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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  Compared to the VW GTI the Honda Civic Si its a joke! - 2006 Volkswagen GTI
  By makinista - October 23 - 1:56 am

  Hurry up. During this month (7/06) VW is offering 0% financing for 36 months on the GTI. I traded in my previus 2004 Jetta GLS Turbo for it and I got it for invoice price. It is a nice upgrade with its HID lights,DSG transmission, and great steering. Dont believe magacines or websites about comparision with the Honda Si. Honda wastes more gasoline. The GTI DSG gets around 23 mpg in the city, plus it has a lot more torque and the tranny is great. I have noticed that even in automatic mode when you release the gas pedal and switch up to the next gear you can go 1,000 rpm in 6th gear and make 30 mph.

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  expensive to fix fun to drive - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By kenneary21 - October 22 - 5:42 pm

  this was my second car only had 66,000 on it with is good for a 10 year old car. fell in love with it at first sight black exterior with black leather interior. i learned how to drive stick with this car and its a blast to drive very fast even for the 2.0l v4 handling awesome I cant say enough how much i love this car it looks so cool and is so comfy to sit in and is fast and handles well Im going to miss this car and so will all my friends. the one thing that sucks about this car and the same goes for all German cars when something breaks its pricey. my alternator went $500,oil pan $475. The other thing i dont like about the car too much is the plastic body. It gets 20-26 mpg. love this car

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  Best SUV on the road 4 the money - 2006 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Red2006vwtoureg - October 22 - 10:16 am

  Bought this V6 2006 for $35,000 year end special. Ride is so smooth you can fall asleep. Im 64 there is lots of room. If you drive with a light foot you can get 24 mpg on the highway. Sharp looking, handles the road like a sports car. Anyone I give a ride to says its the nicest SUV they have ever been in. GREAT SMOOTH ride, AWD keeps it on the road in rain or snow.

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  I LOVE IT - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Stacey13 - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I had a Ford Escort with virtually no features, so when looking for a new car, features didnt matter to me. I went out car shopping, not even intending on going to Volkswagen, and test drove a few cars. The dealer is what sold me on the car. I love everything about it! I love having powersteering, didnt have it before...but with getting all the benefits of a loaded car (although it was the base GL model) I didnt lose the benefits of getting excellent gas mileage. I was worried that I would get horrible gas mileage. The car drives smooth, has lots of room.

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  Nice change from Japanese - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Goatlocker - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Jetta for almost a year and have not experienced any problems. I previously owned 94, 98 Camry and a 2000 Honda CRV. I paid about the same for all these vehicles. The difference is the Jetta gives you about 10 times the bells and whistles for the same price. The Jetta handles so much better and has a quality feel. So far no problems. I have the 1.8T and it will go 135 mph before an electronic regulator kicks in at about 5400 rpm. My Japanese cars were dogs compared to this baby. This is definitely a drivers car. I was so happy with the German engineering that I bought the wife a new Beetle that she loves.

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  A Lot of Car for the Money - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Phil - October 22 - 1:16 am

  My 2006 Volkswagen Passat has been great so far. After about 1,300 miles it has been getting 30+ mpg.

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  2010 Golf TDi a joy to drive - 2010 Volkswagen Golf
  By TAV - October 21 - 4:23 pm

  There are 1600 miles on my new Golf and my wife is getting tired of hearing me say "I love my Golf". I look forward to driving the Golf, the comfortable interior, excellent handling and lots of low end grunt make it a joy to motor in. I sold an Infiniti G35 sedan that I owned for five years and bought the Golf. Havent regretted it at all. Handles almost as well as the G35 and nearly matches it in torque but gets an average of 40 mpg while doing it.

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  Bad in the Snow - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By JJ - October 20 - 11:06 pm

  We love our Jetta, the only problem we have is its performance in the snow. We are not sure if its just the tires...but will look into different tires before winter hits.

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  Jetta TDI - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Georgia - October 20 - 12:46 am

  I have owned this TDI for 6 yrs and have been very happy. It has over 300k and is running strong. Every feature still works (heated seats). We get an adverage of 51 mpg. and we just purchased a second one for my husband.

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  Jetta SE 2.5 A - 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
  By marc - October 19 - 10:16 pm

  Was really looking for SE manual - but hard to find. Only driven 700 miles so far, but am very happy with choice. This car has the look and feel of a luxury vehicle, but the economy of a compact.