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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  Cheap to buy, Expensive to maintain - 2006 Audi A6
  By chewetson825 - June 20 - 5:02 pm

  I only had my A6 for 3 months. On the way home from the dealership (It was 5 hours away), the transmission went out. Only an Audi dealer can replace it, so it was a little over $5,000. Then the passenger seat switch broke. It was going to cost $300 to fix, but decided to leave it alone. Then a coolant pipe broke and costed $85 for the pipe plus $25 for the coolant you HAVE to use on Audis. Two days later I got a warning light and took it to the dealership. They adjusted some sensors but warned that a $11,000 repair was about a year away and recommended I traded it in, so I did. I only had the car for 4,000 miles. I am the worlds biggest Audi fan, but if you have to have one, buy one new.

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  Unreal - 2012 Audi A6
  By stock_genius - June 19 - 10:26 pm

  I have the Prestige package, Innovation package with night vision and the 20" sport package. I cannot believe how much power this car has. I mean really, this car flys. I was clocking 94 mph like it was nothing on the highway. Of course I did not do it for long, but I am convinced I could have had this car at 130 mph very quickly. Off the line it is very sharp and sends you back in the seat. If you have it in sport mode it can get real stupid. Of course I have already had the idiot kid next to me in a lowered Honda Prelude with his fat muffler trying to impress his girlfriend which only led to him looking stupid in my rear view mirror.

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  Great Car - 2011 Audi A4
  By rrocks - June 19 - 7:58 pm

  Loved this car. Had it for two years and 20K miles and had no problems. Decided to try something new but then was kicking myself and missing my Audi. Enjoyed the handling and speed and the pick-up. It felt like a race car, even though it looked like a sedan. I had absolutely no problems with this car, although I did have to add half a quart of oil at about 8K and 18K miles -- very minor and not a problem at all.

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  2013 Audi Q5 2.0 - Good so far - 2013 Audi Q5
  By bkholay - June 17 - 10:33 am

  Have owned it for over a month now. The quality of interior and exterior is very good. The turbo responds well . I like the paddle shifters and the ability to temporarily switch to manual from automatic by using the paddle shifters when you need that extra power. The car is very easy to handle and responds well. But I am disappointed by the mpg. I am supposed to get 20/28 but I am getting 17 with 25% freeway / 75% city combination . I was hoping to get 21/22 at a minimum . I use premium gas (93) and I have already tried 3 different gas stations ( Exxon, Mobil, Sams). Do difference so far. I sold my MDX that was giving me 15 mpg for (25% freeway / 75% city combination ) and now I get 17 :( .

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  Very Nice Ride - 2013 Audi A6
  By stock_genius - June 12 - 12:30 pm

  Aviator blue with brown interior. Love the way it handles, gets lots of looks, looks nicer than a BMW 5 series and Benz E class. Very quick off the line and top end. The four rings in my opinion has out done Lexus, BMW and Mercedes.

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  Fantastic Car..........but - 2013 Audi A6
  By rudybucks - June 9 - 7:30 am

  Only have the car for a week. Overall it is a great car, but, not designed for a "portly elderly man" as it is a bit difficult to get in and out particularly if you have bad knees! Once in the car everything is fine. Traded a 2010 Lincoln MKT which developed rattles after only a year or so. It also had "Unintended Acceleration"! Yes, it accelerated when I didnt intend it to do so! Dealer would not acknowledge or fix the problem. After more than a dozen incidents, I know it was NOT me!

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  The Best of 2005 luxury car - 2005 Audi A8
  By hazar - June 3 - 1:10 pm

  I traded in my big failure 07 BMW X5 with this beauty : and I am very pleased with this move. . It was nightmare to own a very expensive SUV like the 07 X5 ( top of the line ) which give us only troubles... the driving of this car is nothing close to any of BMW & MB .. I drove the S class, C63 -AMG , as well as the BMW , but never tried the Audi which I realize the mistake I did .. This car is a luxury feeling , sporty feeling , fun feeling.. great interior , high quality material , smooth engine.. This is the one to have in your Garage for all season ... you should know that you will not be able to drive MB in snow... It was a big failure m at least to me...

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  Exceptional car, exceptional quality -- poor sound system - 2013 Audi A4
  By hobbes944 - June 1 - 10:35 pm

  I love this car -- it looks great inside and out, the build quality is extraordinarily high, and it offers just the right balance of tight handling, comfort, and size. Personally, I find the engine to be more than up to the task for fun driving (especially when combined with the sport suspension, which I also have), although if youre after raw horsepower you should probably look for something other than the A4 at this price.

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  S4 brings back the fun of driving - 2013 Audi S4
  By texasrich1 - May 27 - 4:03 pm

  The S4 is a great combination of a sedan and a sporty fun to drive sports car. It responds well to normal day to day driving and handles anything the road throws at you. When given the chance to drive it in sport mode this car wants to take off and runs the curses like its on rails. A lot of fun to drive and yet very reasonable for a daily drive car. Audi has a winner with the S4!

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  8000 mile update - 2013 Audi A4
  By mugman1 - May 25 - 9:11 pm

  Wanted to update my review first made shortly after purchase. Have owned the vehicle for 8 months now and continue to be impressed by it. No problems after 8000 miles. Car was virtually unstopable in heavy snow (with 4 Pirelli snows mounted) this past winter. I average 26-28 mpg in mixed drving best tank 34 mpg highway at 70 mph. Despite what some others have noticed, the engine has not consumed any oil in its first 8000 miles. Break the engine in as directed in the manual and there should not be any problem.