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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  A Ride Im Proud to Own - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Walker - June 10 - 3:22 am

  Before purchasing the 15 Passat, Id only driven pickups, but after moving out on my own following college graduation, Id noticed my F-150 was going to be tough to afford. I made the plunge to get this wonderful car in October of 2015 because of the incentives available for it, special financing, and the features coupled with the $25k sticker. I chose black exterior and interior, and added tinted windows. I’m thoroughly pleased that I’ve decided to go with the VW Passat Limited Edition, even after 35k miles (About 2.5k per month). I was skeptical at first about the dinky 1.8L TSI that came with this package, but it doesn’t disappoint. The breaks are superb and reliable. Anyone who has DD’ed for me has commented on them. What’s even better is that they’re not so sensitive that they jar the car to a stop. The top of the pedal push is a little break, the bottom of the push is a LOT of break – as it should be. The handling in this thing will make you feel like you can stick to any corner or fly over an interchange at 85 mph until the traction control immutably kicks in and reminds you that you’re in a sedan and that you’re foolish for mistaking your VW for an F1. Corning and high-speed driving on Texas’ 80+ mph toll roads feels relaxed and controlled with the electronic power-steering (one of my favorite parts about this car). The transmission is nothing special, but includes a tiptronic mode and a sport mode with are both fun. The ride took me some getting used to. The seats are a little stiff, and there’s not a whole lot of extra padding in them like Nissan’s Zero-Gravity seats. But I’ve grown to like these seats, and I’ve even had a coworker who’s a car guy comment on their comfort. They are heated and can practically lay flat fully reclined. Anyone sitting behind me (I’m 5’10”) has had plenty of room, even abnormally large humans. Engine or other passive noises are inaudible at cruising speeds, and road noise is minimal for a sedan with this price tag. I don’t have to yell at my passengers to have a conversation. The suspension is firm as you’d expect from a European car, but there isn’t any obnoxious vibration radiating into the cab from the surface below the tires. The interior is another one of my favorite things. The trunk is “cavernous” (quoting one of my buddies), and the interior is simple – but not stripped-down. This trim doesn’t have the extra steering wheel controls, climate control AC, a sun roof, or advanced options in the instrument display screen, but the push-button start, quality materials, touch-to-unlock door handles ,and touch-screen infotainment system make you feel like you haven’t really made compromises at all to get to the price point. It even comes with an amplified 8-speaker sound system which isn’t bad at all. The info panel in the instrument cluster includes a data readout for odo, mpg (instant and average), trip, mph, and miles to “E”. It will even show your current cruise control speed setting which can be adjusted at 1 mph integrals. The door panels feature a nice soft (vinyl maybe?) leather-ish material underneath the window, a silver hard plastic accent piece, metallic latch, leather around the door handle, and textured plastic everywhere else. The dash board follows a similar layout with the soft leather-ish material on top followed by the silver accent piece and textured plastic. Very few parts of this interior feel cheap. To-date, I’ve spent $350 on regular maintenance. A nut came loose on a sway bar once, but the dealership replaced that under warranty. No big deal. Like I mentioned before, I’ve driven the car 35k miles so far and haven’t had any issues. The electronics have been solid so-far as well. Lastly, I moved to this car for day-to-day affordability more than anything, and that’s where it’s really delivered. I was paying nearly $750 a month for the note, insurance, and gas to drive my old truck. This car, which is 10 years newer, costs me no more than $550 a month. My commute is about 75% highway, and I’ve averaged 33 mpg (calculated at fill-up). My best road-trip average was 36.6 mpg. I financed at .9% interest for 72mos, put $2.5k down, and lumped in $3k in negative equity from the truck. This brought my total to about $22.7k. Now, I owe about $18.5k on the car, and Edmund’s private party sale value is about $13k. Rats, I’m upside-down on yet another car. It de-valued almost 8k (35%) in one year. But for some reason I don’t care. I love this car. Literally every new person that rides in this thing remarks on how nice it is. It makes them talk about how they wish they had a German car like mine. This car doesn’t BEG for attention, it passively draws attention to itself. The conservative-yet-timeless black and chrome exterior, and simple-yet-stunning interior say “hello, I’m adult enough to worry about the things that matter”. As a recent college-grad trying to make it in the professional world, what more could I want?

