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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  Quality control needs improvement - 2002 Audi A4
  By rdl - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Replaced a 99.5 2.8 fwd a4 with the 2002 3.0 quattro. In all respects, from an engineering and driving standpoint, a better, more fun to drive car. But at delivery, and in the first few weeks, a number of quality control problems appeared, e.g. gritty paint, heated mirrors dont work, quirky climate control, sunroof rattle, defective key fob, faulty back seat latch, etc. Does not seem the car was properly checked before being shipped.

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  Fun, disappointing reliability - 2001 Audi TT
  By Airspeed - March 19 - 4:38 pm

  Fun to drive, handles nicely. But problems problem problems. Too cost conscious in engineering - will never buy Audi again. Stuff that should not happen at below 35,000 miles, and dont happen to my Benz with 120,000 miles! Too many problems to list - bearings, turbo, brake disks, joint boots, instrument panel, rain leaks frying electronics, O2 sensor, all at less than 35k miles! And Im told by one of my mechanics its one of the less troublesome recent Audis!

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  Looking for comfortable seats? - 2008 Audi A3
  By Seattle - March 18 - 8:00 pm

  I love this car. Really fun to drive, sticks like glue to curves, great visibility, sporty but comfortable driving experience. I test drove a lot of small cars before deciding on this one, and preferred it to the A4.

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  A stupid car - but in a fun way - 2008 Audi S5
  By VKG - March 17 - 10:07 pm

  I live in the Chicago area so my initial concerns were: a) what do I do if it snows and b) the gas mileage aint pretty. As for the snow - of which we saw a near record amount this year - the S5 drives exceptionally well. I dumped the summer performance tires within hours of picking up the car replacing them with high performance all seasons. The cars power is so easy that driving slow in rough conditions is easy. The gas mileage is terrible.

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  Audi 2005 A6 - 2005 Audi A6
  By pjoy - March 17 - 5:40 pm

  Great build quality, looks, and performance for a midsize sedan.

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  Amazing and Costly - 1999 Audi A4
  By KScrib - March 16 - 5:35 pm

  The 1999 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro sedan is a great great car. Ive never owned a car that is so much fun to drive. It is everything anyone would want. Its comfortable, fast, sporty, luxury, and capable. Its an all around great car and I will always own an Audi. The two draw backs are poor fuel economy and premium fuel only. This is a huge expense and maintenance is really expensive. It is well worth the price. The car is now 8 year old with 110,000 miles and shows no rust, no signs of getting old, and runs like a champ. I tell my friends its a 99 and they say it looks brand new. Great car. A++

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  Buying 2 more - 2004 Audi A4
  By AudiLover - March 16 - 12:06 pm

  I cannot tell you how much I love this car. Coming from a previous Chevy Tahoe, this car is ridiculously built better and the mpg I get is 30 in town and around 35 on hwy. I love the top, mines white body with blue top. I was warned about the maintenance and labor cost for German cars, theyre not any higher than a Tahoe to maintain and you save on gas too. I have 64k on mine and its never given me one complaint, just oil changes and regular service. My husbands also getting one to get rid on the truck 15mpg.

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  Awesome car - 2008 Audi A3
  By david - March 15 - 1:02 pm

  This is an awesome car and fun to drive. Would recommend this over 3 series any day. Shifting is really smooth and the acceleration is great, got upgraded stereo and S-line package and I feel it was worth the money... stiffer seats/suspension. Heated seats work great and the AC cools down nice and quickly.

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  2007 Audi After 1 year and 11,500 Miles - 2007 Audi A6
  By Derry - March 10 - 8:41 pm

  Took delivery Jan 28, 07. Car was delivered spiffy clean and sparkling. So far, no serious defects of any kind - rather amazing in a complex machine. Only a few minor complaints: front cupholders could use redesign - one is under the armrest, which needs to be lifted to use cupholder. Windshield wiper moisture sensors work but not precisely enough - you need to "help" them along sometimes. Occasionally, there is a very slight hesitation when starting up from idle - seems to have lessened as time goes by - maybe I am getting used to it?? Very slight rattle in glove box door- needs adjustment?. Thats IT!! This is a "serious" car - took fanatical attention to detail to build. Fun to drive.

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  Its an amazing ride - 2008 Audi A5
  By Nelson - March 10 - 4:24 pm

  With fuel prices the way they are, I just couldnt see living with the low mileage of the 8 cyl, so I opted for the 6 cyl instead. The dealer had an A5 with an Audi factory installed S5 option (cosmetic kit) so I have S-Line interior trim, upgraded 19" wheels (that I like better than the "S") and claimed mileage up to 32 MPG (well see - I do a lot of highway driving).