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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  Fast but unreliable - 2000 Audi A6
  By medved - October 27 - 3:48 pm

  This is a beautiful car but very expensive to maintain. Frequently has major mechanical and electrical problems that cost not hundreds but thousands of dollars to fix.

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  Constant problems - 2001 Audi A6
  By jchambers - October 13 - 2:00 am

  great performance and comfort. quattro is bonus in New England weather--but Ive had transmission and electronic problem ever since I drove it off the lot. I have the 4.2 LOADED, the car was $52K- I expected so much more for that kind of money and a german automobile. Will never get one again or recommnend to anyone.Thank God its a lease.

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  Beautiful car not worth your time - 2003 Audi A4
  By MikeandMel - September 15 - 2:40 pm

  This is one georgeous car. When it runs, its great. But as the miles add up, flaws start to add up one after another. At 50000 miles, I was told there was an oil leak (no visible drips under the car). The warranty fixed it. Then, my FM radio reception died unless I was within 15 miles of the station (previously the reception was MUCH better). Just prior to the 60000 mile service, the engine quit. Thought it was electrical. It was actually a broken cam shaft! All freeway driving, I baby this thing. Average 36 MPG. How can I break a cam shaft? Dealer says everything looks fine, not abused. Poor manufacturing in my opinion. Looking at a $4000+ bill to get it fixed. Not my idea of reliability.

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  Bad Mechanical - 1999 Audi A4
  By Kim - September 12 - 11:33 pm

  Fun to drive, if its not in the shop! Have had new engine, too. Lots of mechanical problems.

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  Dump this car before warranty ends - 1999 Audi A4
  By RL - September 1 - 6:17 pm

  Good car for highway driving, way too slow off the line for a drivers car, lots of engine leaks and burned out headlights, poor tires for winter driving as they were incompatible with ABS. Ran ok for about 65,000 miles except for power and gas consumption issues. I thought I could keep it maintained and have a good car but repairs were averaging $600/month for last 10 months. Mainly electronics problems - Dealer did poor job of diagnosing problems - his solution was to keep adding new parts until warning lights went out. Dealer told me that I would soon need new boots for steering and transmission components and new brakes. - Ouch!! Car is sold!! No more Audis ever.

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  Needs Work - 2003 Audi Allroad Quattro
  By angelo - August 31 - 2:00 am

  My Allroad has been in the shop more times than Ive driven it. From out of round tires, 4 sets of rotors replaced, squeeking seats, to an engine that needs to have its heads replaced. I love th elook and comfort but I cant justify paying $45000 just for that. Although this car is crud, the Audi service center and customer service has been outstanding.

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  Beware of the 1.8T hoax - 2003 Audi A4
  By turbohoax - August 25 - 10:00 am

  Buyer beware. The people giving this car a good review are only doing so to keep the resale value of their cars high! The 1.8Turbo and the Tiptronic auto-trans DO NOT match. The turbo lag is pronounced, alarming, and outright dangerous! You step down on the pedal, and the car pauses for 2 full seconds. I just dumped my 2003 Audi after 4600 miles, at a huge loss, just to get away from this dangerous turbo hoax.

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  What was I thinking ? - 2001 Audi A6
  By Joe - August 15 - 6:13 pm

  The first 4 months were great, then the problems started ... weird problems, you open the sun roof and the air conditioning would stop working, turn the headlights on and the wind sheild wippers turn on, accelerate on the highway, ABS lights come on, brakes are applied and you couldnt go over 20 miles / hour/ And the worst thing is, the dealer doesnt know how to fix it. Im gonna trade it in.

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  heavy passenger door - 2016 Audi Q5
  By Hai - August 12 - 8:18 am

  Audi Q5 is a wonderful SUV overall, except the doors are causing problem for us. The doors are very heavy, and tend to swing close by themselves. My wife hurt her finger when putting staff in the car and the door was unexpected closing so fast by itself! Watch for the doors, they are dangerous!

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  Good Car, Bad Service - 1998 Audi A4
  By Neveragain - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Good car and good company until my servicing dealership performed unauthorized work on my vehicle. Audi customer service claimed there was nothing they could do and I would have to take it up with the dealership. On top of that, they didnt even do the service correctly. They aligned my car and claimed it was perfectly straight with the steering wheel cocked to the left. They requested I take it to another shop and if they think the steering wheel isnt straight, then they will fix it. It took them three visit and three weeks without my car and my wheel is still off center. Believe it or not, the car was in better condition before I dropped it off at the dealership.