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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  The Best SUV for your $$$ - 2011 Volkswagen Touareg
  By sgleyzer - March 17 - 10:37 am

  I was a Lexus RX owner for the past 10 year. Drove 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 & 2009 models and HATED them for as long as I had them all. I wanted a change.... When passing by VW dealer I saw this Beauty on the front lot I took if for a test drive that moment. It was Sport V6. It was OH MY... after just 5 minutes of driving I test drove MDX, RX350, X5, Mazda9 and 2011 Grand Cherokee. Non of these came close (money vs what you get) I picked up my Touareg Sport V6 for more then 6K off MSRP ($39200) on 12/22/10 For all folks on the market for 5 pass. SUV MAKE YOURSELF A HUGE FAVOR PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AND TAKE IT FOR A DRIVE!!!! THATS ALL :-))) Good Luck & All The BEST!!!!

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  Thunderbunny 09 - 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Paul - March 15 - 9:16 pm

  My White little Rabbit dominates the small car genre easily in Sport. Test driving other small American and Japanese cars felt like a waste of time after riding in VWs 09 Rabbit. The Focus is hard to focus on after you are behind the wheel of a fully powered Rabbit.

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  Superb engineering - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jordan - March 13 - 8:43 pm

  I traded in a 2003 Audi A4 for my 2.0T Passat. I was a bit sad when I took delivery because I loved my Audi very much, but was out of miles on the lease. I must say that after a year of driving the Passat, I am in love with this car. Its so great that I bought a second commuter car (07 Nissan Sentra) to run miles on as I want to keep this Passat for a long time. The ride is impeccable, the cabin is luxurious, and it handles like the Audi (except in snow where the Quattro is a must). The 2.0T is powerful, the Navigation is easy to use, and the stock radio is great. My only complaint is that dealer service on this car is very pricey, and the synthetic oil changes are costly.

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  Wow! - 2007 Volkswagen GTI
  By BMani - March 12 - 10:43 pm

  I traded in my Land Rover for this car and I havent missed the rover one bit! The interior is set up wonderfully. I did not care for the looks of this car, but once I drove it I fell in love. The GTI has plenty of room and the addition of two doors helps as well. I LOVE THIS CAR!

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  Awesome CC - 2009 Volkswagen CC
  By Joe Ostarello - March 12 - 6:00 pm

  I am 64" tall and more comfortable in this auto than i have been larger size luxury models I have owned. It is beyond any doubt a great auto to drive. The only trouble in the 1st 8 months has been a couple of fault warnings for the distance sensors and OBD that did not latch or require service

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  VALUE! - AWESOME! - 2012 Volkswagen CC
  By joelm52 - March 12 - 10:55 am

  Unbelievable! I love this car! Im a 59 year old health professional and this is the first VW I have ever owned. After driving it, I was so impressed with the whole car and VWs service of this car, that I bought it! It gets better mileage than my Nissan Altima did, and is 10 times the car! 31 MPG going thru mountains with loads of power and every comfort feature you could imagine that you would normally find in cars costing two to three times as much money. Looks, fit and finish, power, economy for less than 30 grand! Trust me, if your looking for an economical car to fall in love with, buy one!

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  A great, reliable car. - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Dragos - March 12 - 2:00 am

  We bought our GLS new in 1997. It has a manual transmission and a 4cyl 2L engine. My wife and I have put 158k miles on it and it still runs great. We maintained our VW well and had ONLY ONE technical problem: all 4 power windows started to fail in 01. We were always impressed by the steering of the car in wet/snowy/icy conditions. We have driven it numerous times across the mountain passes in the winter and it has behaved admirably! The manual transmission has proven to be extremely reliable and it has always helped us in controlling the vehicle and having more fun driving it. This Jetta model has by far the largest trunk in its class.

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  The best value - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By outbackflyer - March 12 - 2:00 am

  This thing is everything I wanted and more. I tow a small trailer (about 600lbs) and I still get ~45 MPG. Currently have 30k miles and going to do my own oil changes. Did research and found the best oil is Delvac 5w40 from Mobil. You can find it at most truck stops. It is full synth and has a C4 rating. Most dealers dont use the right oil and charge $80 to change the oil. check out www.tdiclub.com for more info. I found them extremly helpful.

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  Six Speeds! - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By J Warner - March 12 - 2:00 am

  The GLI is definitely the BEST Jetta to own! Lots of power, easy handling, and sport suspension make this model my favorite. No complaints except for the "ghost" fuel relay problem I experienced one month after purchasing the vehicle. I took it in to the dealer for service because the engine stalled a couple of times. I was told it could be a fuel relay problem, but they couldnt replicate it. No problems since.

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  Very Nice - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By Vinni - March 11 - 8:23 pm

  The Volkswagen GTI is a car that is put together very nicely. Another 60 or 80 horses would have been better. More options would be nice as well. It definitely needs a better stereo.