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:

• 

  2002 VW - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By maumee - September 27 - 10:00 am

  Has been a great car, tail lights burned out at 15K, but otherwise wonderful. Dealship was horrible!!! Shop around for dealers.

• 

  My 100 Point Car - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By myjoiseygti - September 27 - 7:06 am

  I wanted to trade down from a Passat and was interested a sport hatch. Looked at Mini Cooper, Mazda3 5 door and Audi A3 as well as Acura TSX. The GTI 5 door is the A3 without the steep price tag and the roof-length sunroof. This car is tremendous value. If you want leather, youll pay about the same as you would for the Acura. Stick to the traditional plaid cloth, its not only retro, its comfortable and durable.

• 

  farfrumworthit - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By unhappy gilmore - September 27 - 4:43 am

  I am a 3rd time VW owner and have to say - I think VW has done a fantastic job on the new Jetta 2.5 BUT; the quality lacks in so many ways. My first VW was a fox - I have seldom ever admitted owning one but there it is. Nice car. My 2nd was a Jetta 2.5 L 5 speed - the vehicle had a throw out bearing issue in the trans at 2500 miles. I traded it and got a new black automatic one. Since owning it, I have found the transmission can at times be unresponsive or indecisive, the air conditioner condensate drain line was never drilled at the factory and had to be drilled at the dealer after the vehicles floor pan got soaked. The center cap fell off in the car wash and broke. -farfrumworthit

• 

  Buy Something Else - 2007 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Feedback - September 26 - 7:00 pm

  Unreliable, bad service, poor build quality, low resale value, gas hog and these are the best hings about the Touareg. I lease this SUV for my wife and for the first 40,000 miles we were mostly happy with the car but for the last 20,000 miles it has been a horror story. Everything from the sunroof and windows which seem to have mind of their own to the engine control unit have failed. There times when we were not even able to get the car off the dealers lot after service without another failure of a system or part. The VW Touareg and the VW services is sub par. Do not buy this car it will fail you at the worst possible time.

• 

  Fun Car - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mr. no - September 26 - 3:26 pm

  I am not too crazy about the way the VW has killed off the old Jetta look, and made it look like a Corolla - but it still looks pretty nice, just not unique. I get about 24-25 mpg in the city, 30 on the highway. Its interior is excellent as always with the VW. I have had a few very minor problems that my incompetent dealer managed to turn into a whole week affair.

• 

  Great update - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By dman - September 26 - 6:56 am

  This is my 5th Passat and by far is the best match of performance / styling and saftety offerred to date. Ive enjoyed all my Passat sedans over the last 8 years (I enjoy buying or leasing every 1.5 to 2 years). I wanted to wait for the V6 put decided to get most of what I wanted with the 2.0T. The upgraded sounds system DynaAudio is superb and the controls for the stereo / MFI are excellent. I love having XM radio. Performance wise, it is quick of the start and corners nicely. Theyve done a great job at reducing the turbo lag issue. Im experiencing about 25 MPG in my day to day driving (40% highway). A few people have come up to me when I park and comment on its great looks!

• 

  Review of the 2007 Passat 4Motion Wagen - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By charles edmundson - September 26 - 1:43 am

  The electronics in this vehicle stink! The sensor wipers only work when it is not raining. The steering wheel touch controls only work sometimes. The air bags light comes on for weeks at a time, then just goes off. The low tire pressure light comes on, even if you completely empty the tires, fill them up correctly, and even overfill them. Also, the folding back seat is poorly designed. My other car is a Volvo xc70. The guys in Germany should buy a Volvo and study it. I got the Passat, because I thought it would be weird to have two of the same car. What a mistake. I should have gotten two Volvos. The price was about the same. I cant wait for the lease to end.

• 

  Maintenance Nightmare - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ianr25 - September 25 - 2:21 pm

  Car has less than 13K have had to bring back to dealer 3 times for faulty engine pressure sensor, problems with changing radio stations, playing cds the leather trim around the steering wheel is coming apart and the trip odometer is broken! Have a friend who had the same car and said she had to bring it to Volkswagen 3 times for the same problem. Car is horrible over major potholes. However i must admit everything else aside it is fun to drive and everyone who gets in it is impressed

• 

  I had a bad experience - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JuliaCVT - September 25 - 10:03 am

  This was my first VW. I leased it for 3 years and cant wait to give it back. It took 5 trips to the dealership before they could figure out why the engine light kept coming on (bad fuel- injector sensors), I had a front bearing go, a broken front axle, and had the drivers seat heater shorted out with me in the seat. This will be my last VW.

• 

  Solid car, MSRP pricey - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mike ogle - September 25 - 1:13 am

  This is third Jetta we have owned, Bought new body style, $28K MSRP 5spd chosen to try and improve power of 2.5 and package 2 which puts it near to entry level luxury vehicles but so does the price. Interior design is superb, tops in class I would say, high quality plastics for most part, with a few cost cutting exceptions. Black exterior with beige interior and real wood accents, very impressive. Leather seats have held up well, no wear apparent after 64K miles. Reliability problems have been minimal with exception of stereo system which has been disappointing. Overall a nice vehicle, plan on moving to a used Audi A4 in next few months to upgrade handling and power