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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  Nice car. - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By VWguy - September 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive enjoyed the Passat. It handles really well (4motion) and is very smooth, quiet, and is overall nice to drive. The weight of the car make it feel very safe and there are no "cheap" parts that I can imagine breaking. It has a luxurious feel without the huge price tag.

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  Retro design with minor flaws - 2014 Volkswagen Beetle
  By Patrick H - September 27 - 3:55 am

  Ive always been a Beetle fanatic since they came out with the second generation in 1998 when I was 8 years old! This 2014 Beetle was my 3rd Beetle since obtaining a license at 17 years old in 2007. I was obsessed with the car! It was a great color and loved the acceleration compared to my 2005 Beetle with only 115HP. I have driven so much in the last 2.5 years of owning it! I have racked up 70,000 miles in just 2.5 years! Yes thats a lot and I havent had any major repairs yet! Although im getting nervous for the water pump/ timing belt replacement that comes between 80-100k miles and the dealerships charge about $1k. Besides that I only take my car to my local VW dealerships for oil changes. The only problem Ive had with my car are the breaks. Even when I had my car for a few months they started to squeak when I would slow down. Especially during cold temperatures! Sometimes it gets very loud and my passengers are like wow you need new breaks already? I did take it into the dealership and they said they would have to send a request for them to replace it for free since it was still under the warranty. weeks went by and i never received a phone call. and summer rolled around so it made less noise and it didnt bother me. Before I knew it I was over the mileage for the warranty. Hopefully when i replace my brakes sometime this year the noise will stop. Another problem is my passenger seat sucks! Im assuming it broke somehow. When someone wants to get in the back seat i pull the seat forward but when i push it back, it goes ALL the way back and the upper part of the seat does not come forward like it should. I have to aggressively pull the seat back with all my force and my passengers are again shocked! Another interesting tidbit is i am a 215 lb male and i noticed either of the front seats if you are heavy, and tend to move or when you make a turn, the seats will squeak! Its kinda embarrasing if my friends are in the car. Also, I think my speakers really suck! I mean i know i dont expect the base speakers to sound like Fender, but I was in my friends 2011 Jetta and his speakers sounded way better than miles. I was surprised considering mines a 2014. The Beetle that I got happened to be one of the last 2.5L 5-cyl engines made.. a few months later they rolled out with the 1.8Ls. Like I said I havent had any major repairs or been stranded. I know I am getting close to 100k miles and i just get very nervous thinking about what i may need to replace. and since i am a student and work part time in California, money plays a factor. One thing i also dont like are the seats, they are in a way uncomfortable especially on road trips. I am 62" and i will get back pain. It feels like i am sitting on top of something. I dont really like it. The gas mileage is not too bad and not too good. I feel like this car shouldnt be your everyday car. But its mine. Its definitely fun to drive. I really wanted the turbo 2.0L r-line but i cant afford the higher gas grade or any major repairs in the future especially since its a turbo. One thing i did notice is that since 2010ish, VW has downgraded their interior quality by using cheap materials which makes it sad. One thing about the newer Beetle is that we all know its retro design, but when youre actually driving and holding onto the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 marks it really does feel like youre almost driving the older ones. not sure how to explain it but it may have to do with the steering wheel design/structure.

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  Quirky litle car - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By hermann_g - September 25 - 11:00 pm

  Convenience features leave me a bit unimpressed, considering the high cost. Mostly manual seat adjustments, no steering wheel audio controls, and a really annoying radio electronic lockout feature. With diesel fuel now up to 30% higher than normal gas, the fuel economy advantage is questionable. Given a 30% price diff, if you get 45 mpg, a 35 mpg gas burner costs you pretty close the same. You need to use an expensive specialty motor oil. Clean diesel? I can sniff a tiny whiff of diesel exhaust as I am driving, so folks with respiratory issues may want to pay very careful attention to this during a test-drive. (Maybe some residue on the engine that will burn off eventually.)

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  Where does my oil go? - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By shawndugan - September 23 - 3:20 am

  My Jetta is a beautiful car to behold, but under the hood is a different story. I purchased the car with 40,000 miles on it, so I understand that not everything is going to be perfect, but this is unbelievable. In the first thousand miles it drank 3 quarts of oil. I went to the dealer and the tech there told me that it is acceptable for the car to burn a quart every thousand miles. What? I am very unhappy and he tells me that they stopped making that engine 2.0 L because of the problem. I bought the car to avoid things like this and now for the next 6 years I have to check my oil every time I fill up. I wish someone would have told me, so I`m telling you, don`t buy this car!

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  Great all around vehicle - 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Dan G - September 22 - 10:10 pm

  Fun to drive, reliable and gets 40 mpg city driving, 50+ highway. Trim is poor, out and in. Door, manual door locks, molding, glove box, nobs, all have been broke. Living in Denver, CO, it starts in cold and takes a few miles to warm up - that is diesel, no problem. Runs up to the mountains at speed. With 200K, finally replaced clutch. Lots of cooling hoses which are not easy to replace. German engineering: what are thinking? Frustrating to work on, fortunately, that does not occur very often. ANY work by an independent, German mech costs $$$, parts are outrageously $$$, I know my junk yard guy. NO trouble with engine,fuel, cooling, heating, electric systems (manual windows).

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  Volkswagon New Beetle - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By jamiebug04 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I love driving my Bug, however I have had many problems with the electrical system..The windows have been fixed 5 times, the gas door has been fixed once, the Oxygen Sensors have been fixed twice, the trunk wont open with the electric switches, and the CD player wont work. However, I have had no problems with the engine. I would not recommend others to buy this car because of the annoyances of the problems.

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  Save your money!! - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Heather Boyd - September 22 - 2:00 am

  This is the worst car that I have ever owned. Repairs are as follows: Headlights 2 times,Disc brakes and rotors (at 30000 miles), Check engine light on constanly(costing $90.00 every time) EGR valve,Air dam,Brake switch,Fuel line freeze up at 25 degrees. Not to mention the 24/24 warranty.Dealer is tired of me coming back all the time. Save your money!!! Also... At 50000 miles it will cost you $500.00 to replace the timing belt.

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  VWs need some quality control - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By 1eire - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I took a trip from Texas to NY and was impressed by the ride quality, the effortless way the engine pulled the car through mountains, and that I was getting 30+ highway mpg during the trip. In NY I stopped at a toll booth and rolled down the window. The window actually fell into the door and was rattling around. I found a VW dealer and they fixed it for free even though it was barely out of warranty. Nice but a window regulator shouldnt fail after 24k miles. The passenger window failed at 30k miles. VWs like the GTI and Passat drive beautifully but are also high priced for their categories and the quality and reliability should match the price. Unfortunately, that is not happening.

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  Not bad - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By jetdoc - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I had this car for 4 years and it has been real good. I had only one problem w/ the car, the alarm system broke. The car is easy to maitain but repairs can be costly. Needs better fuel economy. Great car for the city, getting into tight spaces but to small for a family w/ kids.

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  Mixed Emotions - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jetta J - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I am approaching 30K on my 2001 GLX 5- speed and am sad to say that I wont own it long enough to reach 31K. I love the look and all the neat gadgets the Jetta has to offer-it truly is a fun car and I havent seen any other has everything I could want and more. Pretty crummy that a cd player isnt standard on the top-of-the-line model. Unfortunately, the warranty is out and the problems are just increasing. The passenger driver side window went down and got stuck, the gas cover motor needed fixed and then replacing ($160), engine problem ($800+), driver side door not aligned properly, and the heat is no longer hot. For $25K, I expect my car to be reliable far past the 25K mile warranty.