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 One - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By neal1 - August 3 - 10:00 am

  My Passat has been a horrible car to own. Problems include: 02 sensors (stranded 600 miles from home and could not get the car for 2 weeks), major water leak in front dash, headlights burn out every 2-3 months, car sputters, remote key does not work, 2 major recalls (vw wont replace ignition coils until they break- good luck being straded on the side of the road 4 times- hope you have life insurance) driver seat belt would not work- took 5 months to get the part.

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  A sad disappointment - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Heather B. - August 3 - 10:00 am

  The car rides low, and the bumper pulled off twice after barely scraping against a barrier. Service man stated, "Jetta owners learn real quick to stay away from curbs." The car also required extensive work after I hit a pothole. Dont EVER hit the curb if parallel parking. My car needed a new rim and an alignment, which is more expensive than most and has to be done at the dealership. The windshields position allows for rocks to repeatedly hit it. I could no longer afford monthly payments and repair costs, and thus did not mind losing $2,000 when I traded it in for a Toyota.

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  Show me the gravel trap...... - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Stanley Lui - July 27 - 10:00 am

  1st day: cooln fan rattles, technician stuck his hand in it and have it stop. (What?) 6th day: noise at left front wheel, inspectn scheduled 2 wks later. 19th day: before inspectn, left front ball joint collasped, thanks God it didnt happened on hwy. (The reason I purchased this car was for its sport ability, but road handling was not there! I almost match the fate of Mr. Zinardi) Car towed to dealer, fixed same day. Dealer suspects someone sleepn at assembly line. Recd 1 monthly paymt from Volks for this incident. My 4th Volkswagon tells me 1 fact: Reliability declines after moving the assemble line to S. America.

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  Lesson learned - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By hadalotofcars - July 16 - 8:32 am

  This car was fun to drive once you were moving. The DSG transmission was jerky and sometimes would scare the daylights out of us because it was clunk when downshifting. The interior smelled funny from the day we bought it until the day we traded it in. The VW dealer said this is the proper operation of the car. As far as the smell, the dealer did an AC service to "clean" the system months after getting it and then it smelled like cleaner - which was better than the other smell. Once the cleaner smell started to fade the original smell was returning. Very unhappy - would never buy another VW again.

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  Cute car...Lots of problems! - 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By anniv7 - July 15 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my cabbie for four years and it was great until the car hit 30,000 miles! The car began dying on me after sitting at traffic lights. When brought to the dealer they said there was nothing wrong with it. Right....until I got hit after the car died in the middle of an intersection! The check engine light constantly comes on and in the last 5 months I have spent close to $3,000 dollars fixing engine problems. The car has been babied since it was bought and theres no reason for all of these problems. Well except the car is a piece of JUNK!

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  Regretful - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By Pal - July 13 - 11:06 pm

  After extensive research, we opted with VW 2009 Routan SEL/w RSE because of the interior design, engine, reputation of German vehicles, offered discounts and largely for the 0% (zero percent) financing for 72 months. Although we like the Van, the Chrysler/Dodge engineering prevails over the VW quality and reliability. We owned the vehicle for a little over a month and we already have few problems. Within a week of purchase, the Van starts making a huge cloud of smoke and oily mixture comes out of the exhaust pipe whenever the engine is turned on. The dealer said that the PVC-valve has to be replaced in addition to few other things. Then when it rains, water gets into the headlight assem

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  Cheap Light Bulbs - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By CCgirl - July 10 - 4:33 am

  Im also having issues with the tail lights, like someone else who has talked about it in his/her review. My car is now 6 months old, has 6000 miles on it, and Ive had to get three tail light bulbs replaced. They keep going out one by one. Its a waste of time having to go to a dealership frequently to get them replaced. I still love the way this car looks, but Im disappointed with its quality and performance. Road noise, wind noise, bumpy ride on potholes is all too annoying.

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  I will never get a VW again - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By SALESCG - July 9 - 10:43 pm

  Bought 2004 Jetta 1.8T, it has been nothing, but a financial burden, almost driving me to the edge of bankruptcy, this car BREAKS ALL THE TIME and VW does nothing for you, Ive spent over $5000.00 in repairs, have receipts to prove, one thing after another, its very depressing!

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  Do your research before buying! - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Nick - July 9 - 11:46 am

  Have to say I was pretty disappointed with this car. It caught my eye right away with its European design characteristics, but I have found that this is one of only a few highlights of driving this car. My Passat has been plagued with electrical problems, from a finicky headlight control switch to internal shorts in the heated seat switches that drain the battery, both which have high repair costs due to diagnostics and labor. Also have had 4 O2 sensors go out, with the replacement parts alone costing $160+. Have also had issues with coolant temp sensors and problems with front end alignment, not too mention a couple rounds of recalls. I really expected more from German engineering.

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  Nice design but poor quality - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By nwr - July 8 - 12:33 am

  I decided on the Jetta 1.8T because it provided a nice list of features for the price, and I thought the 4cyl-turbo engine provided a decent compromise between performance and fuel efficiency. The car has great ergonomics and is comfortable to drive, but Ive lost faith in the cars build quality and reliability. Ive had the car for 5000 miles. Here are the problems Ive encountered so far: 1) A/C did not work out of the box. Broken seal on the compressor had to be replaced. 2) Vacuum line "fell off" the intake manifold. Caused loss of power brakes and engine stalling. Had to be towed. 3) Very poor gas mileage--18mpg (2mpg better than my SUV!). Dealer is investigating...