Overview & Reviews

In business for more than 100 years, Audi is an automaker that builds luxury cars and SUVs. The company was started in Germany and has remained Deutschland-based to this day.

"Audi Automobile Works" entered the German car-manufacturing business in 1910 and remained independent until the Great Depression. Because Audi's founder, August Horch, had left a 10-year-old company bearing his own name, he chose a Latin form of his name -- Audi -- for his new company. Audi joined with three other auto manufacturers in 1932 to form Auto Union. Audi, the only surviving nameplate from that union, was purchased by Volkswagen in 1964.

During the 1970s, Audi started to get noticed in the U.S. with its 100LS luxury sedan and compact and sprightly Fox coupe and sedan. By the late '70s the brand had replaced the dated 100LS with its new 5000 luxury sedan.

Every manufacturer has its defining moments. For Audi, one such moment came in March 1980 at the Geneva Motor Show. The automaker unveiled the Audi Quattro, an all-wheel-drive sport coupe that was met with a wildly enthusiastic response on the show floor. The Quattro's all-wheel-drive system went on to help Audi win accolades in motorsports and it was eventually integrated into the entire model range.

That year also saw the Fox replaced by the 4000. Four years later, the range-topping 5000 was redesigned. Audi's sales shot up nearly 50 percent, thanks chiefly to that newly aerodynamic yet handsome flagship that featured what would become an Audi hallmark -- an elegantly stylish, high-quality cabin.

Sadly, Audi's fortunes turned for the worse when the carmaker's 5000 model was accused of unintended acceleration in a 60 Minutes television episode. A subsequent government investigation found Audi innocent of the charge, but the resulting drop in sales nearly put Audi out of business in the U.S.

The late '80s saw Audi redesign the 4000, renaming it the 80 and 90 (with the 90 having more equipment) and also rename the 5000, dubbing it the 100 or 200. The 200 featured a turbocharged five-cylinder with all-wheel drive as opposed to a non-turbo five and front-wheel drive, as on the 100. A Coupe also debuted, as did a new flagship, a V8-powered 200 sedan simply called the "V8".

The following decade saw the A4 and Cabriolet models, as well as the renaming of the 100 to A6. The stunning A8 was introduced as Audi's new flagship, boasting all-aluminum construction and a beefy V8. High-performance versions of the various models bowed, dubbed S4, S6 and S8.

The start of the new millennium brought the TT, Audi's low-slung sport coupe (and later roadster). It also introduced RS versions of the A4 and A6, providing even more performance than "S" variants. In addition to "S" and "RS" versions of the TT, Audi's more recent releases include the A3 hatchback, Q5 crossover SUV, slick A5 coupe, exotic R8 sports car and A7 luxury hatchback sedan.

Today, Audi continues its success in the prestige car marketplace by offering a wide range of vehicles that impressively combine luxury and sport.

User Reviews:

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  Q7 2015 the worst - 2015 Audi Q7
  By omar - January 17 - 9:18 am

  the worst experience i v ever had .... i leased a brand new Q7 2015 back in october 2015 and i have taken the car back to them 8 times!!!! barke problems , from the first day i picked up the car ....windows making noise , wheel bearing problems, wheel alignment and tires off balance, smart key door opener not functioning , squeaking when u apply the brakes, driver side and passenger side molding coming off, tires making very loud noise .... i have all my documents with 8 visits i had and finally the last visit they have hit my car in the service department and i have to t\leave the car 1 week to get fix( bumper and rear bumper light was broken!!!! The service manager is a nice guy but he came up to me saying .. Dear Mr Zahra this is all normal and it could happen to any car u buy !!!!what!!! a brand new Q 7 2015 for the value of $60000.00 and i have to expect this to be normal?!! im sorry this is not normal at all my dear friend. im very disappointed and very shocked

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  Most Luxurious 98,000 mile life disposable car - 2006 Audi A6
  By Steven - January 14 - 6:01 pm

