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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  Fun while it lasted - 2001 Audi TT
  By ninjapuppy - July 23 - 3:46 pm

  I had my 2001 225 quattro for a little over 4 years and it was a fun, sporty car used as a daily driver (New England weather was no problem for it with some snow tires). However things started to go wrong around 60k and it was in and out of the shop for one thing or another during my last year of ownership. Small problems like faulty sensors and door locks not working to control arms breaking and some engine problems. Finally got rid of it when, at only 68k, the timing belt snapped and the top end was destroyed. I did buy it second hand with 23k on it so that could have played a huge roll since I have no idea how the previous owner treated it. Overall, good car, just have to take care of it.

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  Must read before buying german car - 2004 Audi A4
  By zk - July 23 - 10:00 am

  The A4 has been so far a good car, a great performer on the road and off. The best thing about the car is the Quattro, and the 1.8T. The Quattro system is the best AWD system ive driven, its just perfect, and when matched to the 1.8T engine, you not only have a car that can go easily through snow without any problems you also have a car that sounds great, and whenever needed the passing power to match. Ive had two problems while owning the car the electical system, and bad dealer to customer treatment. This is how my review will end, the A4 is the best looking and most bang-for- the-buck from all the german luxury car segment.

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  Almost a great car, but regret purchase - 2006 Audi A4
  By asilvera4 - July 21 - 3:36 pm

  This is my 4th Audi and 3rd with one of their great turbo-4s. Its also the first one I regret buying and wish I had considered a G35 or a 325 a bit more. The engine is peppy and efficient, handling is fun at normal speeds, quattro speaks for itself, and the interior materials are typical class-leading Audi. I also enjoy the tech packages fancy lights and bluetooth. My real complaint is the ride/handling. The sport suspension ride is unforgiving over most roads, yet its easy to upset the car when you push it hard at speed. Id skip that option. Honda nor BMW would put their name on that wobbly shifter. The armrest cant be down with e-brake up? Thats a GM foible, not for an Audi.

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  "Extended Warranty Required" - 2001 Audi A8
  By Al - July 21 - 2:19 pm

  The Germans have created cars with the philosophy that performance is the measure of quality. They have forgotten that durability and reliability are paramount to quality. Anyone who buys a used Audi A8 without an extended warranty will soon find the purchase economically untenable. The electrics rival those of 60s British autos. These cars are mechanically, electrically and economically a nightmare. The worst part of the experience is how arrogant they are about it.

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  MMI Navigation/Audio annoyance - 2009 Audi Q5
  By Joe O - July 18 - 12:48 pm

  Do not buy the MMI Navigation/Audio system unless you enjoy having it on every time you start the vehicle. You have two choices when starting your car. 1) The display comes on and the radio/media begins playing. OR 2) The display comes on with an Audi advertisement screen and the radio/media is off. Trying to blank the Audi advertisement screen causes the radio/media to come back on. You cannot start the car with the display and audio off. This is extremely annoying! I contacted Audi customer care. The representative verified this operation. I was told this operation is normal and they have no plans to fix it. There is no software/firmware update available to address this problem.

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  Good Car Overall - 1999 Audi A4
  By Kyle P - July 17 - 2:01 pm

  I bought the car with 155000, call me crazy but I did. Knock on wood nothing major has happened. Although, I wanted to change my transmission fluid and it’s a huge deal because Audi has once again made it difficult. Seeing past this, it has been fun to drive and everything still works except the triptronic sensor is bad but still shifts fine in "d". This car rewards good driving, if you take it easy, the car will outlast you.

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  Simply a well build motor vehicle - 1991 Audi 100
  By Ron Davis - July 16 - 8:33 pm

  I bought this car with 75,000 miles on it about 12 years ago. I drove it for about 20,000 miles and started to have issues with many things. Brakes, power steering pump (that also powers the brakes! This must work!), radiator, air conditioning, door locks, muffler, catalytic, you name it. I decided to replace them all as they failed. I spent a bit, but the car now has over 240,000 miles and is running like a top. Its on the 4th power steering pump. These seem to be an issue with some of these 100s. The headliner is falling down and I had to glue it back up. The AC does NOT like 134 and you have to run 12a or REDTEK out of Canada. All in all, its simply a very well built car. I love it!

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  Audi A4 Cabriolet - 2009 Audi A4
  By JWS - July 15 - 6:04 pm

  This car was leased for my wife. I owned a TT with a manual transmission a few years ago and we were attracted to this car by the excellent lease terms, appearance and the previous experience with Audi. The A4 has been back to the dealer twice in 3 weeks. The first time was due to wind noise and a water leak in the space between the front and rear drivers window. That was fixed. The second trip was because the automatic transmission (CVT) feels like it shifts from 1st to overdrive within about 2 seconds, causing significant loss of power. This even happens in sport mode. In addition, there is some lurching and hesitation upon initial acceleration. The dealer says this is "normal".

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  BEWARE!! Caught on fire in my driveway! - 2005 Audi S4
  By Chad - July 12 - 4:42 am

  I loved my Audi. I really did. I had no complaints to speak of. It was flawless with only 20k miles. Unfortunately, it caught fire on its own in the middle of the night. It was an electrical fire originating under the drivers seat. Had the windows been open, the fire wouldve been much worse, probably wouldve damaged my house.

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  2004 model year has the best reliability - 2004 Audi A6
  By jimsrod - July 10 - 5:59 pm

  Im the 2nd owner off lease. Ive been driving it for 2 years now. First couple of months the car was stock and throttle response a bit dead. I had the ECU chipped and it really livened it up. Plus gas mileage is a couple per gallon better (not great about 20 MPG combined city / hwy). Ive tinted the windows and added aftermarket wheels to the otherwise boring design of the 18" S- Line stockers. Oil lines to the turbos were updated for 2004 so no more blown turbos (one goes youve got to replace the other)! Ride is very nice and not too harsh. S-Line A6 2.7ts arent on every corner so you feel like youre in a more exclusive club. Love the car...luxury and sportiness all in one!