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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  Great Volkswagen Golf - 2000 Volkswagen Golf
  By golfcrzn - December 24 - 2:40 am

  I bought this car used with 80,000 miles. I still havent had any problems and nor did the person I bought it from. Its a fun, reliable, zippy car. Ive had a lot of cars and this is perhaps my favorite so far. I love all the options for being a economy based car.

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  Best Kept Secret - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By E Gatten - December 24 - 2:40 am

  I think the Jetta Value Edition is VWs best kept secret; and it shouldnt be. Whether you are young, or not-so-young, I recommend that you check out this car. Im glad I bought mine. I look forward to driving it every day. The cloth seat fits me like a glove. The 5-cyl. engine has good juice and pretty good low end torque. The transmission is tight and the gearing seems to match the engine well. This car handles better than anything I have driven in its class. Its packed with safety features. It is surprisingly roomy (my three teenagers can all sit in the back seat) and the trunk is huge. It has a 48,000 mile / 4 year factory warranty.

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  Suspect Ride - 2001 Volkswagen Golf
  By Former VW Fan - December 24 - 1:06 am

  Although this car is somewhat fun to drive, it has been anything but reliable. On third set of brakes after 65000 miles. Several warranty repairs and recall work done in 6 years. Fuel economy has been livable but should be better for such a small car. These cars do not deal with cold weather very well. On third set of weather seals around doors and their still ripped and warranty is up and not their problem anymore. Ice gets trapped in door hinges. Electrical problems as well. Poorly designed car.

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  THE BEST VALUE IS SMALL SUV - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By VEGAS TIGUAN - December 23 - 2:40 pm

  I have driven 30,000 miles in the deserts of Las Vegas and get 22 -23 MPG aroung town and 26 - 28 on the highway. I have had the services done and am sitting at the dealer having the 30 mile service performed as I write this. Th rear brakes need to be changed at $270 and the front are still 80%. All the tires are still good. 30,000 miles and the front brakes are at 80%, this is awesome. Look up brakes on the Toureg and you will see every 15k to 20k miles at 4 times the cost of the Tiguan. This SUV has been flawless, you cannot go wrong. I test drove the CRV and love the looks, however, the interior seemed cheap and the ride was not as quite. I cannot praise the vehicle enough.

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  Sweet Ride, Sweeter Deal - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By TheDream14 - December 23 - 4:40 am

  I think the positives of this vehicle have been covered pretty thoroughly to this point. For me, it was this or a CRV, and the deal I received from VW just crushed what Honda was willing to do. Sticker on my SE was 29,115. Final purchase price was 25,604. Both of the preceding figures are pretax. I put $2000 down and financed the remainder @ 0% for 60 months. Honda thought I was making stuff up, $3600 off MSRP plus 0% for 5 years. VW is definitely trying to move inventory, I guess Honda isnt desperate enough yet. I absolutely love the vehicle though, but Ive only had it for a week so reliability is tough to judge at this point. Absolutely zero buyers remorse to this point.

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  Certified T-Reg - 2010 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Kimball Dempsey - December 23 - 4:13 am

  Ive scouted these diesel SUVs for several years and really like the older body style over the new style started in 11. But, I found the TDIs to be expensive so Ive been patient. I found a Black T-Reg diesel advertised as a Certified Preowned with 63k miles at a local VW Dealer. The vehicle was in excellent physical condition and all of its meticulous service records were available at the dealer where the only previous owner always had it serviced. I didnt even dicker on price. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after purchase the check engine light and warning graphics came on. It ended up being an oil sensor that was replaced under warranty. A week or so later, I noticed the Nav system would blink off inexplicably but would always reboot and come back on. I needed to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the right rear window fixed (dropped down and wouldnt go back up). The service manager told me VW had a service bulletin on the Nav and it required reprogramming to work out the bug. They did this and fixed the window under the CPO warranty. That was about a month ago and after a rather auspicious start with this T-Reg, it seems to be operating well. The only other issue Ive had, and it was a one-time thing, is the rear hatch wouldnt open one day either with the power assist or manually. But after driving it a few miles and trying it again it worked fine. Weird, but I hope its not a precursor to another failure and trip to the dealer. The things I like most: Im 64" and the seating position is excellent and I like the front bucket seat comfort much better than in my wifes newer Lexus RX. The ride around town is harsh but on the highway its a dream. This vehicle has great acceleration and doesnt suffer major turbo lag like other turbo diesels Ive owned. The gas mileage is reasonable (21-22 around town and about 26 on the highway so far). The sound system is very good and Ive found the Nav system easy to use and decently intuitive for a 6 year old technology. The things I like least: Slight rattle in dash somewhere at lower speed, but with the radio at normal volume its hardly noticable. Rear cargo room is very limited and the rear seats dont completely fold flat. Harshness of ride on bumpy roads around town. Lacks rear LED tail lights and for a vehicle in its price range when new this shouldve have been a standard as should have been front seat presets. Overall: I really like the vehicle and although it is 6 years old by model year and I understand it will have service issues from time to time, Im hoping the initial quirky gremlins are behind me. I well understand the love for and cult following T-Regs have gained over the years.

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  Love My EOS - 2007 Volkswagen EOS
  By LoveMyEOS - December 22 - 8:23 pm

  When a 20 year old male and his 50+ mother agree that a car is perfect; it must be! Jerry, who reviewed thought the EOS was a "male" car. I disagree...its just a sophisticated vehicle for either sex. I am not normally a spur of the moment type person, but once I saw the EOS with the top down and test drove it, I knew I HAD to put a deposit on it. Mine was the first off the dealers lot. Its like owning entirely two different vechicles, one with top down and the other as a hardtop. More people than I can count in the past week have asked me about the car. It was a big hit in AC this past weekend. I have yet to find something that I would change about it from either a design or a performance point. I LOVE IT!

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  Pretty cool car - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By NJ/Junior - December 22 - 10:00 am

  I have this car for only a few months now, but i got to drive it for about 13000 miles already. This car has a nice interior that fits two adults very well but not so good in leg room in the back seat. The engine is really powerfull and with the manual transmission its even more fun to drive. Ive had a few problems with it so far but nothing big.

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  Love my VW!!! - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By grassyknollgunman13 - December 22 - 10:00 am

  The 1.8T 5speed is great. Not too expensive, and a great car. Rides nice, got some power and a great soundsystem. (Monsoon) The only 2 things Im not crazy about are the placement and design of the sideview mirror control, (knob on the door panel)and the front seat center arm rest. Its nice that it slides forward to be adjustable but w/ a manual tranny, it moves too much while shifting. Other than that, I would highly recomend this car.

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  Simply the best - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Boogidy - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Competant, safe, and reliable