  Ok, well we loved this car, then hate this car, then love this car, and so on... It all comes down to reasonable and prudent reliability and quality of materials. This was a 24000 mile pre-owned Audi certified car we purchased. Driven lightly for the last 5-6 years, garage kept 1/2-2/3 of the time owned. Whats good? Performance, feel, and overall car experience were favorable. Fuel economy is outstanding, especially highway. Car has generally been trouble free, or so I thought (see Whats Bad). Whats Bad? Where to start. 1) Service intervals - we have had this into Audi every 10K per suggested and every time we leave with no less than a $400 bill gone for what I would have normally thought was a Jiffy Lube type $65 event. They ALWAYS find something wrong that needs to be fixed or replaced, or updated - and being a good Audi owner I comply since I want my Audi to be in top shape all the time. 2) Absolutely $%## poor quality of materials on interior knobs, dials, and trim. Just google it and you will see lots of people with delaminated interior trim. Audi chooses to turn the other way though and does not recall this to fix an obvious mfg defect. Its a calculated risk for them I assume thinking not enough care - I do and on this alone, I will never buy Audi again. I tried to sell my car (which is otherwise in great shape) and everyone was turned off by paint peeling off of the various knobs and dials. 3) Power Steering - Developed a leak at 65K miles. Too expensive to repair on my quickly depreciating car - no return on investment there, so just keep adding the $30/pint Audi fluid as need be. 4) Oil Use - uses about 1 US Quart of $8 synthetic oil every 4K miles. No matter what they say, this seems excessive. My Ford Explorer had 200K and used 1/3 of that. 5) Technology - Even in 2006, simple things like AUX jacks should be available. There is no way to connect a device other than Radio Frequency Module - which suck. My 2002 Corolla was better than that. 6) Navigation is ok, not great. Its so outdated and Audi wants you to pay $300+ for their map update CDs....residual income for them I guess. 7) Battery - The $180 battery that goes with this only makes it about 12-14 months then dies. Get a good one with a warranty since you will be using it A LOT. 8) And now for the 95,000 interval (I had to wait to 98,000...shame on me). Remember that the car has been factory serviced every 10K since 24K miles.... 8a) Windshield washer pump was shorted out $400 - had to fix this since its a safety item. 8b) windshield washer blades - there are no auto store or aftermarklets available. Audi must provide these @ $60. 8c) Oil and filter change @ $400. Up to $800 now. 8d) take a guess...bad battery $180 (I declined since mine is Autozone and under warranty). 8e) Motor mounts are bad (huh?) - $1300 - I declined. 8f) Adaptive headlight sensor error - must remove front end to check it $1200 (for a light that is still shining? LOL) - I declined. 8g) Rear brake light error - tech tried to check this but the lens covers were too brittle. New ones cost $1200 - again LOL - I declined. 8h) Front end bushings need replaced - $1800 - I declined. 8i) Oil leak noticed around timing and valve cover - $1500 - I declined. I stop them here. This $6,500 car is way past its service life at 98,000 miles. Didnt even make it to 100K - wow for a $65K automobile. I share my experience with the first person I see who I knew had a A3 with 50,000 miles on it. They just traded theirs in after their service call quoted them thousands of dollars in very similar repairs and failures. Different dealership, different auto groups so no suspicion there. I assume its just a fact that an Audi is disposable ($0 value) after 8-10 years or 50-90K miles. Well, I hear scrap metal is $3/100 pounds so there is that.....

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  What a dissapointment - 2015 Audi SQ5
  By Bart Andeer - December 23 - 5:37 pm

