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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  Excellent Car - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Paul - April 24 - 5:33 pm

  This is my 2nd Passat. The new car is bigger, has more power, and gets 1.5 mpg gas mileage better than my 2002. The 6M is slick, but it should be available with more options...

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  2005 Phaeton - 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton
  By julie foster - April 24 - 4:43 pm

  I have never owned a more luxurious vehicle. It has every option you could possibbly ask for in an up scale auto. The ride is as quite as any Cadilac, Mercedes, or BMW we have owned over the years. This is truley the auto buy of the decade.

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  SUPER ALTERNATIVE TO SUV - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By mitchw - April 24 - 10:00 am

  LOADS LIKE AN SUV, HANDLES LIKE A SPORT CAR, STAY AWAY FROM LIGHT CLOTH COLORS

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  Its a TEN - 2001 Volkswagen Golf
  By Stephen Powers - April 24 - 10:00 am

  Great build quality and solid as a rock. Smooth and rapid acceleration, often outpacing other gasoline engines as I enter the freeway. Zero vibration and little noice. Cruising on the interstate, you cant even hear the engine! I generally cruise effortlessly at 85- 90 MPH. I commute in SoCal and do 100+ miles per day, so appreciate the the fuel economy. But my former car was an Audi, so I didnt want to feel like I was going down *too* far on the foodchain. This car is fun to drive, highly economical, but not an *economy* (cheap) car.

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  Awesome Car - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Rick - April 23 - 6:40 pm

  Absolutely love this car. Tightest, quietest, most comfortable car Ive ever owned. Would buy another in a heart beat. Priced to compete w/comparable US models, this one beats them hands down!

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  Great Fun Car - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By shawn - April 23 - 6:23 am

  This little vehicle is extremely trust worthy, and gets 45 mpg regularly, just driving around with mixed highway and city miles. It starts at -30 degree weather, great car for your future kids to get to college on.

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  Nice so far! - 2009 Volkswagen GTI
  By vegasjon - April 23 - 12:13 am

  Just bought right off the truck yesterday! Fast, responsive, limited torque steer, and corners well on the 18" summer tires. AC is a bit weak in the Las Vegas heat (117 degrees!) but thats not normal summer heat for most. My other car is a BMW 330i and the VW is as much fun to drive...I do miss some standard luxuries such as built-in Bluetooth, but for 24K Im not gonna be picky. This car is well built, solid, and performs as a German engineered vehicle should. Turbo lag is nonexistent for the most part, and the 6-speed tranny is descent, a little long on the throw distance. (I bought the standard not the DSG). Good by overall, I would recommend it to the budget sports buyer.

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  one of the best - 2011 Volkswagen Golf
  By johnlewisgrant - April 21 - 10:14 pm

  Sold the lexus, kept the golf. Smoother, better on bumps, much better on highway, handling is vastly superior, reliability is equal or better (thats been our experience). Es 350 is slightly quieter, but the handling and ride are demonstrably inferior.

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  Love my Passat Wagon - 2009 Volkswagen Passat
  By LovemyVW - April 21 - 5:33 am

  I needed to move into a larger car. Previous car was 2003 Jetta TDI sedan and I really loved it. It got great mileage and was fun to drive but not quite large enough for a growing family. We decided on the Passat Wagon because we were in no way getting a minivan nor SUV. We wanted the performance and handling of a car and not the bulk or stigma of a van or SUV. It was down to the Passat or Subaru Outback. In the end we went with the Passat as VW bank was offering 60 mos at 0%. While there may be posts out there complaining about quality, weve not seen any issues yet. The same issues were reported for my Jetta and over 5 years, few of those issues ever arose.

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  Passat TDI Where have you been??? - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By laskot87 - April 20 - 8:32 pm

  I just bought my first VW. The Passat TDI SE w/ Sunroof. WOW!!!! this car glides... suspension is a little stiff but it rides on rails. Looks wicked sharp!!! originally wanted black on black but as hard as these have been to find i went with Midnight Blue and was not disappointed! I live in the northeast and there was only one of these in Maine!!! i got mine from Prime auto in Saco Maine.... Head in there and ask for Kyle he was awesome...(tell him i sent you) service was great, price was great. No its not an american engineered car, but american people are hard at work building them!!!