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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  Unreliable Jetta - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By MyJetta - April 24 - 2:00 am

  I would never buy another VW. This car has costed me over 2500.00 in the past two years. Several problems that are a small fortune to fix. Not reliable and always in the repair shop.

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  Piece of junk - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By susan - April 24 - 1:36 am

  This is the absolute biggest piece of junk we have ever owned. Car broke down on the highway at 70K, engine needed to be rebuilt ( all oil changes up to date ) The interior is falling apart; slats for heat, all outlets to charge cell phones are blown, console between seats never shuts. Just got the car back yesterday and it was dead again by the time I went to pick my daughter up at school. NEVER will buy another VW - I am going to send them all of my bills so they can see what a nightmare this has been. Selling the car - just bought a FORD

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  Never buy volkswagen again - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Tina - April 11 - 4:06 am

  I had so many problems with my car this year alone. Anything that could have gone wrong with it it did. I had to change the whole transmission in early january, then in the summer i had to change alternator alternator belt speed sensors and connector and battery. I will never buy a used vw or any vw ever again. All my expenses were more that $3000

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  Worst Car Ever - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By rhemms - April 10 - 1:28 am

  Ive had a lot of used cars and this one tops the replacements I have had to put in it. The sludge build up required motor and everything connected to the motor to be replaced (hoses, belts, etc). I also had cracked pipes. And, to top it off I now have the ABS module gone bad. I have a 99 Taurus that Ive only spent 1000 on so far. This car, Ive spent over 5000, and , I havent replaced the module yet!

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  WORST IDEA EVER - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By angelacoleman - April 3 - 3:40 am

  I have spent more in repairs than the car itself cost. Every repair has to be made at the dealer since an average repair shop hasnt a clue or doesnt have the special tools required to work on it. Oil pump at the VW dealer, $1000. When all hell broke loose as we drove on the highway, all new valves and fixed up heads, $4000. Not to mention that they failed to inform their clients in a timely manner of recalls so the coils had already caused further damage and the sun roof leak had already created a foul smell in the car that also cost $500 to be cleaned and removed properly. Just say NO! Also not very car seat friendly.

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  Sick of Dung Beetle - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By abroome - March 29 - 2:20 pm

  This Beetle is the worst car I have ever owned. The cup holders, the window regulators, the air bag light, the check engine light, replaced several headlights, the convertible top, the console lock, and the transmission. These are just a few problems with the car. THe transmission will not shift and the VW dealership wants 6,000 to fix this. I will never buy another VW again. The dealerships act like nothing ever happens with these cars but everyone I talk to has these problems. Also a design flaw regarding the battery and seatbelts. Battery must be replaced by dealership. Beware!!!!! Very cute car but not reliable at all. It is a piece of crap there for a dung beetle!

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  worse car ive ever had - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Ashley T - March 28 - 8:27 pm

  Last year in may 2016 we had an awful hail storm and unfortunately my favorite car got totaled from the hail up here in Billings Montana. Fortunately, my fiancé had a pick up for me to drive in the mean time while we look for a car. We are both Ford people and thought to go out of the norm for once when we saw this beautiful, classy fuel efficient car. For us there are a lot of pros and cons with this car mainly cons. My Wolfsburg car is very fast which I love, and handles very well. But I have had nothing but problem with this car, everything went fine till November. Thats when my windshield wiper motor took a crap, it happen to be snowing and slushy out, with vehicles driving by me with their slush hitting my window. I tried to use my wind shield wipers with the fluid but no fluid was coming out and it was not clogged, so its was just brown snow smeared across the windshield and was unable to see, that was fun especially when I live 15 miles away. THEN 3 weeks later I start my car in the driveway due to it being 5 degrees out that morning with it dumping snow to warm up the car before I head into work. I get in and thought I forgot to turn on the heat/defrost. nope, the FRICKEN HEATER WENT OUT and it was 5 degrees outside. thankfully I took a shower that morning so that kept me warm along with the heated seats. the warmth of my body frosted the inside of the car and I had to scrap the windows on the INSIDE. that was also really fun!! not!! thankfully is was still had warranty left so I didnt have to pay for any of these issues. also dealing with our dealership in town is terrible, they treat you like your a burden and are disrespectful. and as of lately my seatbelt light keeps dinging at me while im driving, its staring to happen a lot. makes me feel like if I got in an accident the seatbelt would not work, I will be taking it in soon its just SO frustrating. Ive heard nothing but good things about VW thats why we took the leap and went out of our nor.so I thought I would write a review to warn people about this car, I may have just gotten a bad car, they cant all be good right!?

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  Money PIT - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Tony - March 24 - 3:39 am

  Ive had the car for 2 years and it has been in the shop about 6 times, 2 of which was to replace the rear main seal in less than 10 months. It also has a problem with carbon build up that cost about $600 to clean and a constant rumble noise from the front end even after new tires and front end alignment. Oh yeah not to mention new fuel pump, coolant pump, and fuel rails. I WILL NEVER OWN A VW again but hey if youre still in the market for one ill sell you mine dirt cheap!

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  Warning do not purchase this car - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By UNHAPPY - March 22 - 8:30 pm

  I purchased this car it had only 8,000 miles on it. The car has been a complete nightmare with replacement of many valves, air compressor, condenser, peeling of interior, burning lots of oil, finally new engine, now my transmission valve body needs to be replaced. There needs to be a class act law suit, no one should have these types of problems it it a Major headache. I have missed time away from work and luckily it is still under warranty just stay on top of the dealership to fix this problem. But if you are looking buy a new car Honda or Nissan which run great.. Im thinking about trading once the warranty runs out. I think the workers were on drugs when they built the car and parts.

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  VW NIGHMARE - 2014 Volkswagen Jetta
  By serge_vw - March 14 - 1:20 pm

  This whole experience with VW has been a NIGHTMARE! I was complaining about fuel consumption of the car (14 mpg on 2 liter engine) since September. I took the car to the dealerships 4 times! 3 times - to Royal, and 1 - to Serramonte. They both REJECTED not only to fix the issue but even to test the car properly!! Royal told me that I have to pay for the test myself! WHY? The car IS on WARRANTY! When my car was at Royal they gave me a rental car which I paid for twice more than they have reimbursed. Serramonte just declined giving me a spare car or reimbursing any taxi expenses! None of them fixed anything!