  If interested, you may want to read my reviews on the 2002 Audi S8 (massive engine failure despite excellent service history), 2014 Q5 TDI (Expensive Vibrator). I also have a 2008 S5 Coupe (so far, so good but its going soon). So, this review is not in a vacuum, but with some real Audi ownership experience. OK, cut to the chase - in Florida Lemon Law circus at present. It was disappointing with delivery of the car. The interior is made as cheaply as possible and it shows. This is not the el cheapo standard seating. Buzzers going off, alarms going off all the time. Sport Utility Vehicle. Well, utility is a joke. Doors lock when you dont want them to, alarms and warnings going off. Between Health & Safety and the accountants, the car is pathetic. Cant even turn the radio off without shutting off the Navigation. These are but annoyances really. The real joy began on a long road trip, right after the 5,000 mile service. About 300 miles into the trip the add oil light came on. Pulled off into a service station and could not find the oil dip stick. Called the dealer (Reeves of Tampa, of whom Ive been dealing with with the other Audis and Porsche and think highly of) and informed that they dont have dip sticks. Well, the upshot of the trip was that I would add maybe 1/3 of a quart every 500 miles. The day I got home I brought it in and they had it for about a week, said it was fixed and within 110 miles it was telling me to add oil again. They then had it for two weeks (Total 15 days for Lemon Law) and again the light came on. Now the purpose of the car is my commute to work, from Tampa, FL to outside New Orleans, LA. I cant be late looking for Audi dealers to see if I really need oil or not. So, I then started the Lemon Law process. Audi had 10 days to respond, but took 14 days. I took the car back to Reeve for the final repair attempt. They are allowed 10 days, but took 15 days. I was told it was fixed, but the lights are on again. The Better Business Bureau that one must go through stated today that Audi considers the car fixed. Funny, I just took it to the dealer again today to have them manually check the oil before my next road trip. Im totally disgusted with Audi Engineering (which seems to be run by accounting these days) and their customer support. I have not ever had anyone from Audi give a courtesy call and sincerely state that they are sorry for my situation. Rather, they just basically ignore the timelines set forth by the State of Florida. Now whether that is due to arrogance, incompetence or being understaffed (due to more accountant management) I cant say, but it is not very impressive what ever the case is. I requested that this be resolved by 23 December as I have to travel for business again, but that request was not acknowledged. "Truth in Engineering"??? maybe they should revise to "Truth is, its Value Engineering". Just a suggestion....

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  $55,000.00 Vibrator - 2014 Audi Q5
  By Bart Andeer - December 23 - 4:06 pm

  No, it will not be satisfactory for that either! Seriously, I traded my 2002 Audi S8 which had massive engine failure at 118,000 miles for a new 14 TDI. I commute from Tampa, FL to just beyond New Orleans, LA. I was looking for the ability to tow a small trailer, get good mileage and like all wheel drive. Seemed pretty good, but there was a huge catch. Vibration. There is something called vibration tolerance. It seems the longer a human is subjected to vibrations, the more aggravating the particular vibrations (generally low in frequency) become. Every trip I made (10 - 11 hours total trip time) I was feeling pretty bad upon completion, nauseous and jittery. Ive owned diesel cars before and have been a ship captain for many years. Im accustomed to diesels. Ive never had this issue before. This is not something that could come as a surprise to engineers. It is well known. I got the impression that accountants were running the engineering. Its called "Value Engineering". After being fully prepared to follow Florida Lemon Law, Audi corporate made be a generous offer to trade for a 2015 Audi SQ5. Most regrettably I accepted this offer. You may be interested in my review of the 2015 Audi SQ5 when posted. At present Im engaged with the Lemon Law process but suffice it to say Im more convinced at ever that Value Engineering is the single overriding "Truth" in their engineering.

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  Get a BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes or anything else! - 2011 Audi A5
  By Gavin Williams - November 28 - 3:59 pm

  I cant begin to say how much I regret my purchase. Shame on Audi for poor design, poor quality and essentially everything else besides styling. People will compliment the car all the time on the looks but thats all the car is good at. I drive a lot (20k per year) and I must say driving this car is miserable. On the commute in stop and go traffic the turbo lag and engagement is severe. The brakes are subpar and dont give a confident feeling like BMW does. The interior is a surplus of plastic and feels cheap. The iPod cable is in the passenger glove box and is horrible to use an you will forget your phone every time should you plug it in. The Sounds system is good but the base rattles every plastic piece. Wind noise is high on the freeway and the seats are uncomfortable. After owning BMW, Lexus, Jaguar and cadillac this will be my last Audi for sure. Very disappointed and cannot wait to get rid of it!

• 

  excessive oil consumption and many other problems - 2009 Audi A4
  By Christine Hoang - October 26 - 10:35 pm

  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR AT ALL !!! BUYER BEWARE !!! We first leased and bought a 2009 A4 car and it uses oil extensively. It did not even pass its first smog check and now the car is considered a total loss. The Audi dealer said that it will cost $14,000 to replace the WHOLE engine. We have tried many cars from the past from BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus and this is the worst car in our lives!!! I just read the class action lawsuit on this car extensive oil usage ... it is outrageous and we brought in the dealer twice and they did not warn us. I hope Audi this review and rectify their problem. This is unacceptable!!!

