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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  Fun car with spendy repairs - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By Lily - July 19 - 1:15 pm

  This car is a super fun and safe car. Lots of go, easy to manage, just all around a bad ass car. When its not broken down. Mine had problem after problem. The transmission finally gave out at 172,000 and with that being 5,000 to replace plus $1000 for a catalytic converter and $1500 for a timing belt we sold it for scraps and got a reliable Honda. Fun to drive but hard on your wallet

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  NICE STYLE, POOR SUBSTANCE - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By WP - July 14 - 5:10 am

  this is a nice looking car and at almost 10 years old doesnt look old or have a dated style to it. But it definitely has its share of problems. Most are problems that vw is aware of and has not corrected...oil leaks that fill the cabin with smoke, bad coil packs, oil sludge, check engine malfunctions...and it aint cheap to fix! I tried so hard to buy a Mustang or a Honda for my wife, but she insisted she wanted a Passat...she gets very quiet when we have to take it to the shop every month. You pay too much for that cool style with repair bills...

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  Fool me ONCE !!! - 2003 Volkswagen Golf
  By Kirk Miller - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Apparently I am one of the few individuals that have had trouble with the Golf, but I assure you, it has been nothing but trouble. Although it drives ok and handles about the same, it certainly has its problems. The check engine light always seems to be on and impossible for the VW dealership to fix. Plus, the power window cables keep breaking causing me to take it once again back to the dealership. Grrr What a waste of time and energy. VW certainly fooled me.

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  DO NOT BUY A VW - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By Preese - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I loved this car for about the first 15K, and then the car started falling apart. I have 60K on it now, and I have already replaced all 4 air sensors and the catalytic converter. The interior lights go out sometimes and then randomly come back on. This car has been to the dealer on 11 occasions for the check engine light, and then they tell me nothing appears to be wrong. The VW customer service people are worthless, the service centers are full of idiots, and the car is completely unreliable. I do not enjoy paying $30K for a car only to be treated like a complete pee on. This is my first and last VW.

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  Never again!! - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Gallinator - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Too much wrong offsets everything that is good about this car. I am on my ***14th*** window regulator! I live in Phoenix and the OOZE on the door sills is present 6+ months out of the year. The front end undercarriage is damaged (low clearance, a common Jetta problem). I finally bought a DieHard battery after the first two supplied by VW died in the first year. Performance, once excellent, now sucks wind - 0-60 in about 14 seconds. Fuel economy has dropped below 35mpg city 40mpg hwy. VW customer service is a joke - they are rude and do not care. I am glad I do not own this vehicle!! Built in Mexico - and it shows!

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  Problems after 30 miles of use - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Chad - July 6 - 1:43 am

  I picked my 2006 Beetle Convertible up a few days ago. The very next morning it was making a clicking noise under the dash and stalling. It did this six times in two days. I had to get it towed to the dealer and that was a nightmare which I wont go into. They didnt have any VW loaners so they gave me over to Enterprise rent-a-car and gave me an $11,000 Kia Rio as a rental. I am beyond frustrated. This should not be happening to a brand new car.

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  Didnt suck too bad - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By VWJustOK - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I enjoyed my Jetta over the two years I drove it - however I had a few problems. The window mechanism broke as I was driving down the highway, brakepads wore out quickly, car was generally very noisy, ect. However, it was fun to drive.

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  poor manufacturing quality - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By jis - July 1 - 10:00 am

  My dashboard was put in crooked at the factory, something I did not notice for several months. I had all the usual problems with the oxygen and mass airflow sensors, replaced 3 or 4 times (I forget which), cupholders, green ooze in the doors, poor key, 2 second delay when getting into gear on the automatic transmission. etc. Also an "endearing" noise in the front dash that occurs each year at through the cold weather season. Probably some metal parts contracting and vibrating in the cold. I contacted the president of VW in Germany, got a letter back from Germany saying that some one in the US would come out and look at my car. No one ever showed.

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  Good for 45,000 miles, THEN PURE HELL - 2007 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Bill M. - July 1 - 4:30 am

  My wife and I enjoyed the car for the first 45,000 miles but since then the Touareg cant make it 500 miles without a check engine light, bad cooling fans, sunroof and windows that mysteriously open by them self,power seats that fail, X brake that wont release, etc. In fact after the last visit to the dealership we could not even get off the lot because the brakes were locked and would not release. It is VW policy that if a item doesnt fail like our power seats which made a horrible grinding noise and would freeze in the down position VW will not warranty the item. VW would just unfreeze the seat and say that it did not fail and we had to live with the grinding noise. BEWARE OF VW.

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  Why I will never by another VW again - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Disappointed - June 27 - 8:56 pm

  I didnt review this site before purchasing my 2002 1.8t Passat Wagon (really sorry I didnt because this review will sound like many of the others).The car does look sweet,turbo was pretty awesome,& the car is stacked w/ features (sunroof, pw, pl, tiptronic, cruise, lots of space). We purchased the car with under 80000 miles. Less than 1 month into owning it the a/c compressor/clutch quit, the glove box handle fell off, a bracket under car came off, the heat quit working, the tiptronic would not switch from manual to automatic, instrument panel was 50% dim, transmission started to make a grinding noise when decelerating, 2 vent slats for the a/c fell out & paint started to peel frm inside