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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  What a dissapointment - 2015 Audi SQ5
  By Bart Andeer - December 23 - 5:37 pm

  If interested, you may want to read my reviews on the 2002 Audi S8 (massive engine failure despite excellent service history), 2014 Q5 TDI (Expensive Vibrator). I also have a 2008 S5 Coupe (so far, so good but its going soon). So, this review is not in a vacuum, but with some real Audi ownership experience. OK, cut to the chase - in Florida Lemon Law circus at present. It was disappointing with delivery of the car. The interior is made as cheaply as possible and it shows. This is not the el cheapo standard seating. Buzzers going off, alarms going off all the time. Sport Utility Vehicle. Well, utility is a joke. Doors lock when you dont want them to, alarms and warnings going off. Between Health & Safety and the accountants, the car is pathetic. Cant even turn the radio off without shutting off the Navigation. These are but annoyances really. The real joy began on a long road trip, right after the 5,000 mile service. About 300 miles into the trip the add oil light came on. Pulled off into a service station and could not find the oil dip stick. Called the dealer (Reeves of Tampa, of whom Ive been dealing with with the other Audis and Porsche and think highly of) and informed that they dont have dip sticks. Well, the upshot of the trip was that I would add maybe 1/3 of a quart every 500 miles. The day I got home I brought it in and they had it for about a week, said it was fixed and within 110 miles it was telling me to add oil again. They then had it for two weeks (Total 15 days for Lemon Law) and again the light came on. Now the purpose of the car is my commute to work, from Tampa, FL to outside New Orleans, LA. I cant be late looking for Audi dealers to see if I really need oil or not. So, I then started the Lemon Law process. Audi had 10 days to respond, but took 14 days. I took the car back to Reeve for the final repair attempt. They are allowed 10 days, but took 15 days. I was told it was fixed, but the lights are on again. The Better Business Bureau that one must go through stated today that Audi considers the car fixed. Funny, I just took it to the dealer again today to have them manually check the oil before my next road trip. Im totally disgusted with Audi Engineering (which seems to be run by accounting these days) and their customer support. I have not ever had anyone from Audi give a courtesy call and sincerely state that they are sorry for my situation. Rather, they just basically ignore the timelines set forth by the State of Florida. Now whether that is due to arrogance, incompetence or being understaffed (due to more accountant management) I cant say, but it is not very impressive what ever the case is. I requested that this be resolved by 23 December as I have to travel for business again, but that request was not acknowledged. "Truth in Engineering"??? maybe they should revise to "Truth is, its Value Engineering". Just a suggestion....

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  $55,000.00 Vibrator - 2014 Audi Q5
  By Bart Andeer - December 23 - 4:06 pm

  No, it will not be satisfactory for that either! Seriously, I traded my 2002 Audi S8 which had massive engine failure at 118,000 miles for a new 14 TDI. I commute from Tampa, FL to just beyond New Orleans, LA. I was looking for the ability to tow a small trailer, get good mileage and like all wheel drive. Seemed pretty good, but there was a huge catch. Vibration. There is something called vibration tolerance. It seems the longer a human is subjected to vibrations, the more aggravating the particular vibrations (generally low in frequency) become. Every trip I made (10 - 11 hours total trip time) I was feeling pretty bad upon completion, nauseous and jittery. Ive owned diesel cars before and have been a ship captain for many years. Im accustomed to diesels. Ive never had this issue before. This is not something that could come as a surprise to engineers. It is well known. I got the impression that accountants were running the engineering. Its called "Value Engineering". After being fully prepared to follow Florida Lemon Law, Audi corporate made be a generous offer to trade for a 2015 Audi SQ5. Most regrettably I accepted this offer. You may be interested in my review of the 2015 Audi SQ5 when posted. At present Im engaged with the Lemon Law process but suffice it to say Im more convinced at ever that Value Engineering is the single overriding "Truth" in their engineering.

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  Great value for the Price - 2015 Audi Q3
  By John - December 23 - 12:57 pm

  We really like this vehicle. The handling and performance is great. I had read that the Q3 did not have the performance that the Audi line up has. It has great acceleration and braking. I am not looking for a 700 horsepower engine , I just want to be able to get good acceleration. The scrolls for all the lists seem to be backwards and the placement of the controls is not the best forcing you to look way down when using them. The MMI package is difficult to set up needing to get on the web and sign up and then putting in other information on the car. we like the interior and are happy with the space ( I have heard complaints that the storage was small we bought a smaller SUV and expect the space. I have driven an RDX, Buick Encore, the Lexus NX and the BMW X3 and like the Q3 better than these vehicles.

