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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  Tiguan 2014-2015 Review - 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By zaksport - March 31 - 8:33 am

  Tiguan is handsome European crossover SUV. Pretty fast with a 200 horsepower strong engine, great visibility, amazing suspension I ever see. Tiguan go through any bumps smooth! Fun to drive and nice precisely handling. The smooth ride gets offset by a somewhat noisy engine when accelerating hard.

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  Fun to drive, very powerful - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jetta Man - March 30 - 3:30 pm

  Bought this car with one owner and 36k miles. Excellent, fast, comfortable and lots of comments. Its a German made car, its expected to be babied. You must take care of it, if you do it will perform. Its also turbo so regular checks, synthetic european blend oil, proper rated tires. Good purchase for me!

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  Great commuter car! - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By deesle - March 30 - 2:00 am

  Love this car so far. Only problem was sunroof switch that had to be replaced. I expect to keep this car for a lot of miles.

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  Passat passes - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By mat72 - March 28 - 10:00 am

  Solid ride coupled with unsurpassed fuel economy makes it the easiest choice Ive made in a long time. Fit and finish is tight and interior is well thought out. Doesnt give you that cheap feel/look of its japanese counterparts.

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  CC - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By cal - March 28 - 4:56 am

  Just bought the CC in May 2010. I got the sport model with the 4 cyl turbo. I am pleased so far and have no regrets. The price was reasonable for such a well made car. It certainly is a head turner. I have had several people walk at the way across the parking lot to ask me what kind of car it is and always follow up with how nice it looks. I drove it for a week before my son explained the shift on the fly option. It is nice but would never really be used by me. As mentioned by others, it takes getting used to for the response at throttle start. It almost seems to have a delay. But after driving for a week or so you never notice it anymore. I would buy it again.

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  I Love My Eurovan...My Third! - 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By Scott Mastrocinque - March 27 - 11:50 am

  This is my third Eurovan (two 1993s and this 2003) and I have loved them all, but this 2003 is my favorite. The fit and finish of this vehicle is excellent and exceeds anything else out there. It provides wonderful, balanced power. Its solid feel and excellent road manners make this van a true joy to drive. In all honesty, I looked at all of the new vans available to make sure I wasnt missing anything. True, I dont have in-seat DVD players and I couldnt care less. What I do have is SPACE, huge quantities of it and functionality galore. We have enjoyed many road trips in our Eurovans. It defines Farfegnugen! Everybody who rides in my van loves it! Ive gotten 25,000 miles of trouble free operation from this one so far.

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  Why buy anything else ? - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Randy Jackson - March 26 - 12:16 pm

  47 MPG, A real hoot to drive, and gobs of room for stuff. Great build quality, great, fit and finish, and it looks great! Too soon to say anything about the reliability. Monsoon sound system is really nice. Was looking for a base GL, TDI, 5 sp Man. Not one to be found in TX. I think I got the last 5sp. manual in TX. $5,000 off for slight hail damage & hard negoiating. No trades, my own financing. Scion XB was too small, Ford Focus Wagon was just too vanilla, PT Crusier was going to be it, but I drove this Jetta Wagon later that afternoon. NO WAY was I going to buy the PT Crusier after driving the Jetta TDI. Both 5sp Man.... We will be driving this car 10 years from now, still grinning...

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  Pure Pleasure to Drive - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Greg from NYC - March 26 - 11:26 am

  When I was searching for a new car all I knew was it had to be a Japanese product. So I did test drove the Nissan Altima SE V6 (250Hp), Toyota Solara V6, and few others. I was set for the Altima, until I stepped into VW dealership (have previously owned the Passat) and test drove the new 2006 2.0T with the 6-speed auto transmission. This car only has a 4-cylinder engine, but it delivers an amazing 200 HP with the turbo. Everything is great about this car, everything its in the place, great fuel economy, this car is simply a blast. The seats are comfortable (make sure you get a cold weather package - $200), there is almost no turbo lag at all, this car shares the same engine with Audi A3,2.0 FSI. Take it for test drive and see for yourself...

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  Excellent and Fun Family Sedan - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By ST - March 24 - 11:10 am

  The car handles very well for a large sedan. The 2.0 Turbo is suprisingly spirited, especially if you like to play with a manual transmission. Fuel economy is not sacrificed, Ive been able to average 31-32 MPG over the daily 164 mile commute. Stopping power and cornering are very good, some road noise makes it into the cabin, but not nearly enough to be bothersome. Feedback through the suspension is good enough that road conditions are evident, but the ride is quite comfortable.

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  Great looking car - 2012 Volkswagen CC
  By Jeffery - March 23 - 5:59 pm

  I am a tall man (66") and have no problems with entering or exiting the car. There is plenty of leg room for a tall person like myself in the front seats but there is no leg room in the back seats with the front seats all the way back. That is no concern for me as I dont ever expect to have passengers in the rear seats. I took my first long trip of 90 miles the other day and was quite pleased with the ride comfort. Acceleration is very impressive both on the highway and on city streets. Putting the transmission in sport mode really adds some aggressiveness to the driving experience. The interior of the car almost screams luxury with its high-quality materials and quality construction and the exterior profile of the car allows it to feel right at home being parked next to vehicles that are priced several if not tens of thousands of dollars more. UPDATE: Its been a year since I bought my CC and I am still as impressed with it as the day I bought it. I did an unexpected 1800 mile round trip with 3 adult males and the person in the back seat was pleasantly surprised at the comfort of the ride back there. I averaged 28.5 mpg on that trip while cruising between 80 and 85 mph.