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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  Ride is great, MMI is TERRIBLE!!! - 2015 Audi Q5
  By Betsey Hurwitz-Schwab - August 10 - 3:07 pm

  Im coming up on a year with the Q5. I love the ride, it sits well, and handles well in the snow. Unfortunately, the MMI system that controls the navigation and entertainment is TERRIBLE!!!!! It is not intuitive, it is both on the steering wheel (IF you can figure out which dial to roll) and has a small joystick on the console. It is way too confusing, too distracting, there is no touch screen and overtime I try to use it I get frustrated. The book doesnt help at all because a lot of things arent in there or arent explained clearly. The system is so bad that it colors my entire feelings about the car.

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  Smoothest car - 2014 Audi A4
  By Seattle Car enthusiast - August 7 - 3:20 pm

  After owning a few BMWs and a Lexus, I was dead set on getting something cheaper. Walked into the dealer to buy a GTI and left with a 2014 A4 with the Black Optics package. First off - astounding looking car. Audi has come a long way from the bubbly design of early 2000s. Secondly, its the smoothest car Ive ever driven. Thats coming from someone who owned a 550, 135 and RX over the past decade. Its undoubtedly due to the higher torque at lower revs as well as amazing steering feel. One thing I wished: I think the car could do with a bit more power at the higher end (3-4k revs) but it doesnt necessarily need it for most Americans driving style. Overall, amazing car, buy it and dont worry about a thing.

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  Nice ride with a price - 2007 Audi Q7
  By Tanner - July 31 - 11:55 pm

  Buying an Audi you buy a very comfortable ride but wih that ride it comes with a price. Having owned a Q7 the ride quality was very nice but however it "nickeled and dimed me" however I wish they were just nickels instead of thousands and thousands in repair costs. Materials are very nice and easily accessible. The third row seat is tight but for kids its fine. The styling of the exterior is what I believe to be one of the best looking SUV on the market.

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  Spectacular car, not cheap though. - 2008 Audi S6
  By C.J.S. - July 31 - 1:37 am

  Dont kid yourself, this car gets expensive fast, expect no more than 17mpg unless you do a ton of highway miles. Cheap repairs are 2k+ a set of tires is easily 1800. It really should be babied to keep up appearance and performance, plan for 400+/mo. If none of that makes you cringe, then I highly recommend it. It will keep pace with if not outright decimate most cars out there, and happily put domestic upstarts to shame, while looking so much classier doing so. It handles beautifully, even performs drifts well, especially for a heavy luxury sedan. Every day with this car is a treat, it makes every mile so much more fun than my 08 S4. The onboard tech is very impressive, and for someone with back problems, its extremely comfortable, even on very long drives (8+hrs). If youre considering this car and have the desire to spend the money on it that it deserves, just do it. Anyone who says the 3L turbo A6 is comparable is simply wrong. This is an entirely different beast.

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  Audi A4 Wagon, great car but is an oilaholic! - 2010 Audi A4
  By David TW - July 30 - 10:12 am

  I love my 2010 Audi A4 Avant, its the third Audi Ive owned but it slurps down oil at an average rate of a Qt every 670 miles. My previous cars which included two Audis (a 2004 S4 Avant and an 2007 AllRoad V8 never needed the hood opening between services. That is true for the four BMWs (three 7 series and a 535 xi wagon). Its just not right. My dealer Audi of Fairfield County tells me the consumption is within range but we all know thats a sham. Audi agreed to settle a lawsuit last year where they agreed to replace the crankcase pressure regulating valve. front crankshaft seal and front crankshaft bolt, they will also update the engine control module control software to match the new parts, all free of charge. I intend to take this up with them next week. I really love this car and hope this can be resolved or it will be time to move on. I will keep you posted

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  NOT COOL IN THE DESERT!! - 2015 Audi Q5
  By Rick Delzer - July 28 - 11:46 pm

  The sunroof is so hot. The shade doesnt stop the heat from your head and the AC does not cool the cab to comfort. Bad AC!! Shame on you Audi. I expected better for what we paid.

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  Fantastic Daily driver - 2008 Audi S5
  By Frank V - July 25 - 5:48 pm

  Great car, it is comfortable in every way, super quiet, great reliability, AWD comfort, sexy looks, and feels like you get your money worth. I drove several BMWs before going with this car and even the 2013 BMWs didnt feel like it was worth the money. I got in this car and i immediately felt like it was in a class above the BMWs. You feel sexy getting in it and I have had it for 8 months and it still gives me the same feeling. I have the 6 speed manual and I love it. Only thing I would like to mention is if you are a purist and love to feel connected to the road then this isnt the car for you. This coupe is not a sports car but more of a luxury touring car.

