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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  A blast to drive but VERY pricey to fix! - 2004 Audi A4
  By Paul - May 18 - 12:51 pm

  This is an amazing car to drive. It handles like a dream on both dry roads and ice packed roads. The interior is beautiful and very functional. You will definitely get some head turns with this car. I would, however, anyone who is considering buying this car to reconsider. The car is extremely expensive to fix and seems to have more problems than the average car. I have taken amazing car of the car but unfortunately it has not returned the favor. In the past 6 months I have put approximately $4500 into the car. I dont know how much longer I can keep it up. I would highly recommend looking at a Toyota convertible.

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  Nightmare - 2005 Audi A4
  By dan - May 17 - 11:22 am

  Coils, electrical system, various gaskets. The engine light on our car has been on constantly since we bought it. We put a lot of miles on our cars and my sense is that the Audi models just arent built for the mileage. We bought extended warranty thankfully and our local dealership repair shop has been great to deal with, but sitting in the Audi repair shop is not my favorite pastime. Well never buy an Audi again. Ever.

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  Great car--lousy service - 2006 Audi A3
  By bob52r - May 15 - 11:28 pm

  This 06 A3 has been described to me as over engineered. When the car works well--95% of the time it is fantastic. When the a/c compressor went, it took 3 visits to the dealer with them telling that nothing was wrong, until I went crazy and an exec got into the car and told the service manager I was right. The radio switches stations on its own randomly--Audi says its my imagination and I should buy my own aftermarket replacement etc.....I really dont know if the collection just has bad service or Audi USA is not consumer friendly --as they blame each other. 4 or 5 other thing have gone wrong over 21,000 miles. Not horrible, but not top reliability. Its a fight to get the dealer to fix it?

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  Gets in its own way - 2008 Audi A3
  By big mountain - May 14 - 9:05 pm

  This is a great car if you like going to the dealer. Mechanically, it is perfect but the build quality is a disaster. Handles great, fast, average over 30 mpg in a mixed commute. Easy to park in the city. All of the doors have been taken apart for wiring harnesses being out of the clips. The radio was a mess. Seat belt receiver replaced, etc. Now I have 2 mystery rattles, the drivers door handle and an exhaust rattle.

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  Poor Gas Mileage - 2009 Audi Q5
  By jscotyd - May 10 - 11:29 am

  Beware of the ugly gas mileage. I can only get the 18 mpg in the city on the vehicle instant mpg calculator if I am going down hill with my foot off of the accelerator. Its stupid.

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  Modern, but rough around the edges - 2009 Audi A4
  By NewEnglander - May 4 - 7:28 pm

  I purchased this car for the winter weather performance, blend of fuel efficiency and power, stunning appearance, and advanced safety and technology features. Those the car achieves these easily. Living with the car for a while, I would love to give it back. The primary drawback of the vehicle is the very rough ride over 50 MPH. The vehicle seems to transmit every nuance of the road surface into the cabin, the seats, and the floor. The suspension is just far, far too firm. Riding on rougher roads is continuously distracting, with tiny road imperfections intruding into an otherwise palatial experience. I urge anyone considering this vehicle to do an extended test drive. I wish I had.

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  nice car - 2003 Audi A4
  By Grog - May 4 - 10:00 am

  Dealer gave us an unnecessary hassle when qualifying for financing. The automatic transmission coupled with the turbo lag of the 1.8T engine is kind of quirky... it doesnt increase power right away when you press the accelerator (should have gone with the manual shift). Other than that its a very nice car, no mechanical issues (yet), AWD is excellent and it handles very well aside from the above quirkiness.

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  Horrible Sun Roof - 2009 Audi A5
  By SLINE - April 27 - 9:00 pm

  Its fun, the roof needs to open, I mean really for that much money Audi could do much better. It barely tilts. I only have 200 miles on it and already am looking for something else... A lot of money but no great things... Dash is very clumsy in design, not very user friendly, and if you buy one dont even thing of trying to adjust anything on the dash board you will wreck your new baby...

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  Disappointed - 2008 Audi A6
  By P. Shafer - April 18 - 7:20 pm

  Weve been a Volvo family for over 15 years and decided to "step up" to an Audi after thorough research and test drives. The car is beautify, spacious, and has more gadgets than we need but the kids love it. The ride is spectacular. However, in just 14 months we have had to take the car back 5 times for check engine light. One of the Cylinders (#5) they tell us is bad. The car has stalled on my wife stranding her and my daughter at the side of the road. We are delighted with their road-side assistance and loaner program but frankly miffed that weve had to use it about every other month. At this time we are not happy with our decision. I also see others have had the same issue.

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  Love my car.....but....things to know - 2003 Audi A4
  By Damien - April 18 - 1:34 pm

  I love my audi and will say that it drives the same as the day I bought it (with 8800 miles on it). With that said, repairs are expensive so you should know that. Find a good VW or Audi mechanic and dont use your dealership as they are a rip off. Here are some things I have paid for on my car with 86K miles on it. At 43K a new clutch....70K a new timing belt, spark plugs, and water pump, front breaks at 72K and rear breaks at $77K.....82K catalytic converter, 85K miles suspension arms, etc. In the last year I have put $5,000 in my audi and plan to keep it for another 80K miles. My mechanic has been great and lesson learned is after the warranty was up I should have found a mechanic.