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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  Cute, but.... - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By ST - February 28 - 2:00 am

  I have had my new Beetle for almost three years now. As cute as it is (and it is!), I have had many minor frustrations for such a new/low mileage car. Such as: gas cap release lever broke, passenger side window broke (in down position, of course), window switch came right off in my hand. As someone who only owned Japanese cars, my first and only VW has been very disappointing. I would not buy another VW made in Mexico.

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  VW Quality - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By joeM - February 28 - 2:00 am

  I had 6 japanese cars prior to the Passat, the Passat does not come remotely close in regards to reliability. First 5 months had to go for repair of Homelink twice, Tire had a slow leak due to counterweight installed to close to valve stem. last weekend got stuck 250 miles from home with a problem known to VW for a while, had to be towed and repair took 6 hours to replace a defective coil. There is a VW advisory out on these coils, but they still refused to replace the other 3 in my car. the comment from the Corporate office is that I have to break down again for the second time before they replace the remaining defective parts.

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  A bit over whelming! - 2011 Volkswagen JETTA SPORTWAGEN
  By raindaytoo - February 19 - 7:32 pm

  It was love at first sight. That ended quickly. First noticed that the ignition key would become extremely hot, although, it did not happen all the time. Then, I would notice the info screen to bleep out, then come right back on. This had happened several times. Next, while driving, hit a pot hole, bubbled the tired. Replaced the tire. Came back the next day, because of error message on the screen. Then the mileage, other info messages where not working. Took the car in, replaced the cluster, stated they found nothing wrong with the ignition. Well, the key still gets hot. A little upsetting. Oh yes, one more thing, acceleration is sluggish.

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  rosemary12 - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rosemary12 - February 18 - 7:19 am

  I bought this car in August of 2012 from the VW Dealer in Bedford Ohio. I bought this Jetta new after selling my BMW 5 series before walking into the dealership. I decided to buy a Jetta since I heard that many people who drive BMWs have switched to the the Jetta model since they like the German engineering. Biggest mistake I made in my life. I paid cash for the car and got a black sel with every feature you could get-including navigation and special wheels. All said and done I paid over $30,000.00 for this car with an additional extended warranty. As for the interior the plastic seats are very uncomfortable. No power adjustable seats, no telescoping steering wheel. Sold this car!

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  Too many problems, bye bye vw! - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By jtmke - February 11 - 9:15 am

  A fun car to drive when its not in the shop. As most people have noted electrical issues are constant and irritating. For me, it has been trunk latch issues - trunk wont latch or pops open when driving. Dealer took 3 visits to fix. Mirrors move unpredictably, sometimes while driving. A/c failed and whole compressor needed replacement. Every time the temp drops below zero the steering controls short meaning the whole unit must be replaced. All of this is under warranty but what a waste of time. I cant wait to get rid of this lemon - very sad considering this is my 4th vw. But never again!

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  Buyer Beware - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By SpencerBell - February 10 - 10:10 pm

  First comment, we will never buy another Volkswagen. At 36,000 miles the engine had to be flushed due to sludge, even with regular oil changes. Dealership flushed engine, said all okay. From 42,000 miles to 73,000 miles, had 3 more engine oil sludge problems. Finally, at 73,000 miles, VW replaced the engine. With less than 2,000 miles on new engine, bolt that holds tensioner "broke", resulting in piston damage to new engine. Pending bill is $3,2000, since item is not covered by warranty. Engine replacement work took 2 months with no rental car provided (not covered by warranty). Between VW and dealership service, or lack thereof, will never buy another VW (this is 3rd VW vehicle).

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  VW Passat - continuous repairs - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By VW Owner - February 8 - 5:16 am

  While the VW Passat 2.0T is great to drive it requires continuous repairs for all major systems. The interior is nice but when you need 2 visors, one drive gear shift, 2 new lumbar supports, a new trunk latch, new window buttons, etc - do I need to say more - the list just gets longer - and the car is only 4 years old, why would you bother? The hassle with the repairs outweighs the fun of the driving. It is unreliable and there is no guarantee that you can get from point A to B. The latest recall is the engine coils, but what about all the other repair and defective parts that arent being recalled. This car and parts are unreliable -why do you think they decreased the mileage warranty

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  2004 Volkswagen Touareg is $ out-of-control - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By rollinfickensc - February 5 - 4:04 pm

  Purchased thinking I bought a $60000 car with 60000 miles. It should hold up till 100000 miles. Not even close. I had $4580.60 of repairs in 10 months. Plus the gas milage was about 10 mpg in town and about 15 mpg on the highway. I would never recommend a VW to anyone and would do my best to discourage anyone from buying one. Absolutely the worst car I have ever owned in my 55 years of driving. Replacing anything costs a fortune.

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  Avoid VW if you want a reliable car. - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Avoid VW - February 4 - 1:36 am

  This was the worst car my family has owned. The car had numerous problems. The first was one of the xenon headlamps went bad about a week after we bought the car. The second was the windshield wipers wouldnt come on in the rain and the local VW dealership couldnt fix the problem. One of the turn signal lights popped off the car for no reason and had to be rigged to stay in place. The CV boots went bad after about 2 years. There was loud road noise if you didnt have the radio on. The speakers broke also. Problems with the parking brake. The interior lights started coming and the seat had to be removed and it cost 500 bucks.

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  9th volkswagen - 1rst major problem - 2002 Volkswagen Jetta
  By shston - February 3 - 10:00 am

  Bought my 9th VW in March - a 1.8T with tiptronic. The car is beautiful to look at and certainly fun to drive, but after hearing strange noises underneath and having it checked out, I now find the entire frame needs to replaced. The dealer has agreed to buy the car back for what I paid for it - Im going back to a 5-spd. (I think the automatic transmission is very poor) and the regular engine. My last two jettas went 160K and 300K!