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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  Dissapointment - 2008 Audi A6
  By riberg27 - September 8 - 1:49 pm

  I looked at all cars that could possibly fit my criteria. I wanted top performance in a 4 wheel drive car. I finally settled on the A6. Although this car is fantastic in so many ways,the lack of road feel and poor wieght distribution is very unsettling. I cant understand why they would build a great car, but which lacks basic handling characteristics. My daughters 06 Accord has much better road feel and handling characteristics than this car. I would even go so far as to say this car is quite dangerous if you try to drive it on a curvy road at high speed. The V8 is too much power for the poor handling. I am very dissapointed I wish I would have gone with the BMW

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  Burns oil - 2008 Audi A4
  By Morris - September 6 - 10:44 am

  My 2008 Audi A4 Quattro burns oil at a rate of 1 quart per 1000 miles. The oil level warning came on at 6000, 10000 and 14000 miles. Each time I had it checked at the dealer where it was purchased and was told each time that no leaks were found and that it was operating normally. They also measured the aforementioned burn off rate according Audi guidelines and informed me that it was "well within Audi specifications and no action is required." These engines are problematic and Audi knows it.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Audi Q7
  By Stephanie - September 5 - 8:02 pm

  My husband purchased this car for me and traded in our A4 cab for it. I loved it at first. Then a month into ownership, the trunk latch broke. It wouldnt close all the way so I had to drive the hour away to the nearest dealership (twice) to get it fixed. 2 weeks ago, my MMI system stopped working and it was stuck to only play CDs. I took it in today and was told youre out of luck because you spilled something on it. Had I known this was such a common problem, I wouldnt have bought this car. Now I have to shell out the money out of pocket to replace the MMI system. After reading a bunch of reviews, it seems to be an extremely common problem.

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  Brilliant - 1997 Audi A4
  By AudiFan - September 1 - 5:48 am

  I bought this car after its 11th birthday, It had a very hard life before I bought it. But a bit of TLC took care of that. Even though I spent a lot of money on her, What she ended up costing me in total was still a bargain. I would rather have looked at a newer model if I could afford one, But the fact is it has served me well and will continue to do so.

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  Fun! - 2007 Audi A3
  By G Popenoe - September 1 - 12:19 am

  It has been very reliable. There are none of the squeaks or rattles identified in other reviews. It brakes confidently. Steering is wonderful and acceleration makes it plenty quick without being stupid fast. What the reviews dont tell you is that this is the ultimate city car. Compact, practical, quick and stylish. Yet it will pour itself done a twisty back road with verve. Its only weakness is touring on US freeways. For that you need something heavier with a longer wheel base. But since 90% of my driving is in the city, I couldnt be happier with my choice. Beware of the clutch take up on the DSG transmission. It is set agressively.

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  Good looking car - 2001 Audi TT
  By Brian Connolly - August 31 - 10:33 am

  I have about 110k on this car now, had several problems, the most serious being the instrument cluster (not covered by Audi) also the rear window melted away from the soft-top with no obvious way to glue it back on. The TT is a good looking car, comfortable and fun to drive with that unique Audi look but with the experience Ive had together with the type of problems Ive had I wont be buying another Audi.

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  Terrific reliable car, but costly - 1998 Audi A4
  By gtv6 - August 25 - 8:21 pm

  100,000 miles later, it has never let me down, but be prepared to pay. Suspension bits especially, and there are an infinite number of bits in the quattro suspension. The interior is unmatched and extremely durable, and Audi paint is excellent. There are few cars of the era that do so many things well, including 27mpg.

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  Fun to Drive but Problems - 2005 Audi A4
  By kgkdh - August 8 - 9:53 am

  My 2005 Audi A4 1.8T quattro is really fast and fun to drive. The exterior looks great. The audio system is awesome. Its interior design could be better though, the cup holders are in weird places and dont work well. You can easily spill coffee because they dont hold the cups. All cars come with ashtrays, which we could do without. Our biggest issue is that after only two months of owning the car, the airbag light is on. My Audi dealerships customer service was rude on the phone. She said she was doing us a "favor" by letting us bring the car in today, and wed have to WAIT for the car, no loaner. Give me a break! This is an expensive car and it is only two months old. That was a big disappointment because we really like the car.

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  Luck of the Draw - 2001 Audi A4
  By Scott - August 7 - 12:39 pm

  Bought "used certified" with 30K miles which may explain why its been farily reliable (86K now), though we did bring it back a few times while under warranty. If youre looking for a truly long term reliable car, skip this one. However, I dont regret (yet) the purchase because the value was great. We bought this car for less than a new Mazda3. And driving a sport luxury car rather than an econo-box was a choice I can live with every day.

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  Great car - 2000 Audi S4
  By cutterhead - July 31 - 3:49 pm

  Purchased this car new and have really enjoyed it. Now that its 8 years old Im thinking about something else, but this one is still a lot of fun and I only have 65k miles on it. No major problems but have had issues with the navigation system (ok, maybe in 2000 it was OK, but really is a joke by todays standards) a hand full of sensors and what Im told is carbon build up on the intake plenum that seems to need cleaning all the time.