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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  Took delivery today... - 2012 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By djvinmsn - May 24 - 7:03 pm

  My scores may be a little optimistic -- I just took delivery today of a Platinum Gray JSW TDI with automated DSG. No warts yet! Traded in a 2003 Audi A4 Avant -- amazed at how similar the two cars looked when parked next to each other at the dealership.

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  Constant costly repairs - 2003 Volkswagen Golf
  By bozzo - May 24 - 3:36 pm

  Original owner blew motor due to low oil and had a brand new 1.9l engine and turbo charger, decarbed, replaced EGR valve, water pump, timing belt and tensioner at 135,000 kms. At 160,00, replaced glow plug harness. 163,000 kms mass air low circuit replaced. I bought it with 172,000 kms on car and 35,000 on new motor. At 223,000 replaced front struts and mounts and sway bar bushing, 226,000 cleaned airtake manifold and carbon, new timing belt, water pump. 242,000 replaced fan motor for heater. At 302,000 engine light remains on and blowing some oil out somewhere and the alternator pully came off. Both are expensive repairs. Uncomfortable seats, and cheaply built - not worth the repair bills.

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  Love my bug! - 2009 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Susan - May 24 - 4:56 am

  I owned 2 bugs back in the 70s in California. Wow, has the bug changed! This car is a joy to drive. I dont feel like I am sitting lower than other cars. I also have a truck and thought that the change to a bug would leave me feeling "low!" Not the case. I put the top down and my 100 pound mutt and my 150 pound St. Bernard go for a drive. Plenty of room for us all.

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  Extremely Fun To Drive - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By MikeR - May 24 - 2:25 am

  Bought this used with about 160k miles about two years ago as a gas saver / daily driver. I was honestly looking for a used Honda Civic / Acura Integra but against my better judgment and the fact that it is almost impossible to find a used (1999-2006) Honda Civic, Integra, RSX that hasnt been abused and molested, a couple VW enthusiast friends talked me into buying an Mk4 1.8t Jetta with a 5 speed manual Trans. It wasnt without distress, Ive had German cars in the past and it has never been a good experience. But, with a lot of research and reading, browsing and talking I came to this conclusion: The 2004-2005 AWD 1.8 turbo with the 5/6 speed manual Trans. and a couple of the original equipment parts changed out makes for a Very Solid Vehicle! So.. After a couple of months searching for the perfect set up on a 04-05 GLS / GLI Jetta, I bought a 2004 GLS and went to work immediately. I changed; The Timing Belt, water pump (Metal turbines), cam sensor, fuel pump and filter, Vacuum lines, Coolant Flush with the correct Coolant fill... and lots more. And now, I have a very dependable, very reliable, fast and Extremely Fun to Drive Mk4. This is one car I think I will hold onto, Its rare that you find a car like this, one that you cant wait to get into... I used to own a 98 Integra GSR, I loved that car, I ended up selling it and buying a 02 Mercedes C230 kompressor (Complete Junk) that GSR was one of those cars and I regretted selling it from day one. But not this time, I will keep and drive this Jetta till the Wheels fall off. Of course, there are those issues a lot of people write about on here, and it is absolutely true, the Arm rest is flimsy, Glove box latch is cheap, Window switches, Radio switches fall off, Head liner is cheap and will slowly fall But all of this is no more than a $20-$40 fix, nothing you cant find on ebay or amazon. It will have nothing to do with whether my car starts in the morning or if its going to drive off from the stop light. This has been an Incredible Car for me.

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  Worst Purchase of my life - 2009 Volkswagen Routan
  By becca - May 23 - 10:00 am

  This minivan is a lemon! Always at the dealership with something wrong. I had it for one year and already had 15,000 dollars worth of warrenty work. The transmission is slipping and the dealership says it is due to one tire being lower than the other? Yet when I explain that I pulled out of a gas station and the van would not shift gears until I pulled over and shut off to get it to shift in gear? Told me that this is a soccer mom van and not good for all the wear in tear of driving a hour each way to work 5 days a week. They also stated I should have purchased the Honda minivan it can stand the driving wear and tear? I wish I could get out of this car! What a lemon!

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  Treated Me Right - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By IAHAWK - May 23 - 12:00 am

  Almost 65,000 miles and no problems. I must say that this car has treated me right. Im amazed by some of the other negative reviews I read in here. Either they had lemons or just didnt treat their car right. I followed all the recommend maintenance and the car has treated me right for it. As much as I like this car I have out grown it and because I feel that VW has made a huge mistake on the new Jetta, I will not be buying another one. I would recommend this car to anyone that is looking to buy used. Especially the VR6, this is a very solid engine and I know can and will run for many more miles.

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  Great Car! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Kim - May 22 - 4:56 am

  The 2006 Volkswagen Passat is definitely a looker! I have the Mocha Brown color (that looks grey sometimes and black other times, and then brown other times) with tan leather interior. Its a very sharp looking car. It is very fun to drive!

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  Hell on wheels - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By altour1980 - May 21 - 6:30 pm

  Bought this car used @ 16,000 miles. was great initially. after one year, had to have the catalytic converters replaced, the emergency brake engaged itself, and had to be towed to the shop, just outside of warranty for that, it started doing it again. The AC unit is not blowing cold air in the second year of ownership, the coils were replaced, and now the check engine light is on but of course they tell me that its something else and has nothing to do with that even though the car was just fine before they touched it. went to change a fuse and the whole electrical system freaked out! loved this car but my gosh whats next? UNRELIABLE and cant wait to be rid of it!

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  a big bottomless hole in my wallet - 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
  By okayt - May 21 - 1:47 pm

  I bought this car 2 years ago. The muffler fell off twice in 1 week right after I got it along with the siding (back on w/ double-sided tape) & the spoiler. Had to fix the ignition switch, buy a new radio/cd player. Several sets of new tires. Blinker/brake light problems which only worked for a year & stopped working again. The 2 back windows are being held up with pcs of wood. The power locks dont work from the inside (theyll lock me in). AC adaptor doesnt work & I was told they couldnt fix it. The glove compartment handle snapped off. & now its back in the shop for some unknown reason. If its more than a couple hundred Im buying a new car & never buying a Dub again

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  Mixed Bag - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By fsf - May 21 - 10:40 am

  Like a lot of other reviewers, I find my 01 Jetta really fun to drive. It handles very well and has really good pick up. I can zip around the city easily and never worry that it cant handle the demands of city driving. However, durability is a problem. The 3-year, 30,000-mile warranty is a giveaway that VW knows there are issues. During the first two years, I got several notices about recalls. Though I didnt have to pay for the dealership to fix whatever needed to be fixed, it was still a pain having to bring it in and wait around. Since then, I have spent thousands fixing small and big things. Prepare to spend a lot of money on upkeep. For my next car, Im going with a dependable Japanese vehicle.