• 

  Save some money and buy a Jetta - 2009 Audi A4
  By Justin - October 13 - 1:40 am

  I have owned more cars than I can count. The Audi A4 was hands down the worst car I have ever owned. I bought the car with 40,000 miles on it. It was beautiful and drove great. As the 60,000 mile mark started to tick on the odometer, it started to fall apart. Every 1,000 miles the oil light would come on. I would take it in and the dealer said "add a quart of oil!" Thank you but is my car burning that much oil that I need to add a quart every 1000 miles or less? They offered to replace the turbos that "might" be the problem... Then the transmission problems started in. A very loud "clunk" every time you hit the gas pedal from a stop. Back to the dealer, "past the warranty, 7,000$, sorry, dont know what to tell you." Apparently the transmission slips into neutral when you stop and then clunks into "gear" (CVT transmission) when you hit the gas. It sounded and felt like the transmission was falling out everytime you stopped at a stop sign. It was embarrassing. It had to be driven like a manual and ease it in. Then the interior rattles started. It sounded like something was loose in the doors, every door. The kicker was when I started dating a girl that drove a 1 year newer Jetta. It was THE EXACT SAME CAR with the same features for way less money. She opted for the manual transmission so no tranny problems for her. The good things about the car is that it has comfortable seats and the interior design is comfortable, although, coating on the plastic will start peeling off so your interior will look 10 years old after 5 years. I had enough and traded it in. After 2 years of ownership I realized I could have bought a new car for cash with all the repairs and losses. The first thing the dealer asked when I traded it in and before he looked at the car was "Let me guess, Tranny or electrical?" Sums it up right there...

• 

  Waste of time and money - 2005 Audi A8
  By alexandr408@gmail.com - August 19 - 7:57 pm

  Yes its a luxurious car, awesome look/appearance, sound of V8 and exhaust are exciting. Interior specious but cargo space is smaller than chevy malibu. From day one vehicle shows to be a very time consuming burden. I can easily afford kep up of this expensive vehicle but no mater where you go not a single shop is happy to service this poorly built non sense. The vehicle is so unpopular that even dealer has no idea of occurring problems and how addressing the issue. Motor started to leak oil by 80k miles, my work vehicle chevy impala ith over 200k miles does not have a motor leak as of yet. Suspension went down due to front shock leaks. AC system had hose leak. Later sunroof began to stock. Interior: Privacy curtain has ripped, transmission shift cover broke in half, passenger seat leather ripped and was impossible to replace got it done though. All of the interior buttons peeled making car look very trashy got it replaced, later drop down mirrors in the back broke. By that time cost came over $13k on maintenance while value of the car went down by more than a half. Then I got tired of looking for a shops that would fix this so called car when dealer could not. Got rid of it and my life became a life again.

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  Worst car Ever!! - 2009 Audi A4
  By holms - January 1 - 6:35 pm

  Owning an Audi has been the worst experience ever!! Have owned it for 2.75 years now. Leased it after coming from a BMW I loved the free maintenance but this was an extra $800 for the Audi care package. I was able to negotiate it into the lease for no cost, so glad. My wife and I thought we got a great deal cuz we got all the bells and whistles for the same cost of a BMW base model. Well I hate driving this car and am so happy to give it back in 3 months. Audi service department sucks!!! You are nobody when you walk in. As soon as they see that I have Audi Care they start treating you better but they dont listen to you and dont call you when your car is done.

• 

  Bad decision - 2009 Audi Q7
  By rembo1 - March 25 - 2:59 pm

  Have driven LR3, X5 and Q7. Q7 just doesnt seem to be the same quality. Many problems - breaks wear out extremely quickly, rear lift gate problems (twice), MPG is not as advertised based on my calcs, nterior feels cramped, ergonomically uncomfortable. Teen kids keep asking when can we get a new SUV. We end up driving our BMW sedan to local ski resorts, beaches. Cant wait for lease to be over.