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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  Impress yourself - 2002 Audi A6
  By Beckys - August 13 - 8:43 pm

  2.7T with 6 speed purchased certified used from Audi dealer. Our fourth Audi. Beautiful design inside and out and great build quality. Can feel a bit clumsy around town, with firm suspension and too light steering. Once over 45 it is all good, very good. Really shows itself after a long day driving in bad weather. You simply feel safe, secure and confident and when you wish, this 4,000 car will really scoot along. A sweet engine. Full size people can fit front and rear in the great seats. We maintain by book and have had only routine maintenance at 108,000 miles. Average about 25 MPG with 50% intersate driving.

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  Poor A4 reliability and dealer support - 2004 Audi A4
  By Arnold Thornton - August 13 - 10:35 am

  In less than 3 years and 26000 miles, we have spent $2600 on repairs to our Audi, $1000 for a door that distorted, $1600 for a clutch that failed. We also have a broken catch on a glove compartment unfixed so far. Despite the car having a 50,000 mile 4-year warranty, the dealership has steadfastly refused to fix anything under warranty. From what we can gather, this policy seems to be driven by Audi of America. We will NEVER buy an Audi again.

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  Babe Magnet - 2005 Audi A4
  By reddemon - August 11 - 3:06 pm

  After test driving BMW, Saab, and Audi, I opted for the Audi. The BMW was simple too expensive and Saab interior was bland. The audi has the perfect combo of exterior beauty and interior luxury. Love it :)

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  Inexpensive Luxury - 2001 Audi A6
  By Inexpensive Luxury - August 11 - 9:34 am

  Great car. Much more reliable than the 2.7 turbo. Comfortable to drive with a bit of sport to it when using the shift feature. Fuel economy could be better but is great for what is essentially a large car with all wheel drive. Plenty of room both up front and for rear seat passengers. Big trunk. Great handling and never slips in the snow. I can just jump in and go with up to 8 inches of snow. The only problem that I had was with the dash display fading but it was replaced under an extended warranty.

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  Price/Value is great for this car - 2004 Audi A4
  By rowlandj - August 10 - 10:00 am

  The combination of the quattro and the six speed make this a geeat car for me. I was looking for a fun to drive manual transmission equiped vehicle and settled on the A4. I considered Mini, BMW 3-series and MB C-class. Mini was too small but tons of fun and the Audi won over the others for features/price reasons.

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  Love my Gotland Green 2017 A4 - 2017 Audi A4
  By Matthew417 - August 9 - 11:03 am

  Ive had my 2017 A4 quattro Prestige for 3 weeks now. I love this car. First time Ive had an Audi Im coming out of a 2014 BMW 428i coupe. This car is light years ahead of the BMW in terms of technology. The car my dealer had on the lot had the full tech and driver assistance packages. I wasnt planning to get all of these features but I got a great price on the car and I do love the features. The heads-up display is awesome. I love the highly customizable LED interior lighting too. The virtual cockpit along with large center screen are so amazingly clear and easy to use. I love how well thought out the graphics are. The fit and finish inside is very good everything from the paint finish to the seams inside and out. No rattles or anything. The front seats (which my car has the warm weather package and in Florida thats a must) are very comfortable. Love the design, headlights, tail lights, grille, wheels on my Prestige with gray/silver 2 tone. This car looks so sharp, literally. If I had to give anything that could use improvement, and this is really hard, Id say: the bang and olufsen stereo doesnt sound as good as my Harman Kardon system in my BMW. Ive played with the sound settings and when playing certain songs on the radio theres a tinny sound to mid and high tones I cant get rid of. Only other thing is the sport seat any model has the side bolsters on the lower cushion are hard to come into contact with while entering the car. I hope over time these dont show premature wear and tear. But, as a 63" driver I have plenty of room in this car both leg and headroom. The trunk is spacious too and I love the 40/40/20 split folding seats. This probably wont be my last Audi based on my experience this far!

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  Great so far! - 2008 Audi A3
  By txbosoxfan - August 8 - 1:51 pm

  Had the car a little more than 3 weeks. 2.0T w/ S-Line. Test drove the 3.2 but it felt too heavy with the 6 cyl. and quattro. Plenty of kick in the 4 cyl. The S Tronic shifters are responsive and addictive.

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  Smooth like butter, but eats up coils - 2002 Audi A4
  By MysteryDyke - August 7 - 11:19 am

  Weve owned this baby since its birth. The paint and fit and finish are still like new. The 1.8T quattro w 5spd manual has plenty of power and is great in snow. No real issues but were on our 3rd set of ignition coils ($400 ea time). Our horn kept shorting out until they finally fixed the bracket (5 repairs later). The power steering fluid has a slow leak and ANY routine repair is pricey ($83 to replace 2 burnt out tail light bulbs!), but the ride and handling are still superb. We still love our A4 and its just like new after 5+ years. Would highly recommend this car.

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  Doesnt Get Any Better - 2008 Audi Q7
  By bigsur64 - August 6 - 8:25 pm

  The 08 has front and rear parking sensors which are perfect addition. The front seats have a slight bucket which is also new. The MMI is very easy to use but have to agree with others that the nav. system takes getting used too. The handling and acceleration are incredible, taking hard S turns in the Q7 is a lot of fun. The brakes arent as sensitive as the 07s. The 20 inch wheels are also standard. The ride with these at lower speeds is a little noisy but over 45 its smooth sailing. Better to have these 20s than have the 18s or 19s with less handing. This Q7 needs to be driven hard on the highways or along coastal or mountain passes. This is not a putt around town SUV.

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  Audi 05 Rocks! - 2005 Audi A6
  By John Shuchart - August 6 - 10:40 am

  Love the car. Not one problem except for the tires which I had to replace at 25k miles (bummer!).