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:

• 

  Great car with hefty maintenance price - 2006 Audi A6
  By nathanapt357 - December 29 - 12:28 pm

  I have the S-Line package. This car is a lot of fun to drive and handles better than most cars Ive owned the quattro AWD system certainly inspires confidence. For its weight, the car is a little underpowered with the V6 engine. Seats are a little firm and I cant seem to adjust the drivers seat just right. Long trips are still pretty easy. Rear seat has a lot of leg room. The female end of the center seat belt is recessed and hard to reach for practical use definitely cannot use a car seat or booster seat in the center. Other than that, car is very well built, gets a lot of looks from people, and is not all that common (making it even better!).

• 

  Really nice car with a few annoyances - 2005 Audi A4
  By sean - December 28 - 12:16 am

  I leased the car, a 2005.5, for 3 years. Very good handling + smooth ride combo. Fairly quiet for a sporty car. AWD is great, especially in foul weather.

• 

  Better than my grand cherokee in snow - 2005 Audi A4
  By Dave - December 27 - 1:11 am

  Overall great vehicle, and I am happy with it. No major problems, although minor annoyances have been an issue. The paint job on the bumpers is horrible (but I attribute this to the dealership that sold me the car, not AUDI), and in the winter I have this annoying squeal that comes from the engine compartment (all the dealership will do is grease things down, which works for about a day). Car is great in snow, an amazingly comfortable ride (I do not have the sport suspension), great fuel economy (33 mpg highway easy, although mpg suffers horribly in the cold months). Some improvements can be made, but overall the car is great for me, an incredibly picky car person.

• 

  I can not believe Audi sells this VW at Audi price - 2004 Audi A4
  By Daryl - December 26 - 7:42 pm

  We purchased this 10 months ego and after 10 months of pain and problems it has stranded us 180 miles from home at 11pm. We are replacing it with a Lexus RX300. This has needed new catalytic converters, coils,O2 sensors, control arms, wiper mechanism, trunk actuator. Sunroof is stuck, brake caliper is not working right and wears pads too fast on 1 side, tranny shifter gets stuck sometimes, 1 wheel is bent, power steering pump squeaks, and now the fuel pump gave up the ghost. All between 75k and 98k. First month we owned it, it spent 3 weeks in shops and 1 week on the road. Most parts are VW. I can not believe Audi sells this VW at Audi price. Dont be a fool and buy one.

• 

  New Transmission - 2007 Audi A4
  By USAE9Ret - December 26 - 6:08 pm

  When we test drove the vehicle we did not notice the hesitation when accelerating from a stop. Mainly because we did not encounter any situation where we needed to hurry into or across an intersection. After purchase and we began to drive the vehicle under normal conditions the hesitation was scary. The engine RPM was increasing but the car was not going. The dealer told it that it was the "new transmission". Therefore, nothing has been done to correct the problem. Pretty junky for such a renowned and expensive car. Month later the radio dies and the replacement is junky.

• 

  Fun to drive - 2001 Audi A6
  By bwb - December 16 - 11:29 am

  Bought the car used w/ 38K miles, now with 110K. Has been a true pleasure to drive, I still get positive comments on it. Great on the highway and fun in the turns. Very comfortable for 4 with room in the trunk. Purchase with eyes open as repairs can get $$. I have an excellent independent mechanic shop (stay away from dealerships (one repair the dealer quoted $1700 to repair, they did it for $400) and with their help, I have to spend 500-2K a year on extra repairs and have never been stranded. Sports seats=will be uncomfortable if you need extra displacement upon seating. Sports suspension=firm ride. Alloy wheel=possible bent rims.

• 

  So Much Money, So Little Value - 2007 Audi Q7
  By q7blues - December 12 - 5:14 pm

  I bought this German beast new and with the lease up in a couple months Im looking forward to it going back. This vehicle looks amazing and thats where the love story ends. Brakes squeal...yes, theyve been replaced...its just embarrassing. Tires cup easily-3rd set, apparently, its the engineering of the AWD. MMI issues...was in the shop 12 times before it was fixed for good. Engine sensors shot & fixed. Instrument cluster currently needs to be replaced. Thermostat went. Lurches from 1st to 2nd-explained as a safety feature. Faulty back-up sensor. Poorly attached molding. My car was in the shop for a week and after haggling for a rental, I got a ford focus---my lease $1448???

• 

  Winter Use Only - 1999 Audi A6
  By WinterUse - December 11 - 1:40 pm

  High maintenance vehicle that is a great winter car, unfortunately the consistent repair issues take away from an otherwise great vehicle. Wife uses car in the winter during snow season and works great for that but the reliability issues do take away from the car. With only 114k miles on it these types of issues should not happen.

• 

  Too expensive to own out of warranty - 2003 Audi A4
  By Steve Fox - December 6 - 4:44 pm

  My Avant 3.0 quatro is a great drivers car, but it is too expensive to own once the warranty expired. Fuel injection system, numerous ignition coils, power steering unit ($2,350), windshield wiper motor, etc. With just 65,000 miles, you have to question the benefit-value relationship of hanging on to a car with reliability problems.

• 

  Best by features, Worst by reliability - 2010 Audi Q5
  By Senthil - December 5 - 7:59 pm

  2010 Audi Q5 is good vehicle but reliability is sub par. I bought my Q5 in August 09. I had jerks with upshift and downshift due to improperly installed transmission filter which apparently was a factory defect. The convenience key also quit working and they had to change the whole convenience module. They fixed it all under warranty. When I called Audi they offered me a mere 5000 miles extension on warranty or $250 cash (for a $53000 car!!). Looks like they do not trust their own product. I am just frustrated that I have been sold a defective product.