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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  Fun to Drive but not to the dealer - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Don Cline - May 27 - 10:00 am

  I am on my 3rd radio. The front passenger window fell down in the door. It has been in for the yellow engine light coming on several several times. Now the red temp light comes for no reason. Needs new brakes already - very expensive plus the tires are also needing replaced and are very expensive. I am seriously considering trading in for American.

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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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  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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  If you like Lemmons - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By RD99SS - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Fun car to drive when it runs, went through 4 coils, then they replaced all of the coils, car would sometimes not start, reflashed the computer, battery light would come on occasion. The kicker is I closed the door one day and the drivers side window fell out...I had to laugh at that one, the dealer replaced it and they said to me "Oh that happens all the time" GREAT, after that I went and bought a Honda.

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  Too many problems - 2000 Volkswagen Eurovan
  By Bydo - May 15 - 1:33 am

  We actually have the EuroVan Camper. Its more driveable than other conversion vans and handles well. My wife, who is fairly short, can see traffic well. The tranny went at 9k miles. Weve spend about $2000 in repairs this year alone. We paid a lot for this vehicle expecting quality - and its been nothing but problems.

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  Its horrible!! - 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By lucy99 - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Just like every other Beetle owner ive talked to, I have had nothing but problems with this car. Besides the horrible designs on the inside (cd changer in the trunk, cup holders unreachable, giant blind spots in every corner), i find new problems every day. After slightly over 3 years, we had to buy a new engine and theres been even more problems since we got it. There has been too many recalled parts to even count. The dealers are horrible and have broken more stuff than they have fixed. I just traded in this timebomb for a reliable toyota and will never buy another VW.

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  genuinely defective - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By crystaljetta - May 14 - 2:00 am

  bi have had so many problems with my jetta that i feel like a horrible person selling it to some one else. i have had numerous mechanical problems, some that i have had several times. these problems are occuring because volkswagen made a subpar machine with a faulty computer system that keeps breaking. i would have never imagined that a new car would give me so many problems--problems with door locks, truck not latching, window stuck down, factory installed radio dying after two years, brake sensors replaced almost annually, coolant system sensor, faulty lock cylinder, and sadly even more.

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  missing my acura - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By pink - May 14 - 2:00 am

  This car seemed the perfect blend of style, performance, and price - but dont be hypnotized by the fancy blue and red dashlights. I traded in a 1990 Acura Integra that still ran like a dream, but had rusted out completely, for its opposite. Big mistake. In 9 months Ive taken the VW into the shop 6 times! Maintenance$$ is killing me. Selling tomorrow.

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  Make sure you take a long test drive - 2015 Volkswagen Passat
  By Tom - May 13 - 1:56 am

  I have had this car for a month now and I can tell this is going to be the most painful car I have ever had. I read the two reviews that discussed the messed up ergonomics and I just didnt pay attention during the test drive. There are so many design flaws that it takes away from what could be an extremely enjoyable car to drive. So here are the design issues to be aware of: - the windshield is sloped more then my 2008 and appears to be tinted less making night driving a challenge with the glare from oncoming traffic - the sloped window has made the door opening smaller, making it hard to get in, especially if the seat isnt all the way down - apparently VW engineers think Americans have big waists but tiny butts because there is all this extra space in the arm rest area that leaves you trying to not leave your arms hanging in space and they designed a seat for someone without a butt. Trying to put your legs inside the bottom seat bolsters can be painful in several areas - once seated you will see that you need a 6ft wingspan to reach the door handle to close the door? Speaking of the door, you have have good control of the door when opening it because of the wide swing path, it will easily hit whatever is parked next to you or it will close back on you - once in the seat you notice that you have to contort your left foot to put it on the footrest or put your leg on top of the bolster, which I do and it is causing a nerve to be pinched. On the other side, the brake and gas pedals are so off plane that I either practically break my ankle moving from the gas to the brake or I have to physically lift my leg up and pull it back to get over tho the brake. Also, the gas pedal sits weirdly behind the center console so you have to contort your right foot to get to the gas. Speaking of the center console, it sticks too far out so in contorting your foot for the gas your knee is constantly rubbing the hard plastic on the console making my knee very sore by the end of my drive. I drive 40 minutes each way to work but my test drive was around 25 minutes so I didnt pick up on these issues and should have known better. I get out after my commute and walk like I have broken ankles. Buyer beware and pay attention. Some other points: handling is good but the backend gets jumpy if going to fast on winding roads, it is not a very planted ride; gas mileage is not great, I have only 30 a couple of times; the low beams are not very bright so I find myself putting my highs on when I might not otherwise; the front defrosting takes awhile, I had a very thin sheet the other morning and it took 10 minutes to clean it off, not looking forward to when winter really hits; I mentioned above about having someplace to rest your arms, well theres no center arm rest to speak of, my 2008 Passat had an electric parking brake well VW cheaped out and went back to a hand brake that results in no armrest. Overall the car is fun to drive but the design issues that result in comfort issues will probably make this my last VW.

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  Piece of Saat - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By dave - May 7 - 9:50 pm

  If you love emptying your wallet, buy one today! Timing belt busted at 72K miles doing 20 mph, caused $2500 in damage. Class action suit only included 2000 yr model. Now at 99K, been in the shop 7X this year. Airbag fault code, ball joints, brakes, trunk lock failure, intermittent power lock issues, A/C probs, oil leaks, etc, etc.. Stay very far away from this early 2000 models, they are indeed a Piece of Saat!