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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  Awesome Jetta Wagon - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Eshwar.S - August 24 - 12:06 am

  I have had my 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GL Wagon for year now, I bought it in September of 2004. It has not had any problems, runs great, looks great, and feels like I just bought yesterday.

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  VW stands for VERY WORST! - 2010 Volkswagen Passat
  By Joel M - August 23 - 5:00 pm

  I bought my 2010 VW Passat (2.0T TSI) used about 9 months ago. I did not buy it from a VW dealership, but did my homework and saw that all maintenance was consistent and up to date. It rode nice and and was okay for comfort and the body and engine looked to be in good shape. Blue Book value at the time was about $8200 and I picked it up for $8000. Within 3 months, I noticed a coolant leak. I took it to a VW mechanic (not the dealership) who told me the auxiliary water pump casing had cracked. There are two water pumps on this vehicle and both are plastic. So I had the water pump replaced at a cost of about $600. About 2 weeks later, I have another coolant leak. this time it is the main water pump. Another $600 out the door. The mechanic told me he has been seeing this problem with all VW TSI engines from the years 2009 - 2011. The problem, as he can figure, is that there is a seal between the pump and the block. The design VW has makes sure a piece of this seal is sticking up. When oil contacts this seal, it swells causing the water pump casing to crack. That was his thoughts, though Im not convinced it isnt just oil hitting the plastic that causes it to embrittle and fail. So now I have replaced both water pumps and think Im good to go. Not so. About two months later, I have another coolant leak and it is, again, the main water pump casing that cracked. This looked to be caused by a little oil that was slopped during an oil change. Thats all it took and Im repairing this car, again. At this point I posted it for sale online because I see it is a dog. The blue book has now dropped to about $6500. No takers for a couple months and then, you guessed it, another coolant leak. I had the car in for the 120,000 mile maintenance a week before and the mechanic inspected the water pumps and everything was good. So I take it back to him and yes, the water pump failed again. This time the source of the oil that caused the leak was a failed PCV valve. During the aforementioned maintenance, this was checked and found to be working fine. It was not part of the maintenance, but my mechanic checks a lot more just to verify common failures are monitored. In this case, the PCV valve, which coincidentally is another cheap plastic part, failed causing the interior pressure of the engine to build, blowing out pretty much every seal on the engine. Oil sprays out, coats the water pump, and the water pump casing splits, again. Now I am looking at basically a $3000+ fix. Needless to say, it is now being offered for sale as a parts car. VW has been contacted throughout this period and, not surprisingly, has not responded. My feeling is that VW talks a good story about customer care and loyalty, but they really dont want to hear about problems, they just want you to pay to fix them, over and over. This feeling isnt just that they ignored my complaints, but go to their website. Try and find a place where you can actually lodge a complaint. It doesnt exist. There is a link for feedback, but it is really geared around feedback for their website, not for their products. You can eventually dig around long enough to get someone that will tell you to email your complaints to vwcustomercare@vw.com. Do yourselves a favor...avoid ALL VW products.

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  Beautiful Rubbish - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vwrider - August 23 - 12:20 pm

  I am very mixed about this car. It was a zippy, fun to drive car and the experiences it gave me made the money spent worthwhile. But the money spent was A LOT of money!!! EVERYTHING breaks on this car, from knobs on the stereo, to the coolant expansion tank to the muffler mounting bolts, to the window actuators. Its very expensive to repair and you must get aftermarket upgrades if you want the repairs to last, OEM parts just fall apart in equal amount of time. The engine and tranny will last forever but before long everything else in the car will have been swapped out. If you have a love for VW and some money to spare, get this car, otherwise stay far away from it!

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  Great So Far - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By Justin - August 23 - 12:36 am

  I replaced my 1999 Honda Civic EX with this Passat. It has a beautiful blue finish. This car hauls compared to my Civic. I know VW has had reliability issues in the past and sludge problems with certain engines. This model is made in Germany and not in Mexico or Brazil so I am more confident that this car is made to last. We will see, so far this vehicle is a dream. I love driving in it!

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  Turn and never look back - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By tn_sunshyne - August 22 - 10:16 pm

  This van has been plagued by numerous problems, rotor/ brake issues (replaced 4 times on the front and 2 times on the rear), check engine light/ thermostat issues 4 times, drivers side window problems, remote start problems. Has been in dealer repair shop for more then 30 days since owning it 15 months. Poor gas mileage. Trying to enforce the Lemon Law. It may be pretty on the inside and outside, but buyer beware, once warranty goes out,its going to cost a lot to keep this vehicle on the road. This is not German Engineering at its finest. My Nissan Quest I traded for this was way better and more reliable then this van. Ive learned my lesson the hard way and an expensive one at that!

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  Fantastic car despite some problems - 2004 Volkswagen GTI
  By bradleyland - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Since the day I drove my off the lot, I have enjoyed every moment behind the wheel. The ride is stiff enough to provide a sporty feel, but doesnt punish you over less than perfect roads. I chose the VR6 because of its smooth, quite operation. The addition of two cylinders goes a long way toward smoothness. This is especially noticeable when you start the car in the morning. My only complaint would be the fact that Ive had a few problems even though I normally have very good "car luck", as I call it. I still enjoy the car so much that I don’t mind the fact that it’s spent a total of maybe 5 days at the dealer since I purchased it. I’d still recommend this car highly!

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  Pretty good car - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By VWJETTA - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Bought new in 2001. Pricey, but felt quality was worth it. Also, it looks better than so many cookie-cutter cars. So far so good mechanically. Would like more comfortable seats, better seat controls and please - whose idea was it to put the cupholder over the radio?? I would consider buying another Volkswagen, but never EVER from Patrick Motors in Auburn MA.

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  Awesome Car - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Robby Lee - August 22 - 2:00 am

  I have never owned a VW Passat before now.....what an amazing car! The Turbo engine is deceptively quick and fun to drive. Definitely not a boring ride.

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  I love my car! - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By zookprsara - August 22 - 2:00 am

  I havent found one thing that i dont like about my car!

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  Happy Driver - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Witty - August 22 - 2:00 am

  With over 5,000 miles driven Im averaging 47 miles/gal. overall. The car is pretty peppy but not really fast. Interior room is abundant with more overhead space than Ive had in any previous vehicle. Sound system and acoustics are good. Handles great.