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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  What a fun car to drive! - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Harry Lauer - February 15 - 9:56 pm

  Ive had my Rabbit for a little over a month now and the car has been a joy to own. Nice switch from my 2003 gmc 2500 (which i have to have for work as I am a mason contractor). Lots of bang for the buck and the quality is amazing. Much nicer than any of the "other" small cars in that price range.

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  Still turns heads.... - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By jamb - February 15 - 10:00 am

  We were looking for a vheicle for my wife, we looked at vehicle that were fun to drive, sporty, economical and reliable. We drove the PT cruiser which was like a mini-van in cool clothing. We test drove the Beetle, we fell in love with it. We have only had minor problems, which our dealer has taken care of very promptly. We are a very satisfied VW customer.

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  loveit!!!! - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By vwowner - February 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Jetta for 3 months now and absolutely love it! Its fun to drive, and looks pretty good too! No complaints, and I am very happy with my decision. It handles very nice, and is comfy.

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  My working beast - 2010 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Chris - February 14 - 9:38 pm

  Bottom line, I have over 145,000 miles on my Touareg and it is still going strong. Before purchasing my T-Reg, I laid out my needs for a car. I wanted diesel, as are all my cars (Jetta SW and Q7). I needed something that fit my family comfortably if we didn’t take my wife’s Q7. It needed to tow the camper (5,000 lbs) and all other smaller implements. It needed to have 4 wheel drive. It needed a good sound system (for all my hours in the left seat). It needed to look like a man’s vehicle (men, you know what I mean). This left me mostly with ¾ ton or larger trucks. However, after living in Germany for a long time, I already had an affinity for the VW, except the last time I saw one for sale, the price started at about my yearly income. Over time, my income has increased, and if I looked at all the other vehicles that fit my requirements, the prices were the same. I test drove every vehicle that fit my requirements, to include my wife’s Q7…which she said I could have when she is dead and gone. The end result is that I could purchase an 8,800 pound ¾ ton truck with highway mileage in the teens, or the 5,500 pound T-Reg with 25 MPG on the highway with the same interior options. So the T-Reg is the way I went. And I am very happy with my lease return purchase 140,000 miles later. A few things to consider though. I was already VW savvy through the ownership of the Audi and Jetta. Therefore many of the new owner pains had already been felt as I read through the owner’s manual, as one should. They are very particular about fluids and servicing, but if followed to the letter, major maintenance is absolutely unheard of. Between the three vehicles, I spend less than $250 a month on maintenance (this includes oil, brakes, wipers, AdBlue, washing and all other things except tires) on vehicles that spend a ton of time on the road. Yes, I have three vehicles (2009, 2010, 2011) with over 100,00 miles on them and have no doubt that any of them can drive across the country without issue. As of writing this, I have just returned from a 5,000 mile cross country trip towing our camper. As a towing rig, I have been completely impressed. There is zero trailer sag (that condition where it seems the butt of the truck is dragging on the ground) and tows like there is nothing behind it. Yes, a family of four, all their stuff packed in, on (via the Thule on the top) and behind it in the camper we still managed to have a trip fuel mileage average of 16.6 MPG (hand calculated) on a trip that did hit speeds up to 90 MPH (in states where that is perfectly legalish). Although, I did have to purchase mirror extensions so I could see around the camper, the T-Reg is otherwise perfectly prepared to tow. When driving sans trailer, I set the cruise and drive effortless for hours. Driving across country is a joy, as is driving through the city. Step on the go pedal and hang on! I also use this vehicle to hunt. While I received some raised eyebrows the first time I took this off road to get to our site, I made it easily after pulling the most vocal “anti SUV” guy out of a mud pit I had just traversed. It allowed me a moment of smug suburban former Jeep guy glee to do it. The interior appointments I have found to be timeless and un-cumbersome. Nothing is fading, cracking, wearing, or getting “old” looking. People still ask me if it is new, and are shocked when I tell them it is nearly 5 years old with 145,000 miles on it. Things just hold up well. No rattle, shake or squeak. The interface with the stereo and GPS is so much easier than my wife’s Q7 (don’t tell her I said that), and is just intuitive. There are cons to this truck. Driving for eight hours straight before needing fuel tests the limits of a bladder. Crying the first time the paint was scratched. That annoying alarm that goes off once and a while when I lock the doors. Paying over $300 for a GPS update on my $60,000+ vehicle (VAG really needs to fix this, I was very angry when it came up and the disc was different across all three of my cars). The onboard hard drive only plays MP3, so I had to reformat all my WMA music. The SD reader only reads a 2 GIG card, taking me nearly three days to load my music to the hard drive…only to discover half my music couldn’t be played because it was in the wrong format. There are times that the computer is a bit slow, meaning that the touch screen won’t activate stuff as quickly as I wished. However, the same can be true of me, so I deal with it.

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  Good car - 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
  By German - February 14 - 2:20 pm

  Good car, great on gas will buy an other vw again.

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  i love it - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bad ass - February 14 - 4:33 am

  i have had my jetta for 2 years now and i love it. it is fast smooth and drives awesome. no matter how hard i drive it i still seem to get 30 miles to the gallon. yeah, it is premium fuel but it is such a small price to pay.

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  I couldnt ask for a better first car. - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By jdamato - February 14 - 3:33 am

  My Rabbit is my first car and its a fantastic car. My brother drove it for a year and then handed it down to me for a Jeep. Its really everything I wanted in a car. A good design, amazing handling and performance and very good gas mileage(just what I need for a job thats 22 miles away from my house). I havent had any major problems yet. The only problem I had was my emergency brake wasnt disengaging all the way and it wore my back brakes really fast.

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  Great Buy, Great Fun - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By Jorge - February 13 - 5:43 pm

  First of all, you cant beat the price of this car for the fun that you get. I was between this car and the Acura RSX S, but purchasing this car for 4K-5K less turned out to be a great decision. I love the 17" 15-spoke wheels, and the posh interior is identical to the Audi A4. The acceleration, engine noise, and handling make you want to be the friend who drives everybody around. This car has proven to be both functional and fun, as the back seat turns into a surprisingly large cargo area that beats any sedan as far as usefulness goes. Discrete looks with a fantastic pick-up at an unbeatable price makes this guy a proud GTI owner.

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  Great car for your daughter in HS - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Suvacrew - February 13 - 9:56 am

  Im an Audi guy, had one of the first TTs and they had some issues, now drive an A8. But got my daughter the Beetle Sport 5 spd, red and loaded. Have had NO ISSUES apart from the door handles chipping. Its very similar to the TT in drive quality, if not giving up 30+ HP on the engine and feels much lighter on the road. The Sports lo-pro wheels give it a nice handling sensation and the brakes are much more manageable than in the Audis. Perfect car for a new driver in HS. Relatively cheap to insure, the wheel panels are plastic and cheap to replace (luckily have had no need to) and its a total chick car. I feel its a safe car to be in.

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  Awesome Car - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JETTAFAN - February 13 - 8:56 am

  This is by far the best car ive ever purchased. Though I was nervous at first (as the dealer explained to me that the costs of repairs for this car are very expensive), Ive had no problems yet. The car drives great and the 6 speed tripmatic is awesome. I find the car to be very comfortable and love nothing more than the heated seats in the winter. I 100% recommend.