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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  One more limitation of VW - 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf
  By Adrenalin*1 - June 10 - 6:38 pm

  Dont get VW e-golf in the USA since they do not offer a free loaner like all the other companies. The beauty of getting electric with a free loaner is that you can truly save money with the free loaner if you want to go somewhere longer than the limitation of the electric vehicle. I do not know why VW is not providing the free loaner every year like Fiat or Ford or even like VW in Europe but thats another limitation to VW e-golf. I am giving a one star since all other electric vehicle purchase programs in USA offer much more.

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  DONT BUY A VW!!!! - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Jen_Jen322 - May 20 - 10:00 am

  My exprience??? Where do I start? Transmission slips, goo coming from doors, windows fall into door, broken armrest, consumes a lot of oil, electrical problems, gas guzler. Other than that is has been fine!! Enough said?

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  VWs are lemons--just junk - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Tim - April 18 - 10:30 pm

  This car was a nightmare from Day One. Transmission problems have been the biggest single issue, and still having problems after spending thousands to fix. But many other problems too numerous to list, from replacing power steering pump and alternator to paint defects and low-profile plastic bumpers that pull off after barely touching a curb. This car only had 45K on it when tranny and alternator went out and we started having one mechanical breakdown after another. Seventy-five percent of my "ownership experience" has been watching this car bake in the sun broken down again in my driveway. Do not -- even if it sounds like the deal of a lifetime -- buy a VW!!!

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  got a roll back? - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rattle and shake - March 31 - 10:00 am

  this car has been nothing but problems since day 1. It rattles it cuts off it wont idle the sun roof is broken the windows wont go up or down the right front has a horrible vibration. this car is only fro people who own a roll back or car carrier.

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  total lemon - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By paul206 - February 9 - 9:37 pm

  $8,000. & counting. In the shop as we speak for same problem - replaced cam shaft & lifters twice. Started bellowing black soot & delayed throttle. Had a complete diagnostic before warrenrty expired - "not a problem" until warrenty expired then became downright VERY DANGEROUS. Then after problem was apparantly fixed - cam & lifters = $$$ thousands the turbo would shut off & again VERY DANGEROUS going up inclines on highways. VW (canadas) reply - "NO CAMPAIGN existing" which in VW land means go away - we dont care).

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  More than just Electronic problems - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By unsatisfied customer - February 5 - 10:00 am

  While I enjoyed my vehicle in the beginning, the car has dissappointed me in terms of reliability. It was a fun car to drive, but a combination of nagging problems and an uncaring dealership in hayward has compounded the problem. My initial problems covered by my lousy 2 year 24K warranty were: busted trunk latch, 2 busted headlights. Now, after my warranty has expired, my radio is completely dead. Close to 300bucks. 50bucks for the dealer to tell me it was broke. I can feel my power steering going out, my brakes will make a funny sound when I turn and brake, and engine will make rattling sounds that Ive never heard before. Wish me luck.

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  money pit - 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
  By greg snodgrass - February 4 - 9:04 am

  I have had my car 5 years/100,000 miles. AC compressor went out last week=$1600. This week, the particulate filter/catalytic converter went out and that is going to cost $5100. At 120,000 miles, the timing belt will need to be replaced=$1200. The NADA on the car is $9000. I will never buy another VW.

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  DONT BUY OIL PUMP PROBLEMS - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By ciarlone24 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Four oil pumps, One turbocharger, one intercooler, 4 ignition coils, This car sucks!

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  Worse car I have ever owned in my life. - 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Nick - January 23 - 1:12 am

  This car has been the worst experience ever! I have had everything from a Ford Taurus to a Camarro and in 2013 I decided to get this vw Jetta. And it has been the worse decision of my life. I have had more problems with this one car and put more money into it then all of my cars combined. The transmission is horrible. The electrical in the whole car is absolutely horrible. My doors will not lock and sometimes will not unlock once I do get them locked. The Windows and sunroof will have problems closing. The last problem that has put me over board is my key will get stuck in the ignition I have had to leave my car running over night until it just runs out of gas because I am not able to turn it off. On top of it running out of gas the battery will also die because the car will not shut off at all. When I do call or go into the dealer they say they can do nothing to help but sit there and jiggle the key until it will sometimes pop out. Multiple technicians at the dealer have told me that this happens to a lot of people and from the research I have done it happens to many people... Yet vw still doesnt make a recall on it or offer to fix this problem with no charge. If I did want to get a new ignition it would be around 1000 dollars and its still not guranteed to fix the problem cause it can just happen again and on top of that if the key happens to break while they are trying to pull the key out its not their problem and that will have to be replaced also. I could go on and on about how horrible these cars are so my advice would to stay as far away from vw as possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By mike - January 16 - 9:23 pm

  We bought this car used. It looked great and seemed to be a good deal. We have 4 other cars. 2 Toyota vans one withe 190,000 miles , the other has 214,000 miles. we also have an older Subaru. The VW is not allowed to leave out little town because it is so unreliable. It has broken down almost any time its been over 20 miles away. Fuel problems, head, carbon build up, have replaced the injectors, fuel rail, and more. Giant piece of crap!!!