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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  Audi A4 - 1998 - 1998 Audi A4
  By michelleg - March 11 - 7:36 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my 1998 Audi A4. It has had electrical problems in the dash. The tie rods all had to be replaced (they have since been recalled). At 70,000 miles the turbo unit had to be replaced ($1500.00) The CV joints have leaked several times. The exhaust fell off the bottom of the car. The timing belt broke and damaged the entire engine. The cost to rebuild it was $2000.00. The ABS light is now on, I just took it to the shop to find out that the entire module is bad and the estimate to fix it is $2420.00. I just picked it up from having the motor rebuilt three weeks ago. I would not recommend that anybody buy this model car. It handles great and is fun to drive(when it runs). Beware

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  Expensive electrical problems - 2000 Audi A4
  By Joe in Virginia - February 26 - 3:10 pm

  We previously owned 2000 Audi A4 AWD 2 years ago. We have been astonished by the frequency and cost of expensive repairs. Our airbag controller and brake controller have failed, each costing $1000-$1500 to repair. We have developed an oil-leak costing $1000 to repair. The bumper scratches incredibly easily and ends up looking terrible. The interior trim is coming apart. Net-net, though a very pretty and comfortable car that is fun to drive, the cost of ownership is far beyod what one would expect. We will never buy another Audi!

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  Worst Car Ive ever owned! - 2002 Audi A4
  By Bad Audi Experience - February 24 - 1:16 pm

  In my 30+ years of driving, Ive owned Corvairs and AMC products that would be considered "problem cars", but nothing matches the unreliability of an Audi. I purchased both a 2001 and 2002 A4 and have become very familiar with the local wrecker companies. The 2002 is now having its 4th engine installed (after only 50,000 miles). The stereo system has been replaced three times. We traded in the 2001 at a loss after being towed three times for coil issues. Stay away from Audi! This is the worst car Ive ever owned, including the 1964 Corvair I paid $100 for in 1974!

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  Not worth the money - 2016 Audi A4
  By Joe - February 17 - 2:54 am

  My car is an A4 Quattro premium S-Line. It stickered just shy of the $50k mark. If I wasnt able to get a smoking deal on it I would have never bought it. Sure, its pretty. Sure, people go "ooohhh, you have an Audi" but honestly, this car is nowhere near worth the price of entry. For $15k less you can get a fully loaded Passat with the 1.8t which is all anyone really needs. You will wind up with a much bigger, more comfortable car. With darn near the same build quality, and it will have everything a modern car should have. For example...Bluetooth streaming audio. The Audi doesnt have it until you pony up for the premium plus package. Which pushes you over that 50k mark. Another place the A4 falls woefully short is the back seat. If you have kids in booster seats, get ready to wrestle with seatbelts because the seat area is so narrow your booster WILL block the buckle. And we have the Diono Cambria which is a fairly narrow booster. Still blocks the buckle. Also, if anyone riding up front is over 6 tall, you will render that back seat virtually useless. My 4 year old complains about being squished behind me, Im 63". We dont have the problem in our far less expensive, much more equipped Passat. Basically, if you are of average or lower stature, the A4 might be ok for you, as long as youre ok with paying a boatload of money for a car that has some seriously glaring omissions in the options department. If you want a well built German car that has everything in it and wont break the bank, go to VW and save some money.

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  2005 Audi A6 Nightmare - 2005 Audi A6
  By Darrell Brown - February 14 - 8:17 pm

  I purchased the 2005 A6 on 11/22/04. It has been the absolute worst car purchase Ive ever made. Since the purchase I had a total of 5 separate issues, including issues with the seats, loud engine noise, car needing to warm up when first starting, and both front seats shaking and rattling. While everyone at the dealership is professional, there is a level of defensiveness that exists. Their first reaction is that there is nothing wrong with the car, its the driver. Ive had 7 cars in the last 10 years and Ive never experienced these many issues. The worst part is that the customer advocates in Mich are unresponsive & not helpful. I wrote to the VP on 1/3. No response

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  1.8T Bad Engine Design - 2001 Audi A4
  By Geoff - February 14 - 2:38 pm

  The cars great when it works, but after all the problems the world knows about with the ignition coils, it also has a bad oil filtration system and timing belt tensioner. Read the bulletin boards for huge repair bills and horror stories of oil pumps seizing and engine belts falling off. Mine went through two oil pumps and found out the valves needed replacing - all of which Audi refuses to pay for. Bad engine, bad company. They tried to make it right when it was small stuff like the coils, but now that its big engine bills theyre stone walling it. These turbo engines can *ONLY* run on synthetic oil. Yet the dealers have strict instructions otherwise on leased cars. Bad.

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  Worst car we have ever owned - 1999 Audi A6
  By ezondag - February 10 - 12:34 am

  We purchased our 1999 Audi A6 with 3,000 miles on it (it was a dealer demo). We drove it to 69,000 miles and had to make the following repairs: recalls new fuel indicator 2x, blinker system, new radiator, waterpump, break discs 2x, front rocker arms. Some of this work was done under warrenty. At the last oil change ($62) we were told the transmission was leaking and it needed new torsion arms or something (again) The repair bill would be $1,700. I own a Toyota with 266,000 miles on it and never repaired any of the above. We retired the Audi and bought another Toyota. We saw similar Audis on Ebay, selling for $8,000!

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  High maintenance - 1999 Audi A6
  By George Burnetz - February 6 - 10:20 pm

  I bought a 1999 Audi A6 as certified vehicle with a two year warranty. One month before the warranty went up, the water pump went out while I was doing 80 mph on a trip out of town. The pump went out causing the engine to lock up and timing belt to come off. After all was said and done (6 weeks later), the costs for repair was around $15,000. I searched for warranties to extend the car from 60,000 miles to 100,000 miles but the cheapest I could find was $2,000. I chose not to get one because I didnt think I would spend that much in repairs. Shortly after, the alternator went out costing $500. The whole front bumper and radiator has to be removed to get to it. Its almost impossible to do repairs yourself and finding an independent repair shop is just as hard.

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  audi = german for lemon - 2001 Audi A4
  By smokymtnA4 - December 24 - 10:00 am

  Although this car is loads of fun, it spends more time at the shop than on the road. The first 25k miles went great, but since then: (1) faulty drive chain tensioner (could have bent valves and destroyed engine if i hadnt noticed it), (2) front main oil seal leak (at 26k miles absurd), (3)turn signal switch failed, and (4) oxygen sensor failed (car shut down on the road. If i had been on the interstate instead of secondary road i could have been rear ended by semi.) All covered by warranty, but you can bet Ill dump this car as soon as warranty ends. This car is like marrying a supermodel that hates sex. Looks great but doesnt perform.

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  What you really need to know before you buy - 2016 Audi A6
  By Frank - December 12 - 10:13 am

  I have two major issues with the A6. First is the extremely annoying stop-start of the engine each time you stop the car for a traffic light, stop sign, heavy traffic, etc. You can turn off the feature if you remember to do so each time you get into the car, but you will often forget. Even with the feature turned off you can "feel" the engine thinking of turning off. I absolutely hate this feature and will not buy another vehicle with it. The second issue relates to the very low feature of the tires. There are only a few inches between the road and rim. Ive had two blow outs because of the narrow space between road and rim. One blowout was from hitting a curb and another from a pot hole. Both situations would not have happened with regular height tires. At about $300 a replacement, this is a very expensive problem.