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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  smart/creative enginerin-deficient qual. - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By dont buy; get Civic - July 16 - 10:00 am

  bought this car a year ago with radio/speakers stolen. shortly after,exhaust broke loose and paid $450 for new dual-muffler system (excluding catalytic converter, fixed everything from there back. touchy trunk opener latch but fixed. fixed front/rear alignment 1 month ago; needs rear again;no big bumps.brakes glazed over.check engine lit;sensor near fuel tank dealing with economy.replaced pwr steering reservoir & 2 hoses costing an excessive $520.transmission giving out? (jerk during accel).gas not bad, but could be better.gets 29hwy but Civic more power and runs 38hwy

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  Worst Car I Ever Owned - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Help help help - July 10 - 12:56 am

  Many, many, problems with this car. Repairs are often and expensive, most of which only VW can do. Just in the last 15 months, valve body $2600, over heat $440, AC cooling fan $625, new water pump $920. There have been many other issues, rear joint berrings, engine light coming on, cheap plastic on the interior, broken knobs, broken armrest, door handle material peeling off, radio quits and only VW has the special key to replace fuse, greasy insulation oozes from doors. And there were a half dozen recalls in the first couple years, power windows, brakes, etc. The resale on this car is terrible, once the warranty is out it depreciates much faster the other brands.

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  It looks good, but it doesnt work! - 2000 Volkswagen Golf
  By Fred52 - June 27 - 2:00 am

  We have had nothing but trouble with our golf. Windshield wiper arm/motor assembly has broken, numerous headlight and taillight outages, check engine light illuminates every so often, brake calipers locked up, (of course the windows have all fallen in), the door panel covers peeled off, the console lights flicker, the cruise control does not work consistently, and the platinum extended warranty that is supposed to cover everything has covered practically nothing...This car is a heap of junk.

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  Take the service contract - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By willdineen - June 27 - 2:00 am

  It must depend on where and on what day your jetta gets built. I see that some of the reviewers think this is a good car. Well ours isnt. It get very poor gas mileage for a 4 cyl car. We have already had the tires replaced at 40,000 mi. and the brakes had to be replaced at 27,000 mi. The plastic section below the grill has come off twice. The car is noisy and has no power. It does look nice.

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  Please Save Yourself from VW - 2005 Volkswagen Touareg
  By jeff - June 26 - 2:30 am

  Everything started out fine with my Touareg. I have owened 4 VWs so I was excited to own a Touareg. I had read the reviews just like you and thought, OK there are a few bad apples but no problem VW will fix it. Nope they will not fix it, if you have the throttle or transmission issue they will tell you to sue. Check the web and read up, there is a class action lawsuit forming on the Touareg and VW couldnt care less. They would not repair mine after 9 times and refused to replace it or allow it as a trade in. This truck really gets only 8-16 miles per gallon. Please do your homework on this vehicle first. Check the web and see what is going on. If you have a good one be greatful... I thought my T-rex was good too. I finally sold it at 25,000 miles

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  Dont buy if you drive a lot - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By R.S. - June 21 - 1:33 am

  I got exactly what I wanted with this car. Comfort and good quality. Its quiet as well, and designed well inside. From the outside its boring (which is fine with me, but bad if you drive to impress). But the build quality is excellent. The finish resists minor bumps and scratches. I had a minor fender bender and it didnt even scratch the bumper. It has three really bad points, though. First, it has terrible mileage (14 miles/gallon around town, which gets pricey when you also have to use 91 octane fuel ). Second, the fuel tank is small, so I only get 190 miles per tank. Last, the steering wheel takes a lot of effort to turn. Thats fine with me, but my wife wont drive it.

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  Transmission Problems With My 1997 VW - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vdubbub8403 - June 15 - 7:30 pm

  I bought my car 2-3 years ago and I have had nothing but trouble with the transmission slipping it started out something I can deal with but has just gotten worse threw time I think I have spend more money on this car than I paid at the dealership. I got an estimate on it $3000 to replace the transmission. Forget it I will go buy A Honda are A small truck I have heard that there is issues with this year and other years I wish I would of knew that before wasting my money I have always liked VW but I have lost all respect for them know

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  hope its not a lemon - 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By vin - June 15 - 4:30 pm

  Just purchased brand new rabbit 2009 5 min after leaving dealership check engine light goes on when trying to merge on the highway car lost power pressing gas & car actually slowing down lasted almost a minute not long but very scary just the same. Drove it back to dealership they gave a rented car while they diagnose the problem not a good start especially since its brand new Im hoping this is the first and last problem..

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  Really nice SUV, but.......... - 2018 Volkswagen Atlas
  By N. Kaplan - June 10 - 9:54 pm

  I am quite concerned about the effectiveness and consistency of the vehicle’s safety & driver assist systems. The Autonomous Emergency Braking system failed in two different ways: did not stop or even try to stop the vehicle when it was quite close to crashing into a stationary vehicle; and abruptly stopped the vehicle when I was safely pulling out of a driveway with no vehicles approaching from either direction and no obstacles in front of me. In fact, my Atlas almost always sounds a warning alert each time I exit any driveway. Also, I would never rely on the vehicle’s Lane Assist system. Sometimes the car will counter-steer, and sometimes it won’t, independent of the speed I am driving or how clear are the lane markings. The service advisor at my VW dealership told me that other new Atlas owners came in and reported having these same problems. So far,

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  Bad Decision - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Frustrated - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I think I completely made a mistake in buying my jetta......I have never seen as many mishaps with any other car (my family and friends included). The bumper is low to the ground and OFTEN rips off when parking.....my sunroof has also started to malfunction. In the three years I have owned this car (bought it brand new) I have already put $7000 in to it. However it is fun to drive, though not when you have to take it to the shop every two months.