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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  Love it and hate it... - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Thomas - March 27 - 6:40 am

  I love the looks, power, and comfort of my lil Turbo. I like to drive it and get a lot of compliments on the extras I have added. The problem is that it is a money pit. Things like fuel sending kits ($400) and mass air flow sensors (warranty) keep going wrong with it. It has about 70k on it and the tranny doesnt engage for about 2 seconds after putting it into gear. The back seat is so small (30 in. rear leg room) that a properly installed baby seat willnot fit unless you are under 5 feet tall and drive with your knees in the dash. I am selling it due to the no room factor and unreliability. Not to mention that the VW dealership has damaged it on 2 separate occasions. Beware the money pit.

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  GTi is great but.. - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By GRweigh - March 26 - 8:16 pm

  I love my GTi its a great car, but I dont like how it only about gives 27 mpg. You would think that a small hatch back would way less then 3000 pounds and save pretty good gas. I understand that is turbo and its cool. I think they should at least have tried to make it a 30 mpg. I havent so far experienced any problems other technical problems with the car but I think It is a pain to have to fill up the gas with premium. Especially the price on gas right now.

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  Love this vehicle!! - 2007 Volkswagen Touareg
  By gobubba - March 24 - 11:57 pm

  We have the 2007 V8 with every option available. Cant say enough about how much we love to own and drive it! Where else can you get a "car" (remember it is a unibody) that tows nearly anything a person could want to tow. It weighs about the same as a Suburban or Tahoe, so the ride and handling are superb. The factory roof rails run the entire length of the roof which makes mounting boxes or a bike rack a breeze. We bought a certified used Highlander prior to the Touareg and only owned it for two weeks before we forced the dealer to buy it back. The engine had what Toyota considers "normal" piston slap and the drivetrain whined like it was extremely worn out, also considered "normal".

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  Troubles in Germany? - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Genosite - March 23 - 2:00 am

  We have the nav system, air-suspension, premium 2 pkg- essentially every option. PROBLEMS: The nav/CD system went out-we are having the third one installed. 1 of the headlights quit working twice-now fixed. One of the speakers went out-now fixed. The remote has abismal range. There was a whistling in the rear door- fixed after 3 trips to the dealer. Problem with the rear window latch causes the interior lights to remain on- being fixed as well. Our dealer has been very responsive, but in the three months we have had the car, it has been in the shop 7 times. Wondering if we got a lemon.

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  My Jetta - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Betina James - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Overall I enjoy the car, in a market that seems to be geared towards SUVs. The car is fun too drive and performs great. The only thing about the car that I dont like is that it doesnt have a spoiler. But thats just me. It gets excellent gas mileage, and handles well around corners. And even though I just got the 4 its got some fight in it out of the pocket.

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  GTi 1.8 Fun Car to own - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By Danan - March 22 - 1:43 am

  It is a very fun car to drive, I have had it for more than 8 years, and 145,000 miles, still on original clutch. Never take the car to dealers, always work with local VW mechanic. Maintenance is a little bit high, but it is worth it. I have changed the ECU to after market, the car goes 20% faster and save more gas.

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  2013 VW GTI Autobahn - 4DR - 2013 Volkswagen GTI
  By nuttnhoney - March 20 - 8:34 am

  I bought this car because it is sporty, has nice styling and has nice, quick, responsive performance. My previous car was a 2003 Nissan 350z. I really like the handling, design, power and looks out of the box. I also added a software upgrade from the dealer that boosted my HP considerably making it even quicker. The car has been on 3 5k road trips and for the most part performed well. One thing I like about it on road trips is that it has nice performance but is not flashy...I drive into diverse areas and the last thing I want to do is draw attention that you would get with an Audi, MB, BMW, etc Beware of signature water pump and intake manifold issues with the 2.0 liter engine.

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  Good car with great space. - 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ecwhite - March 16 - 9:22 pm

  This is a big car for its class but needs the 2.5 litre to make it work. The 5 speed manual transmission seems too tall in an attempt to gain fuel mileage. An extra gear in the manual gear box is needed to bring some life to it. The space is off the charts compared to any competitor which is a big asset when you have a family to fit in the back seat and luggage in the trunk. The Civic and Elantra might win the "fun" category but the space, quiet ride and solid road performance in weather trump the fun factor for me. It is not a TDI (my previous car was a 05 Jetta TDI before the moose destroyed it) and if you can afford it, go with the TDI. The TDI is a Santa bag of fun with crazy torque!

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  Falls Short of the Mazda3 - 2008 Volkswagen GTI
  By Rob - March 16 - 8:33 pm

  While the 08 GTI is fun to drive and well designed, it still falls short of the competition. The steering feels much heavier than what one would expect in a sport tuned hatch. The performance of the automatic transmission is also sub-par, as it frequently shifts to higher gears too quickly causing the engine to strain and grumble. I’ve ended up using the paddle shifters to correct the problem. My 05 Mazda3 (S) with automatic transmission and 156hp had better handling and off the line acceleration.

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  Great Little Speed Box - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By Joe - March 16 - 11:26 am

  The Volkswagen GTI is a great car, with excellent pickup and standard features that are great. The only thing I considered adding was a moonroof. It comes with electric doors and windows and great litle VW trims inside and out. This car is great looking, it has an amazing honeycomb front grill.