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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  I Got a Lemon - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Tim Maynard - June 27 - 4:56 am

  This car has had nothing but problems since day one. First the bolts holding the door panels on fell out of the passengerÂ’s rear door. Second, I have had a rough Idle that VW is unable to fix since about 5,000 miles. I turned in the BBB and they said it wasnt a serious enough problem even though is has been around for 20,000 miles, and five months. Next I opened my trunk one day and water came pouring out of my trunk lid, bad seal around rear light. Lastly and most dangerous, I rear-end another car and caused almost $8,000 in damage to the car and the air bags did not deploy. Luckily I was not hurt. The front impact sensor was destroyed, as well as many other parts. Dont buy this car!

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  Not Bad...Could be better. - 2011 Volkswagen Routan
  By ministerpaul08 - June 24 - 3:49 pm

  The 2011 VW Routan is a drastic improvement over the previous year due to design refreshes and a more potent powertrain featuring a six speed transmission, the new Penstar 3.6L 283 HP Six cylinder engine, and euro sport tune suspension. The build quality of the Routans interior is very good with excellent materials. Exterior styling is nice and not overly done and boxy like the Dodge/Chrysler models. Its sleek sloping lines are just right. Storage is abundant and replaces the stow n go found in the Routans cousin. The Routan is an excellent choice over Chrysler, but considering quality and refinement... Honda and Toyota may be a better choice.

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  First and last VW - 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By SweetStellarS - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought my VW in Sept of 1998 and so far I know all the service department employees at 3 different VW dealerships in the area. I bought a lemon but the BBB didnt think so, they also thought that my extended warranty was good enough if anything broke on the car after the manufactures warranty ran out. So far it has covered ONE minor thing, honestly it was a waste of $1000! My 1989 Ford Escort was more reliable! The bugs at the dealership now because I almost KILLED myself making a right hand turn when the vehicle completely turned off making me go straight into on coming traffic! You name it, Ive had the problem! My advice, DONT EVER BUY A VW!

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  Piece of Dung - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ovaleye - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Those who give it praise now will indeed curse this car in the future. I have seen people judge their cars by whether or not they were stranded while driving. This car has stranded me 6 times since purchased in May 1999. That may not seem like much to other Jetta drivers (who probably have not been this fortunate), but I can assure you that it has been quite a disappointing journey for me. I will not go into detail about what has happened to this car during the last three years, due to limited space! Lets just say that I have put nearly $5000 into this car since after the 24000 mile mark!

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  Traded in....what a relief! - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Chelle - June 19 - 10:26 am

  I loved my Jetta VR6. When purchased I made sure it had all the bells and whistles...I was in love. It didnt take long for it to start letting me down.. AC went out- Heated seats went out- water pump went out- windows rattled until a piece finally broke. Last week I was told the transmission was leaking which was the culprit of the engine light coming on over and over. In a nutshell I loved this car. It was so much fun to drive and design was great... I was forced in to parting with it because mechanically it began giving way far too early. I had regular maintenance and it didnt help prevent problems. I would never buy another Jetta or any VW for that matter. Gone back to Honda, like home!

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  Buyer Beware.... - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By ltrn - June 14 - 12:41 am

  Ive had my 2006, 2.5 L automatic Jetta for about 3 years and I cant understand how it gets good reliability ratings. My car has 67,000 miles and has had a number of high-priced repairs. It seems like the check engine light in tthis car come on regularly. So far I had an emission problem, replaced a CV joint boot, and most notably replaced the large fan (the large fan repair was nearly $500). Im going back to my Toyota dealership and if my gas pedal sticks, I will still have a more reliable car!

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  Disappointed VWer - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Disappointed VWer - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had so many problems Â…1. Rear hatch doesnt close (had it in 6 x & replaced twice- still not right), 2. Gas flap servo broken & replaced, 3. instrument cluster replaced, 4. vehicle towed 2x due to 2 faulty switches (separate incidents), 5. air conditioner blower/compressor vibrated so loud that the dash shook (blower was replaced 6 mo. ago; just started roaring again), 6. Inside door cover plastic is peeling, 7. New brake pads installed- the rears badly worn at 48k miles, but the fronts like new--??, 8. engine light comes on frequently, 9. front air bag needed to be replaced (after 2 yr warranty ended) though the air bag had never been inflated, Â…

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  Bad News - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By keng - June 13 - 1:00 am

  Just brought the new car and I got problems. On the first day, the transmission control module went. As it turns out, the TCM failure was caused by a water leak from the pollen filter, the insulation under the carpet was still wet. My recommendation is to stay far away from this vehicle.

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  My Cabbie loves my mechanic! - 2002 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By Lotttie - June 8 - 1:46 pm

  I love my Cabbie and she loves my private Mechanic. I will never trust a VW Dealer for the rest of my life and this will surely be the LAST VW I own. My Mechanic keeps her running. One door lock, two door handles, wheel bearings, vacuum pump, muffler, interior trunk release (VW permanently ruined this)and a dead radio. Did I mention she has 134,000 miles and keeps on running? She costs me quite a bit and I am thankful I have a good salary! Not looking forward to trading her in someday as she is a hoot to drive. "Baby Baby" hopefully will make it to 200,000 miles or by some miracle 250,000 miles. Caution: VW Cabrio....lovely to behold, lovely to drive but not lovely to maintain.

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  Beware - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By iajtapmas - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Ungaraged, the car looks fabulous. However, my problems started before the first scheduled maintenance, and went on and on. Had to miss work quite a lot. What option do you have when you have invested over 33K on a car. For details on what happenned please visit my posting on http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotiv e/vw_smoke.html. This manufacturer is nothing but problems. Please review thoroughly before you make a decision to buy this car. The reviewers give high marks to this car. Unfortunately, reliability is not one of their criteria.