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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  Sweet rRide - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By brianb - August 18 - 6:10 pm

  This is a smoooth car. There is power any time in any gear, and the gas mileage isnt bad. Its design will not go out of style. Ill happily drive this car for years to come.

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  A Great Driving Wagon - 2004 Volkswagen Passat
  By Dickie - August 18 - 12:40 pm

  This is my second VW in forty years of car ownership. The first was a new 1968 Beetle bought from the same dealership. What a difference in 38 years! Despite all the nostalgia about VW Beetles, they were noisy, underpowered and freezing cold in Canadian winters (even with the gas heater). The Passat is the exact opposite, it is quiet, has great handling and feels very luxurious to someone who owned fifteen American, Russian and Japanese cars in the years between 1974 (when the Beetle died) and 2005. We have really enjoyed the Passat on long trips of 800 km. per day, commuting back and forth for two hours per day and just puttering around town. It has lots of space and is very reliable.

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  A Lemon in every bunch - 2003 Volkswagen GTI
  By pruittjg - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Bought this "dream car" for my daughter in college. Cant deny the fact that it is fast and fun to drive, but the quality is lousy. It has been in the shop no less 7 times in 8 months for both windows ( a known fault), stereo problems, brake problems, airbag problems. The last time the srvice personnel were frustrated and said that it looked like it had been put together using spare parts and not the right ones. Never again a VW.

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  This Driver Not Wanted - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By Driver Not Wanted - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Purchased the car 1 year used. For the first year I owned it, the car was a dream. Good acceleration, great handling, comfortable ride. In the second year (after the warranty expired), the wagon averaged 1 shop visit a month! Some things were minor recalls/repairs. Others were major malfunctions in my opinion. Decarboning valves, seatbelt issues, oil leaks around the cam seals, etc... This was the top of the line model, only 3 years old with 50k miles! So unreliable, I had to trade it in. Give serious thought to purchasing....try leasing if anything!

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  Not so thrilled anymore. - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By gotoknow - August 18 - 10:00 am

  My Passat has occassional acceleration hesitation and may lurch forward uncomfortably when moving from a stop. Passing can be dangerous, too...I can not always get effective acceleration when I need it to safely pass. I feel like Im about to be run over. I smell a mild burning rubber smell from the engine compartment after driving a couple of hours.

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  Dont do it - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Boardwalk - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Our car has only 27,000 miles on it and it has been in the shop constantly. I hope you dont have the misfortune of owning a Jetta

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  Stop now - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Richardson TX - August 18 - 10:00 am

  This car is brand new and in and out of the shop. A real lemon. Buy anything but a Volkswagen.

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  I dont reccommend - 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By Barshney - August 18 - 2:00 am

  In less than 2 years both power windows have broken several times, and are very expensive to fix about 900 dollars per window. Warrantee is less than that of the other VWs. The airbag ingnitor broke right after 25000 miles and VW refused to fix it under the warrantee. That alone is nearly 800 dollars to fix. I dont suggest this car.

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  Lemon - 2002 Volkswagen Cabrio
  By njgirl - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Have had numerous problems for one year - delivered without enough transmission fluid - not alligned - resulted in requireing new tires - cruise control worked intermittantly - ABS light on - Engine Check Light on - cannot trust safety driving - stopped when engine check light on

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  Horrible quality - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By formervwowner - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car because it looked good and included a lot of features for the price. It turned out to be the biggest piece of junk Ive ever owned. These are some of my problems: the passenger window just dropped in the door while on the freeway, I demanded they fix it for free even though its out of warranty, they did (always find service bulletins on the web as proof), the mass air flow sensor went out, the CD changer went out, yellow goo comes out of the door panel on down the side of the car (I later learned its adhesive), the electric fan in the engine went out and caused the a/c expansion valve to go out. Im selling the car and will NEVER own another VW again.