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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  Not what I expected - 2004 Volkswagen GTI
  By greg - May 5 - 7:10 pm

  Bought the car because I knew this car had great potential. However after 600 miles the car had problems starting. As well as a lot of other little electrical gremlins. Took it in and they said it was because I had installed an aftermarket cd player?!?! VW fixed the problem but I am scared to touch the car now. Wish I never bought it. In stock form it just sucks. I have also had problems with it randomly stalling at a red light when I turn on the a/c, a rough idle and window problems. With only 5000 miles on the car Im looking to get rid of it! I will probably never buy a vw again.

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  Steer Away If You Want a Safe Car - 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Hayley - May 5 - 5:25 pm

  I am 19 years old and received this car as a birthday present less than 2 years ago, the car seemed great at first running fantastically until small little headaches started happening. First it was my keys getting stuck in the ignition when trying to turn the car off, i couldnt even go to class that day because i couldnt turn the car off. Then it was the multiple windows breaking in the car that would go down but then not come up (driver, passenger side, and drivers back window). The car did fairly well in the snow, coming from Connecticut we get our fair share- the car has good control but theres absolutely no weight to the car so i found myself skidding and struggling to get up hills. My last experience with this car was the accident i got in it about a week ago. I rear ended the back of a pick up truck on the highway going 40 miles per hour, easy to say my car was totaled. It was a horrifying experience because i felt no security in the car whatsoever when getting into the accident, theres so little to the car if i hit any harder the entire front of my car wouldve been gone probably. Its a cute, fun summer car thats nice to drive around if you live in the right conditions. But please take this from me, if youre considering buying your child this car, PLEASE look into better safety features. This car has absolutely no protection to it if you were to get in a serious accident.

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  Solid Quality Craftsmanship - 2012 Volkswagen Golf
  By ChuckP - May 5 - 8:11 am

  Of course, youve heard of the dieselgate scandal. Perhaps you have not heard about the failure of the high pressure fuel pump that had been under federal investigation. Regardless, Im caught in the middle of accepting the buyback of $15,000+ OR keeping the car, getting it fixed on VWs dollar, and pocketing the settlement of $5,000. I bought the vehicle because of its mix of performance and fuel efficiency and because I have an affinity towards hatchbacks. Why a hatchback? Because I frequently transport stuff: lawn mower, weed wacker, leaf blower, furniture, etc. If I sold it back, what would I buy that met these needs? A Prius? Someone online commented that the Prius performance is similar to pushing a grocery shopping cart; however, fuel efficiency is great. A Mazda 3? Theres a slight chance but probably not. I have 128K miles on this VW with only minor issues to report: horn wouldnt work early on. Thats been fixed. Lately and very rarely, Ive noticed Ill be driving down the road and the sunroof will open. Its a little freaky but its happened about 3 times total and it doesnt open all the way, just to the first level. The Bi-Xenon / adaptive headlights are powerful. Dynaudio is a pleasure to listen to. I use the navigation all of the time and its ok. The leather wrap-around steering wheel is comfortable to hold. My biggest complaint would be that the front seat could be more comfortable since theres little lumbar support and the headrest is in an awkward position. However, the front seats sort of wrap around your sides keeping you in place. This car is awesome and Im worried that any car I buy to replace it will be a disappointment. Besides, I can see this car going way over 250K miles. What car would I buy could do that? My fuel efficiency is less than most other TDI drivers because I admit, there are times when I "need" to pass or get through or by drivers that are "in my way". This car moves quickly when needed and its truly what makes it a joy to drive. At excessively high speeds it handles like a charm - no shaking, no rattling, and tight steering.

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  Bad car - 2005 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By dale mayhall - May 4 - 11:16 pm

  When the temperature is less than 30 degrees this car is horrible. The A/T doesnt shift into overdrive until after 15 minutes of driving, the mileage is 15 mpg, the windows dont go up properly,etc. It will be sold shortly. What a piece.

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  Fun so far!!! - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By Ricky Roadracer - May 4 - 10:00 am

  Just got it this past week. Getting it out on some back twisty roads, Im impressed with the handling and most responsive motor. Big time fun. Way cool! WAY COOL!!!

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  Ignition Coil !?! - 2001 Volkswagen GTI
  By irritated - May 4 - 10:00 am

  My ignition coil failed at 49,000 miles. This is unacceptable and I got no support from customer service. Apparently this is under recall on other engines, but not mine. They were a terrible organizaition to deal with. The power windows failed 4 times, even though they extended the warranty, it was still a hassle to deal with. The car in general has not worn well, I want to sell it immediatly.

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  Solid all the way around - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Ricardo775 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  Great craftsmanship. Fantasic road manners. Good power. Tight, tight tight. Great price. Wonderful car.

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  Awesome Buy - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By jcmoore5 - May 3 - 4:37 pm

  Best Bang for your buck! I dont know why reviewers slam the VW Jetta TDI so bad. I have driven all the others that this site has ranked with it. I recomend driving them all for your self. Find what car fits you. Do the math for your self. I think that you would be surprised.

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  A ride above the rest! - 2012 Volkswagen GTI
  By cjcanada - May 2 - 7:40 pm

  This is my first VW and its been great! I bought my fully loaded 2012 gti in July 2012 and now have almost 12K on it (7400 Miles) and have had no issues. I have even taken it on a road trip from Alberta Canada to California and back (5600 km) and no issues whatsoever. This is a great car and fun to drive. I have no rattles or issues with this car so far. Love this car! Very few dislikes. I would recommend this car as a daily fun commuter car. I have the DSG and love it! Sport mode revs too high though. The car is a little light on the front end. Spin the tires often.

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  After 6 Years of Driving - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Chris - May 2 - 10:11 am

  This is my first and last VW. The cars driving experience was very impressive (when it worked) but my issues with the car are: 1. Fuel Injection issue: I had to deal with fuel injection issues all the time, and every time I had to take it to the dealership and they would change under warranty. When the car was out of warranty, I was paying $400 every year or so to change them. 2. Reliability: I believe in following maintenance schedules and giving the car optimal treatment (oil change before it is due, premium gas, etc.) and expect to receive reliability in return; well, not in this cars case: this thing had to be taken to the mechanic at least twice a year for different issues (I traded it in at 79k miles because I was tired of having to pay a few hundred bucks every few months). 3. Ride Quality: This is probably the only good thing, it is an amazing car that drives much better than the BMW 3 series and Lexus IS (tested both when I was in the market for this one). It continued to drive like new until the day I traded it in.