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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  Bad Brakes! - 2007 Volkswagen Jetta
  By david - December 1 - 11:16 pm

  Overall the car is ok. Im one of the unlucky few that has brake problems. I had to replace the rear brakes and rotors at 9,849 miles. Im still fighting to get it done under warranty. The brake sensor is only for the front brakes so you will find out too late that your rear brakes need replacing.

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  The Car is Junk After a Few Years - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By James Chitty - December 1 - 7:03 am

  My 2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T ran great for a few years, but after 40,000 miles the thing started going down hill fast. At 60,000 miles just out of warranty the Turbo went out ($1,700), the axel is bad in the front ($590), and the car is always getting out of alignment. It no longer has any pep. I am very unhappy with this car. I wish I would have gotten a Honda! I coworker heard my fighting with the Volkswagen people and she also had a Passat Lemon, that she had to sue the company over. If you are leasing a car for a couple of years and do not planning on owning it, then it should be an alright car. If you want to own a reliable car for a few years then this is not your car.

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  worst vw ive ever owned - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By landrover guy - November 25 - 1:50 am

  I purchased this passat new it was our second the first one a 2000 went 80k before we got rid of it, we had absolutely no real mentionable problems with that, that got us around 40 miles to the gallon. 2.0 motor this one has the turbo 2.0 it gets us between 12 and 26 on the freeway, its junk. The warranty has been extensively used I had the complete ac replaced all the door switches replaced the shifter replaced the rear safety interlock replaced have had at least ten engine codes two pcv valves replaced reflashed the ecm twice updates they said, one battery, one alternator. The stereo replaced rear safety latches on center console replaced rear deck lid lock replaced one and more.

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  Well, I Wanted to like this Car... - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By MikeR - November 19 - 7:20 pm

  I bought my GTI in June, and I have had nothing but issues with it. The airbag light keeps coming on, which the dealer fixed twice. With the sunroof open, and the windows up, it sounds like a machine gun is being fired in the car...the wind noise is so loud, it is useless to even drive this way. The torque is nice to have down low, but on the highway, I have nothing left in the top end. I wish it had a little more REAL power up top. Also, the car makes a strange metal tapping/rattling noise up front somewhere, and the center dash rattles. All and all, this is what I have come to expect from VW, which is bells, whistles and a whole lot of buyers remorse.

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  DONT BUY AB EOS - 2007 Volkswagen EOS
  By jws6 - November 17 - 12:43 pm

  I bought the eos for my wife for mothers day! What a mistake! My wife likes the concept but the car burns a ton of oil. They have been doing the weight test and claims its within vw specs but we have to add oil every week its crazy and a very common problem with all of these cars! The other MAJOR issue is water. The car leaks water badly and smells like MOLD all the time. I have brought it back 3 times now and they have replaced all the carpet and it is still a problem. last weekend my wife took her sneakers out of the trunk and they were soaked and her gym shorts we could ring the water out of them and the car smells like mold AGAIN. Ive contacted my lawyer!

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  Never Again VW - 2009 Volkswagen Passat
  By NeverAgainVW - November 10 - 8:06 am

  Dont buy it!!! First time buying a VW of any kind. My Passat is a lemon. Purchased for $10K on 11/2015 from an Audi dealership. Many major repairs performed by a VW repair shop EW-ext warr. MP-my portion: 2/2016 faulty crankcase breather valve, coolant exchange & replaced dirty reservoir $760 MP. 3/2016 replaced front sway bar links, both cv joint boots, coolant pipe, 80K mile service $655 MP 11/2016 replaced intake manifold, injectors (EW) 12/16, replaced coils & resealed upper engine, strut bearings, transmission service ($2550) $338 MP, 8/2017 rack & pinion $2K (EW only pay $380) 10/2017 decarb $570, now oil leak!!! Less than two years! Runs fine for a month or two, then check this or that light, OMG!!

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  ILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VOLKSWAGON AGAIN - 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By joeydee - November 9 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS THE MOST UNRELIABLE CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!I HAVE BEEN TO THE SHOP A COUNTLESS NUMBER OF TIMES FOR EVERYTHING FROM MINOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS(POWER WINDOW REGULATORS,RADIO MALFUNCTIONS,FAULTY TAIL LAMPS) TO MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEMS(UNEXPECTED ENGINE THRUSTING DUE TO A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY AND THE CAR JUST NOT STARTING- UNKNOWN CAUSE).

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  VW Quality.... - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Tikle Pink - October 24 - 10:00 am

  2001 GSL 4 dr, theres a few things that have issues...(note WITHIN one year) front grill feel off, door handles (rubber) peel, the dash around the stick has a latex coating peels,extior paint bad. Then last month the window fell. Remember,cosmetic is not covered. The engine runs great, has pick up.

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  Electrical and service nightmare - 2011 Volkswagen Routan
  By justsaynat - October 18 - 10:50 am

  Purchased from Ken Garff VW in Orem in November of 2011. Within less than a month we were at the service dep. getting things fixed. First it was the paint and weather stripping around all the windows chipping and pealing and discolored. Then it was several trips for a shifting problem. They said it was electrical and they said they fixed it. But we were back 5 times and 2 so called recall updates to the electrical before finally another location replaced something I the engine. That seemed to help. But then the motor for the AC and heater broke. Then the electrical went crazy and my car shut off mid driving. Now its in the shop and I am ready to call it a lemon and get a new car.

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  Run... dont walk and find another car!! - 2005 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By doodlebughi - October 16 - 5:06 pm

  I bought my turbo conv. beetle used in 08 with 39000 miles on it. I starting having problems with the drivers side window not going down within the first year and it just escalated from there. I have since replaced 3 of the 4 windows to the tune of $800 a PIECE! I have just now reached 70k miles and my transmission is shot. It appears this is a very common problem and VW refueses to deal with it or make good on it. I now have over 5k in repairs into this vehicle that is not worth much and my mechanic is saying another 5800k to get it going again. I have loved the look of my car and how fun it is to drive.....BUT, I will Never ever by another VW. what a money pit!!