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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  jetta - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By melo - March 5 - 10:00 am

  Its a beautiful car but it looks a lot better then it drives. It has a lot of electrical problems that are annoying and expensive to fix

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  beautiful but fragile - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By patrick800 - March 2 - 8:30 am

  A real looker. Nice exterior and interior. Nice engine sound, good performance and decent fuel economy. Enormous trunk. Water leakage issues, water infiltration in rear taillights and mirror lights, fixed by dealer. many dash rattles.

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  Dealerships Ruin the Experience - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Sean Craft - February 28 - 4:33 pm

  OK, so these cars are loaded with equipment, ultra stylish, good looking and very eurochic. This being said, this is my second Passat and I am again having troubles with the service department and small reliability issues with a rattles and wind whistles. I will be taking it in for the third visit to fix the same issues soon and meeting with a company rep to file a case just in case I have to lemon law it. These cars have tons of style but I feel that for the price they should have had a smoother turbo with less lag (not a good choice if you do a lot of city driving, esp. with auto) or a more powerful V6 available (problem solved in the 2006 model, it seems).

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  Overall, not a bad car for the $$ - 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Adam - February 28 - 7:48 am

  I came out of a 2014 GTI and into a 2016 GLI, so its hard not to compare the two. For those who think the GLI is a GTI sedan.....its not. The current GLI and GTI may have the same HP (210), but the GTI is has 258lbft of torque, where as the GLI still has 207lbft. Overall, its a pretty decent ride, given its older platform. Theyve done a good job making upgrades to the interior since this generation was introduced. There are still a few things that remain, like the hard plastic door panels, that remind you its still a Jetta. The upgraded electronics work quite well, despite the USB being in a tight spot (under the HVAC, in front of the shifter). The Fender audio sounds great, but get too carried away with the bass, and again youre reminded this is still the old Jetta (rattles). The seats are comfortable, but if youre used to GTI seats, they dont hug you as much. And it has V-Tex, instead of leather, but I dont have a problem with that. The 2.0t is plenty peppy for my long commute to work. The GTI was more zippy, but the Jetta will get out of its own way with no problem. I do notice more of a DSG lag in this car, than I did in the GTI, especially from a stop. It definitely rides better and is more quiet than the GTI, and so far the MPG is much better (and it uses regular unleaded now). The option content on this car is fantastic. Has all the bells and whistles. It would be nice to have dual power seats and power lumbar, however. To get this similar content in the GTI, youd spend $6-$7k more, and with the way GTIs lease now ($500+ a month), thats a hard sell. My 2014 GTI was in the shop multiple times in the past year.....for big items.....water pump, A/C system replaced, sunroof system replaced, and a new intake manifold. That made a new one an even harder sell for me. The dealer got me out of my lease halfway through it, and into this car for the same payment, so I am happy with that decision. The new MQB platform should be coming on the Jetta within the next year or so, so you may want to wait for that. Some think the current Jetta is bland and boring, but Ive always been a fan of VWs understated styling. They will look good for years, compared to some radically designed car, IMO. I still think its worth a test drive. Just be sure to have your dealer confirm it IS NOT one of the GLIs that is on stop sale for bad cam shafts. They should be able to check that, by the VIN.

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  Never again - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By John from Shoreview - February 27 - 2:53 pm

  My Passat was purchased used w/ 17k miles. It now has 66k miles. The driver power window failed immediately and required 3 dealer visits. The fuel pump failed at 40k in traffic. It eats tires. It eats rear brakes. Maintenance and repair costs are ridiculous. Handles wonderfully, is fast, and has beautiful exterior lines but I consider it unreliable enough to not use for long road trips. Ive never been to the dealership when there was not at least one person yelling about a failure or bill. Runs poorly below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Monsoon stereo is awesome.

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  Just lucky - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By JUST LUCKY - February 26 - 9:23 pm

  After reading complaints from many posts I guess I am one of the lucky owners. I have not experienced many of the problems listed. I have been faithful with maintenance and after 72,000 miles the car still runs well. I do insist on synthetic oil and change it every 5,000. The radio has gone dead a few times and after 6 1/2 years a strip on the window came off. Maintenance is expensive but it has been a good car overall.

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  VRsechs - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vrsechs - February 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car since January, and being a VW enthuiast, I am very pleased with the GLX. The engine has plenty of torque and horsepower, and with the addition of my chip, suspension, rims and tires, and exhaust, the performance has only been enhanced. I did have my turn signal cluster go out, which cost $150, and my coilpack went bad, buth this can easily be avoided with $5. Great car

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  great German car! - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By creed hyatt - February 24 - 4:43 pm

  I bought this car about a year ago, and have really enjoyed driving. Auto trans can shift hard occasionally, had some problems with the ABS & Check Engine lights coming on - but that could be because my mechanic couldnt figure it out - I never found any performance problems when these lights were on. Overall its a great car, very comfortable, plenty of power. My only complaint is the lousy gas mileage - I have never gotten the claimed MPG.

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  love my jetta - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ghari - February 24 - 10:00 am

  ilove almost everything about my jetta this is my 2nd jetta and i had my first on for 11 yrs without any major problems it could use some redesigning on the height of the car it easily hits humps and concrete parking slabs if you are not careful also they need to redesign the way the seats adjust the screw knob is hard to turn

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  exspensive upkeep - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By chris_ - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I had a tdi 4 door and Demontrond dealer in houston was horrible on maintenance. Went in for a $55 dollar oil change and they stripped the drain plug and charged me $75 dollars to fix? Needless to say I no longer own a jetta and never will again. Check with dealer to see what cost are for common repairs and you will probably go with a honda or toyota if your smart.