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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  Fun car, but more rattles than a maraca - 2001 Audi TT
  By BillinCO - October 6 - 2:00 am

  I loved, absolutely loved my Audi TT. Great ride, handled beautifully, absolutely WONDERFUL performance with the 225 HP 1.8T - I never had a moment where I wished the car had MORE power. Grip was wonderful in the snow, the interior design was absolutely classic. However, I eventually had to sell it due to just too many recurring rattles that made it feel like you were driving a vehicle much cheaper than you were.

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  Fun car, but expensive maintenance - 2002 Audi Allroad Quattro
  By wjc - October 4 - 8:10 pm

  A really fun car to drive and very convenient for all activities. I can put my bike or kayak on the roof rack, and even slide my bike in the back with the seat down. Great options, love the back-up beeper, heated seats, etc. My only issues are the less than stellar gas mileage, especially when using premium gas (pricey) and maintenance and repairs are VERY pricey once the 50K warranty and maintenance plans expire.

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  Youve heard it before - 1998 Audi A4
  By Drew M - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car used a couple of years back. It was a great car, without any problems for about 8 months. Since then, it pretty much lines up with the things said in other reviews. Be prepared to pay to keep it moving! It is going back into the shop today (just got it back 2 weeks ago) and will probably be sold after that.

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  Audi walks away from a LEMON - 2003 Audi A4
  By Gilly Sr. - September 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned it for 14 months and its been out of my posession for 47 days for mechanical rasons. 38 days for ignition coil(s) problems, 4 days to replace a faulty catalytic convertor and most recently, 5 days to replace a failed fan regulator module. Audi customer service takes a week to call me back to tell me theyve decided to continue to service the car under the terms of warranty. I gotta a lemon folks and Audi doesnt want to make it right. Now its my lawyers turn.

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  Phone Issues - 2004 Audi A8
  By BM - September 19 - 2:00 am

  As a previous BMW 745il owner I have a good idea for the cars differences. The A8l is a good car comparatively from a performance point of view to the BMW and a hands down winner from a looks , both in and out, point of view.

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  Love hate relationship - 1999 Audi A4
  By Laker - September 18 - 2:00 am

  You cant find a more satisfying car on the road. Exceptional handling, great for long trips on the freeway, and nice looks.

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  Result of my shopping - 2000 Audi A6
  By Alien - September 12 - 2:00 am

  Great breaking. Outstanding internal material quality. Nice strong engine, but it doesnt live up to Mitsu 3000GT Turbo I once had. Very well designed trunk (lotsa space). Smooth yet tight ride after 55K. It runs better than my dads brand-new Volvo. Had to replace tiptronik electro plate for $800. Wish I didnt have to deal with a dealer (waiting list was 3 weeks). Chose the car over BMW, Acura, Infin, and Lexus GS300 (came closest but not good enough).

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  not so overwhelmed - 2001 Audi A4
  By shidinger - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I think part of the problem is that i had built this car up in my head during the 4 month period i was waiting to receive delivery of it. the 1.8t, although peppy required a chip to satisfy me. my older vr6 put a much bigger grin on my face. other than that. the car has really loosed up quite a bit. which is very disappointing for a $32,000 car with all the tricks and german engineering.

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  50,000 miles, sell it! 80,000 but it. - 1997 Audi A6
  By SEH - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Take a look in the paper, selling any german vehicle. They are all at of near 50,000. Many past owners have figured this out, These cars fall apart at this mileage. Once they are fixed They are great cars again for another 50-100k. Typical issues cooling problems (really bad), transmission leaks and weird electrical bugs. After $1,500 in repairs we are good to go for another 50k. Dont take your car to Audi, for repairs after the warranty runs out. They will make you want to sell the car after you get the bills.

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  carl - 1999 Audi A6
  By thompso11 - August 21 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car used with 52k, looks great, love the interior, but poor reliability. Within the last 10 months I have had a transmission leak ($320), engine oil leaks ($1,000), cruise control module ($525), transmission relay ($520) and the digital display is fading. I plan on trading it in next week on a Nissan.