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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  2014 Audi 3.0 Quattro Premium Plus - 2014 Audi A6
  By dogmanherman - December 23 - 9:41 pm

  Comfortable & beautiful luxurious interior. Fit & finish in & out excellent. All buttons & switches have a Quality feel.Loaded with options .Excellent ride that is adjustable.I have the handling option with 19" all season tires. The 20" wheel option probably gives a rougher ride. Very supple ride with sport sedan feel & comfort.Steering & engine & shift styles also adjustable. Transmission (8 speed) shifts very smoothly.Very pleasant ride at high speeds & solid road feel. You can be going 85 - 90 MPH & not feel the speed. Very comfortable adjustable seats.

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  Nice Car Could Use Some Tweaks - 2013 Audi A6
  By stuatoe - December 21 - 12:40 pm

  Overall like this car a lot. 1st Audi . Have owned 5-7 Audis, 2 Porsches and a E55. The seats are the worst of this group. BMWs best. Needs more support everywhere. The cup holders are way too small and center arm rest interferes. Should switch the cup and freeform spaces front and back of shifter. Engine is great. Plenty of power when requested Pleased with MPG, 20.8 doing mostly suburban driving. Highway is 25-28 mpg. 20" Pirellis have been a bear. Road hazards find these tires. Comfortable to drive, BMW & Porsche much better. MMI is a mess. Too complicated, many submenus, knobs etc. Handling is betters by BMW and Porsche.

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  Fantastic Automobile - 2014 Audi Q5
  By thepastaman - December 10 - 7:42 pm

  I had shopped around a bit in Los Angeles for the ideal car for my wife. She had very specific requirements for color and engine...tan or brown on brown and fast. There was only one brown on brown in the state at the time with the supercharged 6. We found Steve Miller at Santa Monica Audi on the internet who was enthusiastic about selling at my asking price of $3,000 off sticker-no questions, no hassle, bada bing! Since day one, the car has been a dream. Both of us drive the car, but she probably airs it out a little more. It is an SUV that thinks its a sports car. Its a great car. No problems. Gives us a reason to go drive...even in LA.

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  A disappointment - 2004 Audi A4
  By bearuk - December 6 - 6:54 pm

  The good points: The ride and handling are great, the convertible top design is a delight. The bad: Everything is going to cost you (more). Within 50 miles of driving I had a check engine light. The interior ergonomics are, in my opinion, dreadful, with the single cheap plastic cupholder as a start, the plastic click click switches, and more plastic parts that break (sun visor clip, center armrest for me). The extremely annoying warnings. Theres the two hour stop driving and take a break warning. the tone when you open the drivers door with the turn signal on. It treats the driver like a moron. Never again!

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  2011 Audi Q5 - 2011 Audi Q5
  By tyla - December 5 - 11:34 am

  Love the car. Havent used a drop of oil in over 40,000 miles. Added a new exhaust system, made a big difference in performance

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  New a4 premium plus - 2014 Audi A4
  By ginter2 - November 29 - 7:15 pm

  Just traded in my 2011 A5. The difference is dramatic. Bought with every possible upgrade. If you like a hard drive German machine this is it. I tested the A6 and thought I was in a Lexus. I got the black optics pkg with 19" wheels. I love the hard feel. Plenty of power. I put the car in dynamic mode and it reminds me of my 1970 TR6. Its a blast. Ok so its not as pretty as my A5 but it drives like a sports car. The downside is all the electronics. Way to difficult to master. But if pure driving is what your looking for you found it.

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  SUV & Sports Car in 1 - 2014 Audi SQ5
  By rick277 - November 20 - 1:22 am

  I had a 2011 Audi convertible which i loved. But I needed a little more room. After one test drive in the SQ5 I could not stop thinking about it until I bought it. I have the prestige model with the silver inlay dash accents. The SUV inside and out is a real beauty. The engine is so smooth and fast its amazing. I have only had a month but I can not wait to drive it everyday.

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  2004 Audi A4 1.8T FWD - 2004 Audi A4
  By carenthusiast4 - November 18 - 6:14 pm

  I bought my 04 A4 1.8T FWD a little under a year ago with 87,xxx miles on it, havent had a single problem with it beyond regular maintenance. Keeping up on regular maintenance is important to preserve the life of the car (more so than for non-European cars). Fortunately, any known problems (like the timing belt) had been worked out by the previous owner. Very good value, rock solid reliability, comfortable and very fun to drive. If you want speed, get the 3.0 V6 or the S4. As it is though, the 1.8T CVT goes from 0-60 in 7.8 seconds in Sport, or 8.5 seconds in Drive. Not to bad for a small engine, getting 33 mpg on the highway. Handles like a dream. Very nice interior. Audio system rocks.

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  3.5 years, 58k miles and counting. - 2011 Audi Q5
  By travis_in_tx - November 12 - 10:18 pm

  Purchased new 2011 2.0T with sunroof, no Navi. I use this suv all the time - lots of hiway miles, some offroad/farm tracks, vet errands, cross country. Need the SUV format. 1st set of OEM Tires lasted about 45k, new Pirellis I think are even better. I keep a qt of SynthOil in the boot, in 3 years have added 4 quarts total - glad mines not unique, and seriously people, this is not among lifes major problems considering all the positives. Lifetime MPG is 24.7. Audio/iPod/Sat is great. Cargo is functional, plenty of passer space. Its a solid efficient SUV, I dont know what I would get instead. I do have a soft spot for that Subaru/dog commercial, but Q5 suits me for work and after work.

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  2004 audi a4 - 2004 Audi A4
  By zagarfunk - November 4 - 10:29 pm

  Love this car very nice easy to take care off have over 200k on it only maintence is oil changes evey 4 months and timeing belt water pump every 65k other thin that nothing