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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  Dont Buy a VW - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ihatevw - July 17 - 5:23 pm

  From the radio & power window buttons peeling off to the worst designed tire jack Ive seen, these cars are garbage. Volkswagen may make some sporty cars, but beyond the looks they are a big piece of crap. If youre looking for a reliable car keep looking but if youd like to drive a hunk of junk buy a VW. Never again will I waste money on a German car.

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  Repairs equal purchase price - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By hassef - July 5 - 10:57 am

  My brother bought this car for a little old lady 9 months ago for 5k. Haha, ya right. He has already spent 4k fixing it and his mechanic says the ball joints are going, onther 1k. What a lemon. I drove the car, it may or may not have been owned by a little old lady but it definitely drives like one. What a piece of junk.

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  Stay Away - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By John - June 30 - 7:13 pm

  This 2.5 Jetta is the tenth VW weve owned in fifteen years. It is junk. The transmission skips, it will not engage in drive or reverse properly, and there is a dangerous lapse when taking off from a slow down. The rain sensor wipers are terrible. They sometimes wipe when the windshield is dry or wont wipe at all in a downpour. On continuous wipe they go into intermittent (this car does not have it). The climatronic is screwed up. The a/c comes on by itself when temp is set at 70 and it wont turn off. I have been to two dealers and VW service cannot fix anything. The VW area rep has refused to do anymore warranty service. I am filing lemon law and VW is fighting it. I will never buy VW again.

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  Passat Piece of Junk - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By Former Passat Driver - June 27 - 1:06 pm

  My 1997 Volkswagen Passat is a completely unexpected bad product from Germany! This is the biggest hunk of junk we have ever owned. We bought it with resonable miles on it. Shortly after owning it all the electronic issues began. VW mechanics removed entire dash to fix some of the problems which reset digital mileage. There goes the equity! I have had so many problems with this thing (I agree with all other comments made here..too many to list...). We thought many times about finding one of the hurricanes and leaving it in the heart of the storm. It has finally died and we will not be sad to say goodbye! Buyer beware...looking at the other years after this car, it doesnt look like Passat has fixed any issues with this car!

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  Dont Buy It!!! VWs Expensive To Fix!!! - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By manny41 - June 23 - 9:22 pm

  This car sucks getting it repaired is expensive too much money!!! get a Toyota or Honda Best Cars Around!!!

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  Unreliable and cheaply made make for an expensive piece of junk - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By nmanspach - June 21 - 9:26 pm

  I bought this car new in 2007, have never missed a scheduled service, and take pride in keeping a neat and clean car. My car should be in tip top shape, but it is a broken piece of junk. The transmission, turbo, and starter have all been replaced. The engine light is always coming on. The electrical system has had work done several times. I often either cant open or cant close the windows or sunroof and the back lift-gate gets stuck partially open. Sometimes the computer language switches to German, but restarting the car fixes that. The interior finishes started deteriorating and coming apart at 30,000 miles. Today, two days after its 75,000 mile scheduled service, it wont start.

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  04 Jetta is a piece of junk - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By POS - June 20 - 9:03 pm

  This car is a money pit and Volkswagen (both the dealership where the car was purchased or the headquarters) does not stand behind their cars. Ours has a cracked manifold which the mechanic said is due the car being a lemon. He said there is not reason for this to happen on a car with only 60K miles and that has had all maintenance performed since day one. This car has been treated very kindly since day one but still one costly problem after the next and all Volkswagen can say is "sorry". Dont buy this car! Buy a Honda or Toyota instead and save yourself the headaches!

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  Most Unreliable Suv Ever - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By tourjunk - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Has been at the dealer more than our garage. Doors do not shut properly, truck refuses to start 2 out of every five times.Dealership is awful, VW customer service is the pits. VERY DISSAPOINTED!

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  Goodness... Where to begin!? - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By gary12345 - June 11 - 10:00 am

  12k miles I have already taken it in 5 times, most recently 2 of my gears in my windows melting which will have my car in service for 20 days. 4k miles check engine light goes on and car dies on freeway. dealership laughs at me almost dieing than steals my keychain when I go get my house key from them. 5k miles front window breaks when Im washing my car in 75 degree weather, and in the shade, also knocking on right weel when I reverse. This car is a pile of crap built in Mexico. Do not buy a VW unless you have a crush on the mechanics because you will be there a lot.

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  Do not buy a routan - big mistake! - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By Omid - June 8 - 11:43 am

  Unless you want to spend a lot of time at the VW service dept, do not buy this minivan. We bought new 9 months ago and it has been serviced numerous times for same malfunctions: electrical, brake rotors, sensor failure, seats getting stuck, steering wheel vibration, and most importantly safety issues which VW and the dealership fail to recognize. The electric sliding door pinned our 2 year old son and the sensors failed to re-open the door. Others have experienced the same issue and yet VW keeps saying the doors are safe and the sensors work fine. Also, no alarm sounds if the doors are open and the car is in motion. This is quite unbelievable from a German manufacturer!