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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  Maintain it and it will run excellent - 2001 Audi A4
  By nvaudi - May 5 - 1:11 pm

  I purchased a 2001 1.8 avant from the original owner who maintained it very well. I have all the prior service records and I keep mine. As long as you maintain this vehicle it will run very well or you. If you want to abuse it then buy a toyota or some other tin can like vehicle. Yes a sube wrx is faster but the doors clink when you shut them as they are no where need as solid as an audi. I have owed several subes and 2 audis an A6 and this A4 (116,00 and counting). I have had maintenance that I have had to take to the shop and some I do myself. Sube copied the awd system. Those who provide poor reviews did not maintain their vehicle properly.

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  Power and efficiency - 2014 Audi Q5
  By glowplug - April 22 - 10:46 am

  Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus, Scuba Blue/Chestnut interior with ash inlays. Car had to be ordered and delivery took 82 days which felt like an eternity. The engine response is very good, but like the articles there is a very slight lag. It has no affect on any real world merge or passing situation I’ve encountered. The first 350 miles have been about 100 miles in town and 250 miles on an Interstate Highway road trip (70 mph). The in town mileage was around 24 mpg and overall for the 350 miles it was 31.4 mpg. Uses auto-shutdown but the start-up is very fast so there is no issue about keeping people waiting behind you. This function can be turned off from the dash.

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  Excellent Drivers Car - 2014 Audi S4
  By andre1966 - April 17 - 7:56 am

  I am now on my third Audi and my current S4 is certainly the best. I test drove all models excluding A8 (cant afford it anyway) and S4 drives the best. Especially in its Sport mode - what a thrill! You can make it a normal commute car and join thousands of other generics on the highway during rush hours. But you can put in more aggressive mode and enjoy a proper sports car at a press of a button (well several buttons anyway). Brilliant design, excellent engineering and great execution.

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  Subaru Forester to Audi Q5 - 2014 Audi Q5
  By kenwstlkvlgca - April 13 - 3:08 pm

  I was impressed and planned to upgrade to the top model 14 Subaru Forester XT after driving my 02 Forester for the past 12 yrs but after test driving the Audi Q5, the overall quality, detail, and refinement of Audi completely ruined the XT for me! For comparison the XT has more power (250 hp), better fuel economy (avg 25 mpg), greater cargo space (~75 cu ft), and costs ~$5000 less. No matter you can feel the superior quality and craftsmanship in material, workmanship, and engineering in every detail and step of the gas pedal in the Audi. I love the quick acceleration in Sport mode and the refined executive styling and boss 18" wheels! I look fwd to and enjoy driving it each and every day!

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  2.0 Quattro plenty of power. - 2014 Audi A6
  By gltrans1 - March 29 - 8:07 pm

  This is my 3rd A6. I had a 2008 3.2 and then a 2011 3.0. This time I had to decide whether to spend the extra money to stay with the 3.0 engine or drop down to the 2.0. After test driving the 2.0 on local roads and the interstate highway I determined that it had plenty of power for my driving style. My commute to work is only 10 minutes each day and my highway driving is pretty much limited to visiting my kids at college. Power accelerating onto the highway was great and going up hills locally was fine. Transmission shifts very smoothly. I saved a lot of money dropping down to the 2.0 while maintaining all the other great Audi features that I had in my prior two A6s.

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  Art of Wheels - 2014 Audi Q5
  By jcollum68 - March 29 - 5:01 pm

  We looked at a RX350, RDX, X3, SRX. This is the runaway winner. Great timeless design, wonderful interior design and material quality, great step in height and the list goes on. Bought this after owning a 2012 ML350. My wife is 5 foot and ML350 step in height too high. She loves this vehicle, great for a shorter person, perfect size. Have all options on ours except 19 inch wheels. Wish it had power tilt/telescoping wheel, probably only missing options. Very thoughtfully designed, seems overpriced but the devil is in the details. It was worth $8000 more than the RDX after sitting in both back to back. Have had it for a months and we love it, still like my BMW 550 more though!

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  Audi Q5 TDI - Better mileage than advertised - 2014 Audi Q5
  By darioa - March 24 - 11:42 pm

  My new Audi Q5 TDI has a little over 1700 miles. Ive been very careful during the break-in period, which happened during extreme cold temperatures and much snow and ice on the roads for a few weeks in February. The car would start flawlessly every time even at temperatures of -20 F in the mountains of Colorado. Ive averaged 25.5 mpg in the city during cold weather and snowy roads. On a 180 mile round trip from Winter Park to Steamboat Springs, where you start at 8800 ft, go down to 7000, then up to almost 11,000 ft and then down to 6,800 ft I averaged 35 mpg with 5 people in the car, skis on the roof and a fully loaded trunk. From Boulder to Colorado Springs and back I averaged 41.5 MPG.

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  great larger vehicle, large maintenance expenses - 2007 Audi Q7
  By cosicoop5 - March 1 - 9:13 am

  I have had my Q7 for 7 years and have loved it. For a family of 5 it has been a great traveling car and very comfortable and convenient for every day carpooling and use. No major problems popped up along the way, just the usual...squeaking breaks, break replacement a few times, tire replacement 3 times and cracking in the drivers seat base (3 inches long). Check-ups and other service visits seem to be over $500 a piece, but overall the car has been wonderful to have, reliable and comfortable. I would like another Q7, but dont want to spend the money. May consider a smaller Audi model but not convinced I want to pay the hefty service fees with kids going to college. Overall very happy.

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  Fantastic Car - 2006 Audi A4
  By antonioa4 - February 22 - 12:59 pm

  Ive had my 2006 A4 for about a year now and it runs like a champ. Had 85k on the odometer and since Ive put another 15k this year. The car is great in every way. It looks great, classy, good performance for a sedan, and very comfy. Also the car its self is very reliable BUT I feel that many previous owners will not take good care of the car. These cars are very picky and need premium fuel, synthetic oil changes, etc. Before you buy make sure the previous owner took care of the car because maintenance and repair costs do add up. This year alone Ive spent about $1500 in maintenance including, transmission fluid, tune up, brakes, fuel cleaning, new turbo etc. But all in all great car!

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  A great car for the upper midwest - 2013 Audi A6
  By nytterbo - February 19 - 3:50 pm

  I had looked at the Mercedes E Class, BMW 5 Series and the Lexus GS. I thought the Audi drove and handled better and although a personal opinion, I liked the exterior and interior styling better than the other cars. I previously had a 2009 Audi A6 3.2 Quatro and I was planning on buying another 6 cylinder car. However, I was very surprised with the power of the 4 cylinder turbo and its lack of NHV, so I bought a car with that engine in Quatro trim. I have not regretted buying the 4 cylinder car and found it to be more than adequate for my typical driving style and commute. Also, when I let friends drive the car, they are surprised it is not a 6 cylinder.