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  You get a leaky roof with an Audi Convertible??? - 2015 Audi A3
  By Cookies Audi - July 25 - 4:58 pm

  My A3 has been in the shop a total of 3 visits / 30 days. One visit was never recorded with Audi after 7 days of trying to trouble shoot and duplicate the leaking, which they never did get to leak....supposedly. Took it in twice to a dealer with it physically and they still said I was imagining things. REALLY DISAPPOINTING AND VERY FRUSTRATING after I had such high expectations of buying a luxury European car such as Audi AND FOR THE PRICE. The convertible button is located on the lower console but my puppy (45 pounds) steps on it, it starts rolling up. One other time he stepped on the power button and the doors locked with my key fob sitting on my seat, he stepped on the lock button on the key fob....glad the windows were down partially and I could reach my key. Lesson learned there and really pretty stupid of me to leave my puppy in the car to talk to the mailman, but thought they might make it a bit harder than that to lock yourself out. Surprised the key fob isnt deactivated if detected in the car. Pinch protection on the windows was not working, one day I went to my car after it poured rain for 3 hours and drivers window was down 1/3 of the way and the interior door, seat and floor were soaked. This happened with the passenger rear window as well. The Audi connect never stayed connected, had to go through a big process every time I tried to use it and log in again and again, with a pin and other annoying login criteria, it was only a 3 month trial. After that you pay $500/year for the service and as far as I could tell, you only received a satellite image of the navigation, which for that price I am ok with 3D. Navigation seems really outdated even with the most current version....supposedly. The one thing good about my car is the ride. I do enjoy the handling and peppy pick up, VERY SLOW acceleration which they say because it has a clutch system, which I thought would be instant. Probably should have saved myself $20k and bought a Beetle convertible - same options and details since they are made by the same company. The convertible is lumpy and creases easily. Large amount of road noise which I believe is associated with the top leaking since it is not sealing properly. The Quattro is very nice in the winter. Glitchy annoyances like after closing convertible it turns my heater on full blast and its 90 degrees out. If you switch from radio screen to navigation it goes to radio stations in the area not the presets that it was on so you have to switch back and hit the preset button again. I could go on and on......I would pass if I were you!!

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  Love my A4, great value - 2012 Audi A4
  By Michael - July 25 - 10:00 am

  This car is a great value. I bought it certified pre owned which I dont regret at all. Wonderful warranty come with it, maintenance included for some mileage intervals. The ride on this car is the best of any car I have had, I couldnt imagine a smoother ride at this price point! I like the navigation screen and map, but the screen could be bigger. Infiniti Q50 has the perfect screen size, get the queue from them! Trunk is huge, I love the way the trunk pops open when you hit the switch or button, if you have your hands full its wonderful. There are hooks in the trunk ceiling for shopping bags so they dont fly around (genius!), both back seats fold down. The Bang & Olufsen stereo is top notch, clear and awesome sound, better than the Bose with Infiniti. I dont like that the car doesnt connect Bluetooth for music on your phone, that is such an easy add for a car company, the connector for the phone to play music is in the glovebox, very odd, and you cant have both that and the headphone connector in the armrest for music. Audi, fix this! I do like the CVT transmission, very smooth ride but it seems to have play in it when taking off sometimes, they cant find anything wrong but its something to get used to, if they even make this trans anymore. I LOVE the led running lights, has to be my favorite feature! Looks awesome driving, and its the last year with the individual dot lights before they made the continuous line light, just my preference. The gas mileage is amazing, I get almost 30 mpg with almost all city driving. Freeway driving takes it over 30. With the turbo you cant tell you are driving a 4 cylinder, I cant stress how I hated a 4 cylinder before, but with this car I love it Pros: gas mileage, smooth ride, solid feel, very stylish, big trunk Cons: no Bluetooth music feature, small navigation screen

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  My dream(affordable) car - 2004 Audi A4
  By Slava - July 23 - 1:19 am

  Ive owned this car for about 3 years and have driven it personally for about a year so far(my mother was driving it before me) the interior is great looking but the material that covers the buttons is crap and supper cheap. The car handles very nicely and sounds great for a bone stock car. In terms of reliability, ive had only little things break like the glove box hinges and window regulator but WOW was it expensive-400$ for a window regulator. that includes the labor aswell. The sound system is great 10 spkrs all around and it comes with a sub built in if you get it with Bose. Ive added 19in rs4 rims and man o man does it look nice. performance wise is a great cruiser but not that fast, like 0-60 7-8 ish seconds. a full tank costs about 60 and youll be looking at 250-320 miles range. The only thing I hate about this car is the steering wheel, I cant really find a comfortable way of holding it since the stereo controls or in the sides but other than that great and car and I would consider buying another one. newer model of course.