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:

• 

  Certified Preowned. - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Chris DeLUCA - May 28 - 11:43 pm

  Very happy with car. Only had it for a week. But we bought it as a certified preowned vehichle with only 32k miles. Car runs great and is a lot of fun to drive. We also recieved the manufactorers warranty, and an addition CPO warranty up to 74,000 miles. Great deal, along with 2.9% financing through VW credit.

• 

  4Speed, I dont think so! - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By marisa - May 28 - 5:00 pm

  Have had the car for 8mo. Has gone through the winter, handles very well. A solid heavy car. I feel very safe. Radio area is confusing, everything is right there. Screen is HUGE sound is great. The front seats are height adjustable, great for tall or short people. Seats easy to clean as they are leather very important with kids. There is a britex wizard car seat in the middle and my husband who is 511 has plenty of room to adjust his seat back. Gas tank great. From Groton CT to Windham ME takes half a tank 250mi. Trunk is huge. Fits a play pen and full size stroller and items on either side of the stroller. Fits a set of suit cases in trunk. I have no problem buying another one if this one is crashed.

• 

  GTI in the true poket rocket - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By Serge - May 27 - 9:53 pm

  The car is very fun to drive one the autocross track as well as on the street. It has plenty of torque for the car this size, it is easy to modify, and it looks like a true sport compact.

• 

  ear to ear - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By orb526 - May 26 - 10:00 am

  What can I say? I look forward to every minute behind the wheel. It is the best driving experience for 30k. Oh and did I metion the sound? Who needs a stereo?

• 

  R32 Review - 2004 Volkswagen R32
  By williekatt - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I was in the market for a fun to drive sports car in the $30k price range. I was going to trade in my 01 Mustang GT which had plenty of after market go fast parts on it. I still wanted a car that accelerated strong but handled better than the Mustang. I test drove the STI and the Mits. Evo, liked them both, although I thought their interiors were cheap and 4 doors doesn’t look sporty. Then I drove the R32 and feel in love. It doesn’t have the acceleration of the Sti or Evo but makes up for it in build quality, refinement and overall style. After 1000 miles I clocked a 0 to 60 run of 6.4 sec (with my Escort G-Timer) and that was without a hard launch.

• 

  Touareg Review - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Charm - May 26 - 10:00 am

  this is a cool car to own. ive enjoyed driving it all over the place here in california--l.a., santa cruz,san diego-- as well as off-road, through rivers, mud, rocky terrain. it has performed very well. the downside is that it requires premium gas (which does not go very far), and the oil changes are over $100 dollars (every 5000 miles). i would recommend the v8 model because the car is really heavy and the v6 seems to struggle a little b/c of all the weight.

• 

  My Cabrio ~ fun without headaches! - 2001 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By Martha - May 25 - 3:36 am

  Ive had sooo many hours of fun in this zippy little convertible. Love the 5 speed transmission, lots of fun to drive. After 96000 miles, I can honestly say this car has been a dream in that it required only regular routine maintenance (oil changes, scheduled tuneups), & at about 60000 miles it needed a new muffler/pipe, & at 95000 miles two belts showed wear so I replaced them & (preventatively) the timing belt. Other than that, this car has just taken care of itself. :) The seats are a little small for someone with a bigger fanny, but otherwise comfy. The covering on the interior door handles peeled early on and i was not happy with how VW handled that. But that was the only glitch.

• 

  You Gotta Get One!! - 2007 Volkswagen EOS
  By EosToni - May 24 - 8:00 pm

  I have never driven a car that has sparked more conversations or more compliments! Anytime I put the top up or down in public I hear "Aww cool" and "Wow!" and "Where can I get one of those!" Its been amazing. Everyone from every walk of life cant help but smile when they see it drive by. My kids love it as well. Its so great that all 3 can sit comfortably and still enjoy a convertible. The back seats are the most spacious of any Ive test driven and believe me thats a lot of cars.

• 

  Used, but new to me... - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Rob - May 23 - 11:26 am

  Purchased my 2001.5 Passat V6 4Motion on April Fools day and so far I am impressed. The vehicle has 69,000 miles on it and runs perfectly. When sitting in the vehicle I cant help but think Im in a BMW (ahhh the memories). Interior styling as well as exterior make me feel like Im in a much more expensive car, not that the original sticker price was by any means cheap. Coming from a truck that Ive driven for the past two years this car can do nothing but spoil me and impress.

• 

  Review - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By meinung - May 22 - 2:50 pm

  Likes: Comfortable seats, quiet & smooth highway ride, good legrroom in back seat, adjustability of seats and steering wheel, high quality cabin materials, great sound from Monsoon sound system, excellent manual shift, strong & smooth V6 engine Dislikes: Ride is softer than I like and roll during cornering is more than Id like; a couple rattles have appeared in cabin; price of oil filter is outrageous ($18)