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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  Too many repairs! - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By lvnlyf - July 4 - 12:56 am

  Im upset about the repairs Ive had to have done. First the door handle, then the windows, then the convertible top, then another window. The list goes on. The interior is not impressive either. The door handles plastic coating wore through. The cigarette lighter pop out (I dont smoke) wont shut properly. They said they just glue them shut (!). It looks great from afar, but the quality isnt there. But what really makes me mad is the $$ it has cost me to repair all the stuff. Dont buy one! No matter how fun it is to drive or how cute it looks with the top down, you might be looking at a lemon.

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  Junk Mobile - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Dont buy VW - June 24 - 11:20 pm

  Ive had nothing but problems since the day I bought this car. I had to eplace the battery three times. It gets 17mpg - which makes it a gas guzzler. The fuses actually burst into flames in the engine! My car always jerks when I take my foot of the gas. Every time I need to get the car serviced, I have to take to the dealer because they have the special tool needed to fix it. Garage mechanics wont touch the Bug, its a waste of time to them, and they lose money from it. Im waiting for the day the engine falls out of the car! I will never buy another VW again.

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  Never Again - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By AmigaMan - June 18 - 10:00 am

  This is the most unreliable car I have ever owned! If it could go bad or break it has. I first bought a 1998 New Beetle because of the looks, it had so many problems I got rid of it within one year. I figured that by the 2000 year models, they would have the bugs worked out, WRONG. Same problems as the 1998 model plus some. I cant believe it, what a piece of junk. It is so unreliable I will not let my wife drive it, I am afraid she would get stuck out somewhere. The dealer and VW of America are NO help. Never, Never again, no more V.W.s for me!!

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  Cars are defected - 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Tam - June 16 - 5:31 am

  I have had my 2013 Jetta for 6 months and I have experienced more problems than ever... The air goes from hot to cold to hot... this past weekend with the icing on the cake... I went to turn my car off and the key would not turn.. the key was stuck in the ignition. Took car to the dealer and was told this is not our problem and advised to disconnect the battery to turn the engine off, not true. Car ran for over 6 hours until someone figured out there was a fuse to shut the engine off This car is [non-permissible content removed]!!!!

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  Disappointment - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By greg woods - June 8 - 12:50 am

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  Wretched little thing - 2005 Volkswagen Golf
  By Andy - June 2 - 3:16 pm

  What a disappointment! The engine is pathetic and sad, and gets only half a mile per gallon more than the supercharged 3800 in my 2001 Buick Regal GS when driving the same commute. Its decent for surface streets, especialy if you live in a flat area, but woe betide the poor wretch who tries to accelerate going uphill. And I thought that, in exchange for any hope of good performance, I might at least get decent mileage. Ha! The handling is OK, and the interior space is all right, though the cloth seats seem to be made from the same material as lint brushes, never seen seats pick up so much hair and dust. In short, if you have a short commute in flat land, go ahead. Otherwise, avoid.

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  Dont Waste Your Money - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By CalPolyJustin - May 29 - 10:00 am

  This car is a total piece of junk. So many things went wrong with this car that I almost lost track of how many times it was towed into the Volkswagen dealer. The driver side window motor had to be replaced twice, the headlights continually burned out, the coating on the interior door handles peeled off, it blew a head gasket, the radiator cracked, this piece of plastic fell off the dash, the radio had terrible reception, the interior (light beige) got dirty just looking at it, the buttons fell off the alarm fob, and it costs over $100 to have a key made. All of this happened with less than 60,000 miles on it.

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  Wanna Waste Your Money? Buy A VW. - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Angie - May 26 - 9:20 pm

  This was my second car and taught me the biggest lesson of my life. Buying this car means putting a lot of money into it. I was looking forward to blacking the car out and when i saved up money to do so on my project, something always went wrong. In the shop at least 2 or 3 times a month. Burns oil constantly. Electrical system difficulties. Headlight covers get really hazy. The way they have the rear view mirror is ridiculous and doesnt stay on well with heat.

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  never buying a VW again - 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
  By no more vws - May 21 - 5:56 am

  car ran well for about a year before everything went wrong. Bought with 76,000 now has 130,000 miles Muffler fell off about 7 times resulting in lots of repair costs. When everything seemed ok the distributor went and needed new wires. After that the spark plugs had a problem resulting in gas killing my catalytic convertor and o2 sensors that =$1,200 worth of repairs. Had steering problems and a few days ago the clutch broke and stuck to the floor. Quick fix for about $200 bucks but warned that the clutch will go very soon. Body is rusting faster and faster where it is to the point that you cannot even jack the car up without the body crumbling. Replacing car ASAP and never buying VW again

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  32K miles and 1.8T REAR MAIN SEAL BLOWS OUT!!!! - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By James D. - May 12 - 3:03 pm

  I bought this car in March and do a lot of highway driving, not racing it around. Highway driving is easy: I drive conservatively and all my fluid changes have been done on time. Come to find out, Im blowing smoke out the rear, and I blew a rear main seal on the engine and may have done some internal engine damage, too. The repair bill was nearly $3,000, but fortunately for me, it was covered under warranty. I looked up a VW tech I went to high school with who works for a large VW dealership in Dallas, and he says, and I quote, "VWs rear main seal design on their 1.8ts have been pure garbage for some time, and VW knows about this. Weve seen a few Passat rear-main blowouts already. Its the same motor with the same problem the Golfs and Jettas had. This is how we make our money. Once the 36K mile warranty expires, the cost is no longer (negotiable, as always to the dealership) by VW. So the owner gets screwed." He went on to say, "Most 1.8ts are designed to hit 45K miles without serious problems, but with the 2014 to 2016 Passats, were seeing this problem all the time. Whats an owner to do? Sit around and say, No, Im not going to repair this. They end up forking over the $2600 and thats that, but in the end run, we lose another customer." He thinks VW does this by design, and to me, its no wonder after realizing what they did with Dieselgate, with an aim to deceive. I should have gone with an Accord but was tempted by the extra inch or so of front-seat leg room the Passat offered me. BEWARE DO NOT BUY THIS CAR UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY TO FIX IT.