleration! I chipped mine with Revo which gets another 20hp. Recommended!

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  Hole on Side of Drivers Seat - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By maolra - March 23 - 3:58 pm

  I have enjoyed te car basically. Had front suspesion problemsit was a problem apprantly all 2009 Wolfsburg Jetta had . Service Dept was great rent a car free no problem. But I noticed a hole or abrasion at fist starting on drivers side @10k seat where seat belt comes around. Very noticable when car door is opened now. Now further stiching is is coming apart. Frame of seat pushing against side of drivers seat has created a hole the size of a mans thumb. V>W> is huh ?Calling V.W. North America as it has loded te value of car. I change my own plugs/coil and oil. Also spent the 100 bucks to get Bently manual. But I insist they replace the seat or I spend $225 for friont canvas seat covers.