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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  Ok car, but Ok at $50k doesnt make the cut - 2015 Audi Q7
  By Jonathan Held - October 4 - 8:46 pm

  Where to begin with this car? The biggest problem is that the controls, for the most part, just make no sense. Lets take safety - all other modern vehicles with front sensors alert you when parking. With this car, you have to enable the feature (or go into reverse first) before the system becomes active. Thats not just non-intuitive, but just downright dumb. As for the side assist, make a turn when a car is next to you and nothing will register. The side assist is only blind spot assist, and there are strict parameters where this function only works. This is junk - the truth in engineering is that you help the driver and take the risk out of driving by adding modern technology, not that you take technology and make it not work the way it should. Other controls are not intuitive either - from AC to the pain of having to use the wheel to enter an address for navigation. Interior looks nice, but functionality and design are fighting each other. Lexus and Infinity vehicles have much better fit and finish to them and are intuitive and easy to use.

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  stay away - 2006 Audi A4
  By jei - October 1 - 10:53 pm

  2006 a4 cabrio s line. this car suck .. its not reliable at all . I have 95000 miles on it and every 2 months something break or stop working . the parts are crazy expensive. the material that the interior is made of are cheap and dont last at all. the car feels cheap all over .. my 2000 bmw with 180000 miles had way way way less problems than the audi and still going strong . I really regret buying audi.

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  MPG or GPM????? - 2007 Audi A8
  By John Ebin - September 22 - 12:39 pm

  19 MPG advertised for City Driving but now with 2000 miles getting 10-12MPG. What a Scam!!!! Now see what VW has done with emissions . Did they do the same with MPG???????

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  Audi vs BMW - 2015 Audi A3
  By DogDays - August 16 - 10:15 am

  I turned in my leased BMW for an Audi and am not sure I may the right decision. Went with Audi because of the advertised MPG and its sportiness. I definitely DO NOT get the advertised MPG- I am getting about 28mpg for LA highway/traffic driving. The biggest headache (esp if you surf) is that the Audi does not come with any type of emergency, valet or plastic key. Instead all you get is 2 gigantic fobs. If you surf, you are SOL. Ive called Audi, Ive called the dealership and many locksmiths and for some unknown, illogical reason Audi USA has opted to not make an emergency key. This is a huge inconvenience. You can take the key apart but if you lease, youll be responsible for returning 2 functioning keys. Bottom line is that I wish I stuck with BMW!

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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 and hate, go hand in hand for this car. - 2004 Audi A4
  By Matt B - July 12 - 1:02 am

  You really have to be passionate about owning this car. Like, to a point where fixing it as almost your priority. There is something constantly wrong with this car. Sunroof leak... ruins the headliner... also to a point where water will ruin the amp.... suspension issues with the control arm bushings not lasting, J-plug cracking and leaking coolant... and putting plastic just where it doesnt belong, window electronics crap out too. Its almost not worth the premium price brand new if you think about it. There is always something wrong with this car. It was probably best to lease this car when it was brand new... dont get this car used... there is a reason why you dont see so many of these cars on the road. And as far and repairing this car... parts are expensive and what crawl space do you have to work with. You have to remove so many excess things just to get to what you need. I loved this car, but it was such a hassle.

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  Brakes Screech known issue with no resolution - 2015 Audi Q5
  By bad103 - June 27 - 2:07 am

  The brakes have been screeching since 5,000 miles. Called Audi Care and representative said it is a known issue with no remedy. I will never buy or lease another Audi. Horrible product and response from Audi. I cannot wait for my lease to ends. Do not purchase or lease this vehicle.

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  Read before you buy - 2014 Audi S4
  By scratchgolfer2 - June 10 - 2:58 pm

  I bought this car new last year, for the first year I loved the car, every aspect of it with small somewhat irritating problems. Wind blowing throw the windows on the highway right off the lot will drive you insane if you are listening to talk radio. My S4 came with the Upgraded Summer Tire package with the Continental Conti Contact 3s. These are the Worst tires in the world, the tread pattern wore out "unusually" after 7K miles, seriously...That is a like 2k option, what a waste, if you car has these tires make them change them before you buy.

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  Horrible experience with Audi A3 Cabriolet - 2015 Audi A3
  By sairamkumar - June 4 - 8:10 pm

  I leased a new 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet from Audi Palo Alto in October. A few weeks back as the car was climbing a hill enroute to Lombard street in San Francisco in Traffic, it started slipping backwards and refused to accelerate upwards. The cars behind me naturally honked and drivers were mad at my car not only blocking traffic but slipping backwards. When I switched off the car and tried restarting it would not start for 10 min. After 10 min, it started again and went up 100 feet and again slipped backwards. Somehow after an hour long traumatic experience, I got out of the hill. Following this, I had a horrible experience with the service team at Audi Palo Alto too...

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  Audi Q5 - 6 month review - 2015 Audi Q5
  By audiexperience - May 24 - 9:23 am

  - Tires: 3 flat tires in 6 months when I have never had a flat prior. No full size space. OEM tires already discontinued after 6 months. I now have one tire that does not match and Audi has said I need to replace all the tires if I want them to match although Audi does not recommend driving with tires that do not match. Audi customer service (awful!) said it would not replace the tires, then said it would (I have a voicemail), then said it would not..... - Actual highway MPG has been 22-23 versus posted 28. I care about vehicle range hence why this matters for me. - Rattling in the winter. Constant rattles that went away when temperatures warmed up.