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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  NICE CAR, BUT GET A RAIN COAT - 2013 Volkswagen Touareg
  By michael_a1 - September 9 - 2:15 am

  Volkswagen just settled a class action lawsuit because many of their vehicles with factory sunroofs leaks in earlier production cars. Apparently they still have not fixed the problem with the touareg. I have been to the dealer for the problem to get repaired and they claimed it was fixed and it was not. Off to the dealer again. Wouldnt it be better if they just corrected the issue. Anyway, it is a nice car, but I certainly dont think it is worth the problems. I would certainly look at other cars in its class unless you want to bunk out at the service department the first year you own the car.

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  very dissapointed - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By touareghell - September 2 - 2:00 am

  vehicle makes a whining sound from transmission 1 out of 10 times vehicle will not start suspension is very noisey steering wheel heater only warms bottom of wheel transmission hesatates on downshift very clunky one would expect more from a $43,000 vehicle poor dealership service. had to wait over a week to bring it in for these problems also note that they gave me no loaner vehicle the general manager of this dealership wound not return my calls when i told the dealer i wanted to be bought out of this vehicle they said they would at best give me $31,000 back big loss for a two week old poor quality vehicle.what does that say for volkswagon ?

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  OIL CONSUMER - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Amandarbaker - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle requires a lot of oil. Remember to check the oil frequently. Also when your battery dies they are more expenseive than a normal battery so be prepared. Oh and the breaks, yeah good luck, only the Volkswagon dealtership sells them. In the long run this car will cost a lot of money.

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  Fun to drive - lots of repairs - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By tri1982 - August 20 - 12:23 pm

  When I first got my Jetta, I absolutely loved it. it handled well, accelerated quickly, and was a smooth ride. But I had problems right away. The transmission didnt shift smoothly. My car still jerks and lurches when shifting gears (although the 8 times I took it in, the mechanics never experienced anything). The electrical has had issues too. My windows roll down when I pull the button to roll the window up. My engine light has been on for the last year (although Ive taken it in 4 times. It goes off for a few days and then comes back on.) I love my Jetta, I just dont love all the repairs it needs.

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  White Lemmon - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By cmshawaii - August 13 - 2:00 am

  This was the biggest mistake of my life. If it wasnt won thing it was another. I will NEVER buy another VW again and I tell everyone I see that they should stay away from all VWs. They have the worse customer service in the industry. I am trying to unload this piece of " " but, I cant seem to find any offers. I hope someone reads this and changes ther mind or maybe someone at VW will wakeup and smell the coffee.

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  Pray you live near the dealership - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rhughes - August 7 - 10:00 am

  If it werent for the near 50mpg milage, VW would not be able to give these pieces of crap away. You will definitely need the extra fuel economy to drive back and forth to the service department. The power windows have broken twice; some sort of "switch" in the brake system failed which refused to allow the car to be put into gear; the fuel filter sprang a leak causing the injectors to suck air. Thats just the top three list! Youll also need to be ready to drop $800 at the 40K mark to replace the timing belt. I would *not* trust this vehicle on a road trip.

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  Epitome of a Love/Hate Relationship - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By fmcho - August 6 - 2:46 am

  My parents bought this new in Sep 04. Now 10+ years later, its only used to go to the grocery store or LA fitness. This car have good looks, very nice interior (for its price), nice ride. But everything else pretty much sucks. Although its "only" a VW, maintaining and fixing this car costs a fortune. MPG is about 10/16 city/highway which is horrendous. Drive shaft broke and needed replacement at 30k and 60k. Fuel pump failed around 42k. Airbag fault at 10k. TPMS failed at 25k. As of now, the only problem is the totally broken electricals; keeps telling me I have low engine pressure even though I dont. The only thing that hasnt failed is the transmission which is made in Japan. Go figure.

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  20 billion - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By mikikike - August 5 - 7:51 am

  I spent 20 billions dollars fixing this car!! wahhhh the reviews of this car are so ridiculous. try doing your own repairs and they dont coast as much!, this car is a low end piece of crap we all know that any low end car will need a lot of repairs, most cars need tons of repairs! Its usually negligence by car owners that causes car problems..

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  Falling apart - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jacek - August 4 - 4:56 pm

  Bought new as a second car. In seven and a half years put on 42,000 miles. First thing went the batteries, little over two years old just after the warranty. Then the interior moving accessories, ashtray lid, broke twice, I dont smoke use it to keep change. Then the cup holder -terrible design every time I use it it feels that it will break. The wood trim and the shifter was next, new shifter over $180! Antenna and the rubber trim on it and around the base; need to remove the roof panel and the skylight to replace a $.50 gasket cost over 400 bucks! All the rubber trim is falling apart. Then the console mounting brackets broke, had that replaced for $370 Now a $3.5K bill for front end!

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  GTI oh my! what an experience. - 2001 Volkswagen GTI
  By kudin - August 4 - 5:40 am

  Honestly I can say owning the VW GTI VR6 was nothing short of a nightmare. I had purchased the top of the line 2001 in 2011 GLX with less then 140,000 kilometers and was the third owner. Over the span of one year it coast me half its value in repairs for parts that are literally prone to failure. Volkswagen knows this but makes no attempt to fix it, simply Google coil-pack failures for the mk4. As a car it is fun to drive its fun. However its heavy slow and antiquated. The whole VR6 thing is overrated till you hit the highway and the bulk of my driving was city so its a pig on gas, changing the oil is at least a 100 dollar job if you do it right and go full synthetic.