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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  Early Passat Review - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Chasable - January 21 - 9:20 am

  Our shopping around included the Chrysler Pacifica, Cadillac STS, Nissan Murano, and Nissan Maxima. I found the Passat to be more powerful, better designed, quieter and more comfortable than the rest. The price seemed reasonable enough.

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  Great TDI Economy Car - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Mroto - January 17 - 10:00 am

  We get 47 avg. MPG in combined city/highway driving and 52-53MPG at steady freeway driving speeds. The engine is the best part of the car! Not a slow car by far and comfortable ride for a small car. Only knock is the fit and finish quality of some of the parts. The paint on the interior door handles flaked off for instance and VW does not stand behind this kind of problem, rear seat split on seam and VW also almost balked on this! Outside paint clear coat is peeling in a couple spots. Car itself is solid however so I feel these issues are comparitively minor.

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  No support from VW - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By mststeve - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Car got great milage, good power and comfort. Regrettebaly, I had to trade it in because VW would not stand behind the product. Shortly before the warranty ran out, the car ran out of gas, although the gauge showed some in it. 6 months later, the gauge went bezerk, and VW would not cover it under warranty, even though it obviously had a problem when it was in warranty. This subsequently cost me $605 for a sending unit and the body control module (which they said must be replaced in conjunction with the sending unit). The gauge in my 40 year old Ford still works for Christ sake. I am very happy with the Mazda 6S. It handles so much better, and the quality is as good.

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  Great but with surprises! - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By mmw0627 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Everything is great for this only-1,300- mile car EXCEPT: 1. Grinding noise when turning the steerling wheel (getting louder and louder everyday) 2. Brake with squeezing noise 3. maybe more noises in the future I am quite disappointed with Passats initial quality.

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  watch out for roof problems - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By retailgod - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned my Beetle for a little over 3 weeks and the dealership has had it for 10 of those days. There has been a problem twice with the roof not closing completely and freezing. Have had to have the motors replaced for the top. Hopefully that is the last of it. Otherwise, a real head turner and alot of fun to drive.

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  Tired of getting it to the shop - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mtj - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Like so many other owners, Ive loved my Jetta-it is stylish and fun to drive, but I am tired of taking it to the shop every 8-10 weeks for something or other to be fixed! The things that brake are like others: glove box twice, motor to gas cap misfuntioned, tail lights always going out, etc. Not critical, but they are annoying. Seems like as soon as I have left the dealership, the next thing goes. VW has been good about incurring the expense for many repairs, but I am tired of arranging rides to the dealership to pick it up. Itll break my heart, but it is time to end this relationship. I wont make the same mistake again

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  My Little Jetta - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Vicki C - January 9 - 6:30 am

  I have had my Jetta for barely over a year and love it! I enjoy driving my little car, but its not fun to pay for when something breaks down. My catalytic converter came lose and thankfully I can weld the shield back on, but to get a new one would cost around $800 bucks!! I keep having to get oil leaks fixed, but for 125,000 miles, the car is still in great condition! I havent had this much fun driving a car in quite a while! Speakers are almost gone as well, but the car had a FULL SIZE tire in the back when one of mine went flat! Perfect!! Also, the brake light wouldnt turn off after the car was off, but if you take it to VW dealership, its defective and is replaced for free.

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  Not built any better than other cars. - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By klausenheimer - January 9 - 2:00 am

  If you are willing to spend lots of time at the dealership after your purchase for repairs, then this is the car for you. I havent had the car a year yet and as I speak the car is sitting in my garage undrivable because it barely runs, and the engine malfunction light is flashing. Also, about 6 months after I bought the car, all of the chrome side molding pieces turned an ugly white hazy color. Also, the manual seat adjustments are horrible and hard to use and the console storage is essentially useless. I also have a really nice rattle in the dashboard, a tell tale sign of lousy build quality.

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  Pretty good car - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Gml - January 5 - 5:13 pm

  I owned a 5 speed 2000 Jetta for about 7 years, bought it used with 4,000 miles on it. Overall I was really satisfied; never had any major malfunction and never got a Check Engine light on. Drove it for about 50,000 miles. I actually bought another one but automatic when I passed this on to my wife. Same good experience overall. However, did experience the issues with the locks and windows. Very hard to diagnose and repair. Fortunately got guidance on how to repair them by myself in a VW forum and fixed them all, but was hard nonetheless. It appears to be that after reaching the 8 yrs threshold, soldering joints in the electronics start to fail.

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  Surprisingly a good little car - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By gashley2 - January 3 - 9:59 pm

  Owned a 2003 Skoda Octavia in Germany was a fun car. Bought the closes thing to it in the US. the 1.8L is fun and great on MPG! I get better mileage then the EPA rating best i got was 40MPG on a road trip! Passat has great styling i think and rides nice really luxurious for what it is. Previous owner did all the differed maintenance cv axels, fuel pump, valve cover gaskets, heater core, timing belt, water pump etc... Currently has 180,000 mile on it and I really like the car, I will drive the wheels off of this car! Great on snow with regular tires. Only thing wrong is the trans makes a LOUD slam noise when downshifts when exiting the interstate, when that goes Ill buy something else.