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  My First German Car - 2005 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jetta Fan - June 9 - 9:26 pm

  I bought 2.5 Jetta couple of weeks back. Love the car. Its fun to drive. I drove Focus for 5yrs before buying used Jetta. The car had 78k miles, hoping to drive for another 80k. Since I bought it from Ford dealership, the dealer didnt give any warranty on my Jetta. This is a great Winter car. I live in Michigan and this year its snowing really hard. The car got ABS and traction control. It drives great in snow and slippery roads. The car is small, but heavier than Corolla and Accord. Very Solid !

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  2010 VW CC - 2010 Volkswagen CC
  By Jerry - June 8 - 8:10 pm

  Ive owned this CC for 3 months now and I look forward every day to drive it. People are constantly admiring th coupe and most have no idea what model it is. Driving on the interstate with cruise control on will give me and Im not kidding better then 41mpg at 60 and better then 35 at 70. The sound system is great and I would buy another one in the future as I highly recommend it to all my friends.

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  Drives like a sports sedan, not an SUV! - 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By vdub4life - June 6 - 9:00 pm

  My wife was in the market for an SUV, but still wanted good gas mileage along with the utility. We shopped around a bit, drove Honda, Toyota, Acura, GM, etc. Although pricing was a little better in some other brands, the quality and fun factor did not even compare to the Tiguan. My wife went from a Camry to this and did not even look back! Great SUV, good price range for options, safe and a very peppy engine for a 4 banger! Outdoes many other brands V6 crossover SUVs.

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  Love Love Love - 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
  By Virgie K. - June 6 - 8:27 pm

  This is my first VW and I couldnt be more impressed. I had a Volvo previously and my standards are pretty high. The ride is comparable to a luxury vehicle and the redesigned body and interior are superior quality. I highly recommend if you want a beautiful suv at a great price.

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  The Girls Win! - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Cyndi - June 6 - 5:43 pm

  My 3 year old daughter was a huge "Wiggles" fan in 03-04. If you arent aware, the Wiggles car is a red VW Beetle Convertible. Being a stay at home Mom, we always laughed and said what fun it would be to have a "Wiggles Car!" The more I saw the new Beetle Convertibles on the road, the more I had to have one! We live in NC, and spend a lot of time on the streets around our home riding with the top down. My little girl loves the wind blowing through her hair as much as I do! The car is so fun and such a conversation piece! Many people comment that they love my bug, & I have people pull up at stop lights & tell us they "love the bug." It makes me feel so young & full of life. After 19 months, I still LOVE it! Its a KEEPER!

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  New Ride - 2007 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Nocoverage - June 6 - 4:06 pm

  I just recently traded an underpowered 2.0 5-speed manual Beetle for a 2.5 6-speed automatic Beetle. Its even the same color. The new vehicle has significantly more power, better ride, and better build quality. The engine purrs at a quiet 2,200 rpms at highway speed, making travel much more enjoyable. It has the same great features as my 01 model. This is a good car.

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  Great car - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By HenPecked - June 6 - 1:03 pm

  Fun to drive, stylish and beats all other cars in its class easily.

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  Would buy another - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By P1CDS - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I have had almost no trouble with my GLS. I have 55k on it. It uses about 1 quart of oil per 2k. Seems like a lot but the dealer says its okay. I will probably trade/sell this one and get another within the year. LEARN HOW TO REPLACE YOUR HEADLIGHTS BEFORE THEY GO OUT!!!!! It is way too expensive at the dealer ($85 for mine). My speedometer/odometer have always been off by about 10% - dont know why.

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  So far so good - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By calgary owner - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the car for a year now with no problems. Still burning oil but my 89 did that until there were 40000 kms on it. No problems with windows or rattles.Fun to drive quotient is very high. Dealership I use for service has been excellent. Cold weather performance here in Canada has been very good.