The 6 Best Volkswagens of All Time

Since the 1950s, Volkswagens have captivated car enthusiasts throughout North America. The versatile Volkswagen brand has made cars that can race the Baja 1000, like the iconic Beetle, to the modern, upscale Tiguan SUV which looks at home parked in front of a Michelin-starred restaurant. From the Microbus to the popular Jetta, let’s look at these Volkswagen models and others that are the best and most memorable of the Volkswagen brand.

History of Volkswagen

Volkswagen has a long history of making affordable and memorable cars. The first Volkswagen cars were mass-produced in 1937 by the German government. At a time when most people living in Germany couldn’t afford a car, the small Volkswagen with its air-cooled engine became a cost-effective means of transportation. Production of these cars halted during World War II and resumed in 1949 with the West German government taking control of manufacturing. In the 1950s, the Beetle and sporty-looking Karmann-Ghia came to America and were widely accepted.

In the late 1950s, the United States advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach popularized the round-bodied German car and named it the Beetle. After this advertising campaign, sales of the Beetle skyrocketed. Over the decades, Volkswagen added several styles of cars to their lineup, from the Microbus to the short-lived Thing. In 2019, Volkswagen ended making the famous Beetle, and today, the Volkswagen Group’s most popular cars include the Jetta, Golf, and the Tiguan.

The Beetle

Image via Flickr by zombieite

In 1930, automobile designer Ferdinand Porsche, designed the first Volkswagen, which later became known as the Beetle. The car became popular in Europe because of its reliability, small style, and superb gas mileage. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, after debuting in the United States, the counter-culture generation embraced the Volkswagen Beetle because of its size and simple design and affectionately called it the Bug.

By the 1970s, Germany stopped making the Beetle. In 1997, Volkswagen introduced the New Beetle that had a slight resemblance to the original Beetle design but with a wider stance and open, airy interior. In 2019, all production of the New Beetle stopped. And yet, the Beetle lives on. Today, you can find Volkswagen Beetle enthusiasts around the world who carefully restore this beloved little car.

Volkswagen Microbus

The second vehicle made by Volkswagen, the Microbus, began production in 1950. In the first year alone, Volkswagen made over 9,500 Microbuses and production ramped up as the Microbus grew in popularity. After the introduction of the Microbus into the United States, the surf community and the hippie back-to-the-land generation embraced this new Volkswagen model.

During the 1960s and 1970s, you would commonly see colorfully decorated VW Microbuses carrying surfboards on top as well as people inside wearing bright tie-dye clothes. The Microbus evolved over the decades finalizing in the Westfalia camping van that included a pop-up, roof-top tent. Production of the Microbus stopped in 1997.

Volkswagen Thing

Between 1968 and 1983, Volkswagen made the Type 181. In the United States, the Type 181 became known as the Thing. Originally designed for the German army, lovers of this odd Volkswagen enjoyed the simple and utilitarian use of the car. You could take the Thing to the beach, on off-road trails, and through muddy terrain.

The Thing came with removable doors and a convertible roof. The windshield folded flat so you could enjoy the wind in your hair and the sun on your face. The floor had drain holes and perforated rubber mats for easy cleaning after playing in the mud or sand. The Thing had a brief standing in the United States from 1972 to 1975 and in 1983, all production of this memorable Volkswagen stopped.

Volkswagen Jetta

Since 1974 and continuing to this day, the Jetta remains one of Volkswagen’s most popular cars. Although the Jetta has gone through several styling redesigns, the four-door Volkswagen Jetta sedan still carries the reputation of its predecessors as a safe, reliable, family-friendly car.

Today, you can find several trim levels of the Jetta, with the sporty Jetta 1.4T S being one of the best selling Volkswagens. The 2020 Jetta 1.4T S offers advanced driver-assist features like forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. The 1.4T S comes with a powerful turbocharged 147-horsepower engine, and the sedan handles smoothly with its fine-tuned suspension system and front-wheel drivetrain.

Volkswagen Golf

Now in its eighth generation, the Volkswagen Golf has sold more cars than any other Volkswagen model. The Golf, first introduced in 1974, appealed to those who wanted a compact, affordable car with stylish looks, and efficient capability. While the Beetle, Microbus, and other Volkswagen precursors carried an air-cooled engine in the rear of the vehicle, the Golf switched to a water-cooled front engine, revolutionizing the Volkswagen concept.

The angular design of the Golf appealed to modern car consumers, and to this day, the Volkswagen Golf retains its sleek and aerodynamic appearance. While the new Volkswagen Golf GTI still carries a similar design reminiscent of its earlier generations, the 2021 version comes with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers a massive 228 horsepower. Features such as a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, and a dual-clutch automatic transmission help to make the Golf GTI a top-selling Volkswagen.

Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen broadened its offerings by introducing the compact crossover SUV, the Tiguan in 2009. The world enthusiastically accepted the SUV and to this day, Volkswagen loyalists enjoy having an SUV in the Volkswagen family. With the Tiguans upscale interior, roomy cabin, modern technology, and standard driver-assist features, the Tiguan appeals to a broad range of drivers.

The 2021 Tiguan midsize SUV has features such as power-sliding second-row seats, a modern infotainment system with an easy-to-use touch screen, and safety features that include blind-spot monitoring, a lane mitigation system, and front and rear parking sensors. If you’d like to learn more about the 2021 Tiguan and take one for a test drive, stop by Volkswagen of Marion today.

What do you think of our best and most memorable Volkswagens of all time? Is there one that we missed? If so, drop us a line at VW of Marion and we’ll look into adding it to the list.