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:

• 

  Gotta Get One - 1997 Audi A6
  By Ron Kirk - March 26 - 12:25 pm

  I was lucky to find this car(2.8L Quattro), I brought it with 215,000miles on it. Had to replace the engine($1500). Now it runs like a champ. I baby it, but if you see me at a red light, she can get up. Its an over all great car performance and comfort wise. Gas mileage can be better but its still overall a great car to own. So if you dont have one "YOU NEED TO GET LIKE ME"

• 

  Perfect combination ... - 2003 Audi A4
  By peterr - March 26 - 8:28 am

  I have owned several convertibles from Triumphs to Mercedes, I have never had one as perfect as the Audi A4 Cabrio. Imagine a car that treats you well when cruising the boulevard and at the same time lets you throw it into a corner at heart pounding speeds. A car that handles like a sports car but lets you take 3 friends along for the ride. Ar car that makes your 10 wife look like an 11 and gets you all the looks you need. PERFECT.

• 

  Cant Get Much Better! - 2009 Audi Q5
  By Jay Norton - March 26 - 12:03 am

  This isn’t going to be your typical car review. This one is taking on a new twist, it’s from the front passengers viewpoint. MS took driving away from me 19 years ago, but I’m still more than able to be the judge of a vehicles stature and quality. Back in 2001 I purchased an Audi Allroad. It was an exceptional car, and always a “head-turner”. We recently traded it in on a 2009 Q5, and so far we have no regrets. The quality, detail and build is typical Audi…"First-Class". Front seaters well over 6 ft in height have plenty of leg/headroom to spare. The 270hp V6 has enough punch to easily set you back in your seat. The shifting is very smooth and so is the ride. The Q5 also turns heads.

• 

  Love to Drive my A6 - 2000 Audi A6
  By mrstros - March 24 - 4:27 pm

  Purchased my A6 at 46K and it now has 112K miles. Everyone time I get in to drive it feels like a brand new car. The worse the weather the better it feels to drive. I truly love this car. Had only one big problem when interior flooded when cowl drain plugged. Great mileage as it averages 22 mpg when driven daily with AWD. Very well engineered.

• 

  5 years of A4 3.0 AWD - 2004 Audi A4
  By roadman - March 23 - 11:45 am

  Excellent car overall. The original tires Pirrelli 4 season are problems. Had side wall bubbles on all 4. Car has been to the garage only for maintenance and to replace the headlight washer cover which fell off twice. 85,000 miles so far. Also problem with wheels, they tend to hit the curbs when parallel parking due to the curve of the wheel they stick out from the tire. They get scrapped easily. Everything else is awesome, Id buy another.

• 

  Learned some things - 2001 Audi Allroad Quattro
  By lives in car - March 23 - 12:43 am

  Bought car used while still under Audi warranty. 110,000 miles on the car now, and no squeaks or rattles. The car isnt as reliable as older Audis Ive owned, but more reliable than some cars. Wears tires quickly (a trait of AWD cars) but fat, sticky rubber isnt supposed to last. It is a car that looks like it belongs in a most affluent customers driveway. Positive comments from everyone from airport valet to Samoan tuner/racers to a Porsche racing equipment vendor. It isnt an economy car, but will comfortably run rings around "sport" SUVs while getting far better mileage than they will. The Swiss Army knife of cars.

• 

  I like going to work, now - 2009 Audi A5
  By Laura - March 22 - 6:34 pm

  The body of this car is by far the best looking on the road today. And Deep Sea Blue is the most beautiful color I’ve seen. In the shade it looks black, but in the sunlight it’s a gorgeous three dimensional metallic shade of dark blue. I think the darker colors bring out the lines better than the lighter ones, but I’ve read other reviews that say the opposite. The conclusion: the car has awesome lines regardless of color. The MMI isn’t as confusing as some reviews say however, most actions are a two-step process. It’s a little more work, but there are SO many options for comfort, information, entertainment, etc. If you’re considering this car, go drive one, you’ll love it.

• 

  Beware the 2003 Audi A4 4WD - 2003 Audi A4
  By Lydia Bernstein - March 20 - 10:28 pm

  I purchased 2 2003 Audi A4s at the same time. Just as the warranty expired, similar defects appeared in both cars. In just over two years, almost everything has gone wrong with both cars. They are both lemons. The Audi dealership we went to charged me almost $3K for 2 visits in which they couldnt diagnose the problem. The turbo exploded 2 weeks ago in one of them and damaged the engine in the process. Both cars are a money pit, and I am attempted to dump both & absorb the loss. Audi corporate apologized for my frustration & loss & asked if there was anything else they could do today. DONT BUY THESE CARS!!!!

• 

  AUDI 5000? - 2002 Audi A6
  By JOHN ISHNER - March 20 - 9:00 pm

  THIS CAR HAS COME A LONG WAYS FROM THE OLD SELF STARTER 5000S. LOVE THIS CAR. JUST TRADED MY 2000 528 FOR THIS WINNER. HAPPY WITH THE OVERALL PRICE/VALUE COMPARED TO THE BAVARIAN MINT. THE 2.7T IS MUCH FASTER THAN I THOUGHT AND THE COMFORT LEVEL OF RIDE IS ON PAR WITH MY WIFES LEXUS. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 3 YEARS!

• 

  Everything you want in a 6M sport sedan - 2014 Audi S4
  By jeff - March 18 - 12:47 pm

  If you are looking for well engineered sport sedan, super fun to drive, classy not flashy, comfortable, and, most importantly for me, with a 6M, this is your car. Let me just get the transmission issue out of the way right now. I dont know why people would get an automatic in a car like the S4. Youre buying a Camry, Impala, or whatever, sure, go with an automatic, who cares, but an Audi with V6 supercharged engine? The whole point of a car like the S4 is to have some fun, but then you get an automatic with it and youre saying, "actually, I want to reduce the fun I have with this car." What? Anyway, whatever, just my bias. Okay, to the car itself -- what a marvelous vehicle. I did a lot of research on cars in this range, test drove a few, and knew this was the one I wanted. It took me nearly a year to find a used one in the right color (grey), black optic package (just for the wheels, dont care about extras), with the 6M, and the right price, but when I found it online, I jumped and bought it used with 12K miles and hope to keep it a long time. Engine and transmission: fantastic, best transmission Ive ever driven, engine sounds great, power is there all day long at whatever speed you want. Spectacular. Some people (mainly auto critics) complain about not enough "feedback" from the steering. I dont know any better and the steering feels great to me. This car sticks to the road. I put Conti ExtremeContact DWS on a few months ago. They are not quite as sticky as the summer tires that were on, but the very marginal loss of performance in turns is more than offset by the superb all weather capability. With the Contis and quattro, I am ready for any ice and snow or rain. Interior and exterior are beautiful, not flashy, very sophisticated. Thats what I wanted. If you want to show off, get some attention, you may need to look at another car. Tech: these are my only nits. As noted in reviews, the MMI control knob spins in a non-intuitive direction. Why? I have no idea. The MMI interface is good, not great, but good. Love the dash display, all the options. Climate control is my least favorite feature. It works, but it is too complicated, too many buttons. I am still not 100% positive what I am ending up with when I make certain adjustments. I can live with it. The S4 comes with so many other helpful electronic features that I highly recommend you go through the manual page by page to make sure you are aware of them all. (For example, you can set the passenger side mirror to tilt down when you back up. Never would have known that.) You can adjust suspension, engine sound, etc. In sum, this is a wonderful car. There are other possibilities in this price/performance range, but I cant imagine anyone ever regretting the S4. (especially with the 6M transmission!)