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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  Happy Bug - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By dave341 - October 19 - 8:48 pm

  After 6 years and 65,000 miles we still love the car. Great fun in the summer with the top down. No mechanical problems yet, a trouble free experience.

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  My first diesel car - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By EDWARD, A - October 19 - 11:50 am

  The Passat TDI is a fine vehicle, with great fuel economy, I have been getting a constant 35 MPG city / highway mix. I have not taken a trip to check the highway milage yet. The fit and finnish inside and out is first class. The rear seat fold down is a bit clumsy though.

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  Final review of my Wagon - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By rentonpilot - October 18 - 3:19 am

  This, my friends had to be the best car I have ever owned. I bought this used with 150 miles on it in 07. It had been serviced EVERY 5k miles religiously. Every recall and warranty repair had been performed by my VW dealer, not some independent guy who calls himself "European something works or werks". NEVER once have I been left stranded by this car in the 130k+ miles I have owned it. I had 2 unexpected repairs at about 127k miles, one of the ignition coils went bad and the seat airbag on the passenger side went bad too. The car is roomy, fun to drive and great on road trips with the family. It cost me over all 33.4 cent/mile with everything, gas, depreciation and repairs! Cant beat that.

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  Best all round car Ive ever owned - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By allen - October 17 - 5:30 pm

  2001 Passat GLS 1.8T wagon, 5 speed. A few mods, VW sport springs, wider wheels and tires, rear sway bar. To my surprise this has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. Almost 70,000 miles, driven pretty hard by several people. No major problems yet and only a handful of minor ones. All fixed at home. Changed the oil religiously with Mobil 1 synthetic, upgraded brake rotors and pads. Great car. Just got lucky I guess.

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  Best Car I have Ever Owned - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By CarFan - October 17 - 12:23 pm

  To compare this automobile to a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord is to do it an injustice. They are simply not in its league. I would compare it to a Volvo S60, Nissan Maxima, 2006 Toyota Avalon, BMW 3-Series, etc. It is German engineering at its most innovative and a truly remarkable package all put together. You would think you are driving a BMW or an Audi (OK, you probably actually are driving an Audi) and the turbo makes this car a blast. It has lots of power, features, room, blatant good looks and personality. I used to think VWs were overpriced but now I see they are underpriced for the class of vehicles they truly are in competition against.

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  I knew I made the right choice. - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Steve Rego - October 16 - 1:20 am

  Well, I havent owned it for too long, but I sure bought it for a reason. I wanted a car that was a good combination of looks, quality, performance, practicality, and comfort. This car executes all of these criterion very well. I was concerned with its fuel economy but I read on ways to increase my fuel economy (cruising in the highest gear possible, and being light on the gas, with the exception of my starts, driving 60 on the highway with cruise control enabled), I have been getting 28-30 in the city and about 35 on the highway at 60 mph. Ive been getting a combined 32 mpg... good for 464 miles on a tank. It can get good economy if you want it too.

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  Why buy a GTI - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By Buddah - October 15 - 9:43 pm

  The GTI is one of the most funnest car i have had the privillage to drive. its such a quick car i cant tell you whats its like to fly from one light to another its awesome. If you have the chance to test drive one or if you know a friend that has one you can feel that it is truely a "pocket rock!"

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  Ode to Jerry - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Greta427 - October 15 - 8:10 pm

  This car is not for anyone who cant handle a few (well okay, a lot) of quirks. Having driven this daily for three years and put 100K miles on it in that time I would describe this as a reliable car. Word to the wise all VWs have a timing belt, if it blows, chances are so will your engine :( I loved this car. It was super fun to drive, had lots of zip for a 4 cyl and with low annual maint costs. Keep up with the maint and you will have little to no serious issues. I would highly suggest replacing the timing belt sooner than recommended just in case. Overall, my beetle, Jerry was very dependable with few "real" problems. Check engine light was always on due to fault O2 sensor.

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  Extremely Unreliable - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By punky - October 15 - 2:56 pm

  This is, by far, the most unreliable car I have ever owned. I feel compelled to warn people about buying this car. Heres just a small list of the litany of things that went wrong with the car: both electric windows fell off their tracks (expen$ive to fix), the rear windows tube for wiper fluid broke and leaked all over the interior of the car, the catalytic converter malfunctioned (emissions and performance were screwed up), the hatch lock would not lock, the glove box broke--twice, the handles for the seats constantly fell off, the wiring was constantly malfunctioning, the taillights burned out every 3 months on average, brakes torn up, etc. And Im leaving a lot off this list.

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  Finest Car Ever Owned - 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton
  By Martin Proyect - October 15 - 6:43 am

  The Volkswagen Phaeton is a high quality machine, drives like a dream, provides extraordinary comfort, is extremely powerful, and is a unique vehicle that gives the owner a sense of real value.