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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  Best Vehicle I Have Ever Owned - 2020 Audi S8
  By Khalil - December 9 - 11:30 am

  I have had my '20 S8 for a couple of months now and I can say hands down that this is the most satisfying vehicle I have ever owned. The worst part of the car is that it is very hard to keep it below the speed limit. The brute power in this vehicle is exhilarating. Interior- It is the most comfortable vehicle I have owned. The seats are supportive and very comfortable. The layout and design are great. My only gripe is the lack a storage compartments in the vehicle. Even less than my D4 A8. Oh, the compromises we make. Exterior- The styling is personal opinion, but I love it. Clean lines and beautiful exterior. I only wish they offered it in the short wheelbase for the US, since I am not hauling people around and prefer the better handling of the SWB. Performance- I can't say enough about how fun this car is to drive. It can blow most cars away, including many exotics. Audi has it rated at 3.8 0-60, but Car & Driver has it at 3.2. It is addictive. Reliability - Too new to say, but mine is a CPO and I purchased additional coverage to be safe. No issues so far, but when they do crop up, it surely won't be cheap.

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  Audi A3 magic! - 2011 Audi A3
  By jacob - January 5 - 6:38 pm

  The twin turbo and the exterior is just amazing.This is the best car with simplicity and class

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  Nice - 2018 Audi 4000
  By Dip - October 28 - 2:19 pm

  Ive driven a lot of cars over the years. This one is by far the best. One of best looking cars on road too. Ride is great, quiet, plenty of power in 4 cyl, and acceleration is just fine on hwy. Ive average 31 mpg city hwy. My job is sales, so dependability is key. I dont know what everyones complaints are about here, but Toyota still builds a top notch car. I love the blue color, sunroof, JBL stereo is awesome, tires are great and at 25,000 barely show any wear. This was by far the best car I could have bought for the money, at $400 under invoice.

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  expectation - 2017 Audi A3
  By jon adam - May 6 - 7:45 pm

  the maintenance will not be cheap but i love this car so far no issues bought used with 6100 miles

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  My bomber - 2004 Audi TT
  By Fred - January 7 - 6:45 pm

  Be aware of the dual clutch automatic needs regular (frequent) servicing at a dealer, the hydraulic shifting controller must be in top shape to prevent a jerky ride in traffic. On the interstate you wont notice.

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  my first audi - 2015 Audi A4
  By Hector - January 6 - 9:13 pm

  the maintenance will not be cheap but i love this car so far no issues bought used with 6100 miles

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  2008 Good commuter but definitely not a 3-series. - 2008 Audi A4
  By Iowa architect - January 4 - 11:45 am

  Bought 2008 Audi A4 2.0T AWD with 29K miles to replace a 2003 3-series that was starting to nickle and dime me to death the moonroof breaking and soggy floors (from the doors not moon roof) was the last straw. Bottom line is I appreciate the A4, but it lacks the getup and go of the 3-series, granted the 325xi BMW was a 3.0L-5 speed manual. I commute about 70 mi. per day mostly on the interstate, the A4 with sport suspension gives a decent ride and is extremely comfortable for a 35 minute commute with an aver. 24.7 MPG but it lags substantually off the line until you get to about 2500+ RPM, however, at hyway speeds it kicks into passing mode just fine and youll be going 90 before you know it. Ive driven it 6500 miles and havent had any maintenance issues yet however Ive broken the latch to the storage area in the armrest and broke the hook that holds the sun visor. Ive read these are common complaints I dont think Ive been overly hard on it. The A4 has been good for me by softening my somewhat agressive driving style. If your looking for a nice comfortable ride with some sportiness the A4 is right up your alley.

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  2011 Audi A5 is so so but fun - 2011 Audi A5
  By Jeff DeBiase jr - December 30 - 9:40 pm

  Overall the performance is decent. Acceleration is fun but only when the transmission is in the sport mode but the Quattro handling is on point 100% of the time. The trunk size is better than in the 3 series coupe but rear seating room is minimal and dont even try putting a rear facing car seat in if youd like to have a front passenger. The front seats are comfortable and plenty of leg room is provided. As far as the layout of the entertainment system, it could have been better thought out because it is confusing but the sound quality is great. Another HUGE negative is that you cannot play music through Bluetooth unless you get the $89 tunetoair device on Amazin. Overall the car is fun, comfortable and reliable.

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  surprisingly missing some standard stuff - 2015 Audi A3
  By Anthony K. - December 17 - 10:25 am

  Let me say right off that I love the car. Having owned 4 diesel VW Jettas previously, it was time to move up. A few small quibbles though: No heated seats??? Are you kidding? My last Jetta cost 14 grand less and had heated seats. And the big gripe: You cannot move the or extend the sun visors. In other words, if the sun is coming at you from the side and you position the the visor to your left while driving, there is a huge 7 inch gap, which cannot be blocked because the visor will not slide in or out. Again, even the cheaper Jetta could do that. Very annoying. Oh, and the GPS system is fairly useless, and will be expensive to update, and event which can only occur once per year???!!! Stick with Google maps. Other than that, the car is extremely solid, and very confidence inspiring while driving.

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  Budget Luxury! - 2007 Audi A4
  By Christopher - December 15 - 1:59 am

  Im rating this a 4.3 out of 5 Stars. This little car has been a joy since the day I bought it. I bought the car from ASE Auto inc in Studio City, CA earlier this month. The first thing I noticed about the car was how zippy and smooth it was. Everything seemed to be fine until I encountered a problem with reverse. I drive the automatic version of the car and they can develop some issues around 90-100k miles. The problem consisted of the car disengaging the gear if the RPMs went up too fast. (Almost as thought he car slips into Neutral). My mechanic spoke to Sam at ASE Auto and he is fixing it for free. Other than that, there have been no issues with the car. As some of the other reviews say, the car does burn oil. You may notice some blue smoke from the exhaust when you first start it but its nothing to be concerned about. I carry a quart of oil with me just in case and I top off the oil every 1000 miles or so. All problems aside, this car is nothing short of luxurious. Mine has wood trim that accents the dashboard, leather seats that have very good seat warmers, a steering wheel that feels great in my hand and a very smooth ride overall. The rear is a bit cramped with little leg room if the front seats are back more than half way and but the hatchback gives you a lot of cargo space. The cars technology is a bit dated but not obsolete. There is no aux jack or bluetooth but the sound system is just fine and the radio is very easy to use. The steering wheel also has a small dial that lets you raise and lower the volume with your right thumb and another one that lets you change the station with your left thumb. A big plus for me was not only Sport Mode but also Manual mode. The steering wheel has paddle shifters which are fun to use and good for keeping the car in a high gear when on a road trip (to save gas). There is a bit of a lag when using the paddles to change the gear but thats normal for a car of that age. Gas milage is not bad for a German V6. I average 16 city and 23 highway but the car does need Premium gas so shes an expensive date. She makes up for it in safety with a 9.6 out of 10 safety rating and airbags all around. The All-Wheel-Drive is also a bonus and keeps the car planted, even in very heavy rain. This car also shares many of its parts with Volkswagen so most parts will be very cheap. Overall, this car is definitely a good buy if you want a sporty and luxurious car thats safe, reliable and relatively cheap.