Huge Volkswagen Lease Specials This Month!

The most famous Volkswagen is the Beetle, that German-made iconic symbol of the ’60s whose three decades of U.S. sales ended in 1979. And the most globally successful Volkswagen in the Golf, a premium-feeling compact hatchback and station wagon.

It’s been years, though, since either the Beetle or the Golf was successful in the United States. The Beetle has been discontinued — the original became out-of-date, and then sales dwindled on its modern, retro-styled reincarnation as the novelty faded away. And the Golf barely holds on, with U.S. customers gravitating toward spaciousness and value instead of rich cabin trim and extra-composed driving dynamics, and preferring sedans and crossover SUVs over hatchbacks and wagons.

Fortunately for VW, it has successful products in those segments, too — each designed with the American market in mind. The Jetta compact sedan is derived from the Golf but not as fancy. The U.S.-market Tiguan compact crossover and Passat mid-size sedan are bigger than their European counterparts. And the Atlas full-size crossover is an all-American product not even sold in Germany. Each of these models brings generous standard equipment at reasonable prices — the opposite of what many Americans expect from a European brand.

In addition to cheap, roomy, mainstream cars, Volkswagen sells several delightful sport compacts. Two are based on the Golf hatchback — the zippy Golf GTI and the ferocious Golf R. The third is the Jetta-based GLI, essentially a GTI sedan. The Arteon luxury sports sedan rounds out this section of the VW lineup. And in the future, Volkswagen aims to be a leader in electric vehicles; it currently sells the all-electric e-Golf hatchback and promises many more models in the coming years.

Most Volkswagens start with a base S model, then upgrade to a better-equipped SE (typically swapping cloth upholstery for leatherette at this level) and SEL, followed by a top SEL Premium. Several models offer the sport-themed R-Line, and the GTI and GLI’s top trim is called Autobahn.