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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  RUN!!! Dont walk away - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Shane-in-FL - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Reliability issues have been prevelant ever since it was reintroduced in 98. The window regulator issue was present from 98- 02 and coilpack failure plagued turbo model cars from 00-03. I had my car just two weeks when it failed to start after the starter selenoid shorted out. I dont expect such problems from a car that holds a MSRP of $20,900. I suggest people who are considering a Beetle as their next car to closely look at the Acura RSX(~S),Mercedes C230 Coupe, or Mazda 6 just to name a few. The market for used Beetles is HORRIBLE!

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  Make lemonade - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By MissMyCivic - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Bought 2003 Jetta GLS on 3/2/03. 3 no starts due to defective original battery. Replaced battery in May. CD player reads "disk error" & fails to operate, the car haphazardly lurches when shifting from "reverse" to "drive", & chrome piece on parking brake has come loose resulting in a constant "chattering" sound. Fuel economy is lackluster. Switch to the fuel filler cap SNAPPED off and broke. CouldnÂ’t gas up car. I should have bought another Honda Civic!!

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  Worst car and customer service in the world - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By totsntators - July 5 - 3:14 pm

  EPIC FAIL: 44K miles in and my engine completely dies on a busy interstate while im 5 months pregnant. apparently a bolt holding the injector pumps in place broke, dislodged the pumps and killed the engine. breakage was traced back to fuel system replacement done 3 months ago. i filed a formal complaint with dealership and GM of dealership reacted by aggressively demanding his rental car back and threatening to call the cops on me if i dont return it immediately (we were loaned the car until our repairs were done). customer care heard about all the incidents but took no action or accountability for what happened. worst car ever owned and will never buy VW ever again. buyers beware!

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  Nice car with bad reliability issues - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By Jose - June 29 - 4:32 pm

  I owned my 2010 CC for over 5 years now, with a little over 69,000 miles. Here is my honest assessment: Positive: Design - The car looks great both inside and outside. Performance - Engine power is more than enough for a casual driver, acceleration is great, even for a 4-cylinder engine. Negative: Gas mileage - I am averaging around 22 MPG combined city/hi way driving-thats terrible for a 4-cylinder car! The only time I can get around 25 MPG is when I drive long distance on the freeway. Reliability - My transmission needed a major repair at around 36,000 miles (would not go to reverse), lucky for me, it was still under warranty. Carbon build-up is also a major concern. At around 57,000 miles, I got a check engine light and then the car stalled. Had it towed to a dealer and the prognosis was excessive carbon build up in the intakes and failed fuel pump. It cost me over $3,700 to get it fixed. What bothers me is the carbon build up. After doing some research, I found out that, although carbon build up is an issue with all direct injection engine, VWs 2.0 TSI engines appears to be the most affected by it. Talking to a couple of technician at the dealer confirmed that carbon build up is an issue and the only way to completely get rid of it is to have it mechanically cleaned approximately every 60,000 miles. The way it is going now, I dont think I will be buying another Volkswagen again.

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  Extremely Unreliable - 2009 Volkswagen Passat
  By lee - June 23 - 9:23 am

  The car is stylish, but unfortunately seems to break down frequently. I have under 30,000 miles and have had the throttle body replaced, throttle body wiring, and steering column replaced. It has left me stranded 5 times. Probably the least reliable car I have ever owned. Im totally bummed I have a 4 year 60,000 mile lease, its a horrible car

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  Never Owning a VW Again! - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By luckymeblp - May 29 - 9:46 am

  I bought the car new in 2002 and now am at 82,000. Have had issues with headlights constantly burning out, leaks in the carpet causing mold, the sand colored cloth interior dirties easily and is impossible to clean. The rubber coating on things peel, the tint peeled the first year, things break off all over the place, the sunroof opens randomly on its own and nearly all of the dash has shorted out at one point. It is incredibly expensive to have anything repaired or replaced (which happens quite often). Also, having it repaired at the dealer is astronomically pricey, so just prepare to pay a lot for anything to be fixed... and mechanics hate to see you come in b/c its difficult to fix.

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  Worst Purchase of my life - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By becca - May 23 - 10:00 am

  This minivan is a lemon! Always at the dealership with something wrong. I had it for one year and already had 15,000 dollars worth of warrenty work. The transmission is slipping and the dealership says it is due to one tire being lower than the other? Yet when I explain that I pulled out of a gas station and the van would not shift gears until I pulled over and shut off to get it to shift in gear? Told me that this is a soccer mom van and not good for all the wear in tear of driving a hour each way to work 5 days a week. They also stated I should have purchased the Honda minivan it can stand the driving wear and tear? I wish I could get out of this car! What a lemon!

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  Never again will I buy a VW - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Mark - May 15 - 6:38 pm

  Car was okay until 90K miles. The turbo on the diesel grenaded, causing not only all the damage in the turbo, but also the exhaust system (which had been redesigned and you had to buy the newer version). Very expensive repair. Asked VW to help, but there comment was that it was out of warranty, your on your own. The car was three years old at the time. They also made the comment that I had put a lot of miles in a short time. Really, a diesel should be good for 300K+. At 140K miles, radiator starts leaking, and was replaced. Radiator fan had to be replaced as it liked to run until it ran the battery down. Now one of the glow plugs needs to be replaced, one of the rear window regulators, and the electric steering is humming. Nickle and dimming now.

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  poor quality of assembly - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rrrr - May 11 - 12:33 am

  It seems as if this car was not well put together. The windows squeak when going up and down. The plastic of the handlebars seems to not be well aligned. The reflectors on the doors fell off within weeks of purchase. The steering wheel is not straight and the dealer cant or wont fix it.

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  before you buy - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By thatguy33 - May 9 - 4:25 am

  Bought my 06 in the summer of 07 with 200 miles on it. I just rolled over 142,000 but it has been at a hefty price. If you plan to buy a VW, be prepared to go to the dealer for everything, because everything is specialized and expensive. (my uncle is a mechanic and he wouldnt even change the brakes for me). Only reason I still have this car is because Im so upside down in it...