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  Great little car most new cars still cant compete - 2001 Audi TT
  By Scott - December 22 - 1:30 pm

  Ive owned my TT Quattro coupe since 2006. Bought it used from a guy that was as meticulous with it as I am. The only issue was the timing belt. it let go and cost a good chunk to get the engine rebuilt (my fault for not changing it sooner)... better than new now. If you are looking for one, ask for receipts on repairs/upkeep! In the 9 years Ive owned it... Ive replaced or rebuilt: engine, fuel pump (very spendy there), drive lines, rotors and the water pump(this has plastic impellers from the factory - change out for metal impeller pump). Total about 6K in repairs... but waaay worth it. I know what issues it has had and what has been repaired... no new can of worms in some other used luxury sports car! It is at 124K miles now and should last me another 145K easy! Close to 30 mpg on the highway, 24-26 in the city (depending on my driving tendencies). I still get people staring and asking about it. I have the Black/black quattro. People are blown away when i tell them it is a 2001! 14 years old and still looks better and drives better than most cookie cutter sports cars put out these days. Not to mention the gas mileage is equal to or better than most 2015 models! Tis a great date night car with the wife. She still gets all giddy when i let her drive it!

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  A5 me baby - 2009 Audi A5
  By Harry Rempert - December 22 - 9:34 am

  great car with minimal issues (all covered by warranty so far). Certified used is the way to go - 100k mile warranty. Impressed with the fuel economy - highway driving (a little faster than posted speeds - if you know what I mean) yeilds 30+ MPG. The S-Line seats provide great support making long road trips easy. The only down side is the back seats, but hey, I dont sit back there anyway! its a shame that Audi has stopped offering the 3.2L engine as a base power plant, they have also stopped offering the manual 6-speed transmission in A5. Now if you want them you have to jump to a S5 - and an additional $15k. Sticky tires in the summer and snow tires in the winter make the A5 just a fun car to drive.

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  I wish I had stuck with the Acura - 2015 Audi Q5
  By Alexis - December 20 - 8:59 pm

  The car seems to ride OK except for the steering wheel which seems very loose. I find it particularly difficult to control in high winds or at high-speeds. The acceleration is fantastic as is the breaking. The ride is sort of smooth but the tires dont seem to provide much in the way of comfort than you would expect. For the price point of this car, the stereo system is abysmal. It is like listening to music in a tin can. My mistake was not checking that out before hand. Assumed it this day and age and at this price point that he would be as good as the Acuras. When I took it in to find out if there is anything I was so much is told that it cant compare. So I took it to an expert who told me it would cost me no less than 1500 to make it sound halfway decent. The whole navigation system seems OK just a bit complicated. Making phone calls is equally complicated. Im going to wait until I get a few thousand more miles on it and then Im going to trade it in. I would not recommend this car particularly for this price.

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  You get everything for the price - 2015 Audi A5
  By Jack Adair - December 17 - 4:31 pm

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  Still a great car at 105K - 2008 Audi A6
  By Steven Woods - December 17 - 3:37 pm

  Update to my earlier review. Now I have over 105k miles on this car that I purchased new. It goes through brakes but it has otherwise been faultless. Still love driving it. Same great ride, no rattles and no issues. Recently had to add some coolant, but other than that, just routine oil changes.

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  surprisingly missing some standard stuff - 2015 Audi A3
  By Anthony K. - December 17 - 10:25 am

  Let me say right off that I love the car. Having owned 4 diesel VW Jettas previously, it was time to move up. A few small quibbles though: No heated seats??? Are you kidding? My last Jetta cost 14 grand less and had heated seats. And the big gripe: You cannot move the or extend the sun visors. In other words, if the sun is coming at you from the side and you position the the visor to your left while driving, there is a huge 7 inch gap, which cannot be blocked because the visor will not slide in or out. Again, even the cheaper Jetta could do that. Very annoying. Oh, and the GPS system is fairly useless, and will be expensive to update, and event which can only occur once per year???!!! Stick with Google maps. Other than that, the car is extremely solid, and very confidence inspiring while driving.

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  Cheap interior parts, avoid vaccum - 2015 Audi Q5
  By Curtis - December 16 - 8:49 pm

  Ive been a Ford owner for over 30 years from sedans to pickups very satisfied. First Audi Q5 bought with 30,000 miles on it now has 80,000 a year later to give you an idea of the miles I Drive. Overall was satisfied until had an issue with a vacuum ripping off a part on my console. Audi will not sell me that individual part for $20 they bundle it with the entire consol for $300 dealer said it was my problem to go online and see if I could find the individual part itself. I then called the national Audi customet service and did not get any better service there. very disappointing. I wont own another Audi. Im going back to Ford or Lincoln. Someone should buy the senior management team at Audi copies of the book raving fans their customer service is horrible