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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  A fun little car! - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By mjvoigts - November 5 - 12:53 am

  I LOVE my bug!!! I have flowers decked out all over it and it really turns heads! It is zippy and fun and the convertible top is great for Florida. I have had it in the shop for multiple repairs, but theyve all been covered under warranty. The tires get bald quick, and the battery only lasted a year, though. Warranty covered a complete re-do of the electrical system, and a new top as the back window was falling out. The interior paint is so fun, but it does chip and that looks tacky. But I do looooove my car!! Also, with the Turbo engine, the mileage kind of stinks, and it requires premium fuel...

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  Rabbit high cost maintenance - 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit
  By Jeff - November 4 - 10:13 pm

  I bought this car after owning a Subaru Forester for 4 years. I decided that I no longer needed all wheel drive and wanted something a bit smaller and economical to own/drive. I take the car in for routine maintenance as required. I was a bit disappointed when at my last service of 19,400 miles I was told I needed new rear brakes. This is before fronts. VW tells me this is common to use rears that fast. Cost to replace $465 at dealer (did not have it done there, instead opted for local repair garage). If you had to do this every 19,000 miles it does not make this care economical to drive. I am told all VWs go through brakes that fast.

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  VW Passat TDI Wagon, Great Car! - 2005 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jeff Spahn - November 3 - 11:56 pm

  My 2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Wagon has been very reliable. I have never had a cold start issue, no matter the temps. This is the last year you can run BioDiesel in the Passat (new 06 Brochure says no to Bio). My car has no smoke and gobs of passing power without a downshift. We live 70 miles from the dealership. I was apprehensive about this at first, but we never need to see them. Being able to go 10,000 miles between oil changes is nice. This car has a super quiet engine. Only the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Diesel is quieter in my experience.

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  great car so far - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Eric Koppelson - November 3 - 12:19 pm

  Bought a certified pre-owned 2.5L SE Convenience w/18K miles on it and am very happy with it so far. For the price, I feel this car is a great balance of a sporty but safe family sedan, with a large trunk and roomy backseat, good handling and power (with the 2.5L engine), and decent fuel economy. Its well-styled and comfortable (im 61 and my wife is tall). A few very minor complaints (see below). Was concerned about the lack of independent suspension, but my wife and baby are totally fine even in rough city roads in winter.

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  007 - 2000 Volkswagen GTI
  By 007 - November 2 - 2:00 am

  I have never owned VR6. I was quite impressed by its performance, luxuries looks and comfort ability. I have read many reviews on this car and it seem to have repeated failure in windows, rattling and other minor thing that speaking for my self are failures that could happen to any car. Although I have been lucky so far (knock on wood) 40k+ and only had a problem with side air bag. As far as the tape player goes and the complaints I read, people that is just ridiculous. So you got a tape player itÂ’s a good thing not a bad thing. Any ways the car handles great for what it is, breaks are good enough.

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  Steer Clear of VW - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By discovery06 - November 2 - 2:00 am

  I regret even leasing this car. I leased it when vw only included a standard 2-year warranty, and I ended up absorbing over $3,500 in repair costs in my final year of driving it. Based on the numerous mechanical and electrical problems this car had, its no wonder you can get a 4-year plan for all ov vws current models. This car was an absolute nightmare so was the dealers service department. Although, under warranty, the automatic transimmison had to be replaced twice in 2-years! To its credit, it looks good, and feels great on the highway, but all that glitters isnt gold. This was my second and last Passat and vw for that matter. Good ridance!

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  best car i have ever owned - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By love my jetta - October 22 - 8:46 am

  I bought my jetta with 200,000, kms, replaced the timing belt, inner and outer tie rod ends when I first bought it and since I have put 80,000 kms, with no problems, I will allways buy VW, real fun to drive 2.0 5 speed, handles great, has no rust anywere, no rattles,

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  Still overpriced, but a blast to drive - 2010 Volkswagen GTI
  By tepsicity - October 21 - 9:38 am

  I still think the GTI is overpriced for its class, considering you cant get some options available on other comparable cars (have fun trying to hook up an iPod to the system and have it work through the wheel controls and enough already with the plaid cloth seats), but DAMN is it fun to drive. Way more fun than the Mazdaspeed 3 at least among the 2010 models, and any WRX in that realm would have been even more overpriced and driven to death. Fair warning that I had to spend a good $3k to replace the fans in the front in a hot climate at around 67k miles. Pissed me off to put that much money into what was at that point about a $10k car, but like I said...DAMN is it fun to drive.

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  Took that Chance and May Now Regret It - 2006 Volkswagen Jetta
  By cuckoo4watches - October 21 - 5:23 am

  Well, Ive owned 35 vehicles, of which 5 were VWs. To me, it seemed VW screwed up with the more recent runs and after two poorly built GTIs (99.5 2.0L & 01 VR6). I said I would NEVER buy another. Well, I had to swallow my pride and pick up one this past summer because of a baby. I sadly traded in my hopped up Mini Cooper S to get something more family oriented. Now I may have made a mistake Ive had my car for 7 months and it only has 4,000 miles on it. All sorts of little fit and finish issues are popping up now and now that cold weather is back, my car doesnt start properly, with that high then low rev. I am a nit-picker but my wifes Hyundai is built much much better! Perhaps I made a mistake!

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  Early Impressions - 2013 Volkswagen GTI
  By rogueman43 - October 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my GTI for about 2 weeks now, and overall, Im very impressed. Plenty of power, good gas mileage, firm (but not punishing ride). It feels very solid and well put together. Seats are comfortable and supportive. Just took it on an 800 mile trip, and it was a joy to drive. I kind of wish I had gotten the manual, but with a long commute to work the DSG made more sense. It shifts very quickly, and Ive only noticed a very slight delay at launch. Nothing major, as Ive read on some other reviews. The GPS graphics are a little cheesy, and the map data is very outdated, despite VW telling me I have the latest version in it. But its easy to use and pretty quick with calculations.