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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  1993 Audi S4, Not made this well anymore - 1993 Audi S4
  By Sports car fan - August 19 - 2:00 am

  This is a super car that not only has very high performance, but also is extremely reliable. Sure if you are stupid enough to add dumb performance parts such as computer chips you will ruin the car and make it unreliable, but I have had mine for 11 years and it has been virtually flawless. Okay I had a PS hose or two replaced, but that is it, all around this car is still like new with no rattles and solid to drive. Cant say that about many other cars that are out there 11 years old with over 110K miles.

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  Control Arms - 1997 Audi A4
  By jdoezema - August 19 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle was okay until 90,000 miles when it started to have front end problems. The control arms of which there are 8 cost around $3200 to fix. Also, the suspension is costly to get fixed.

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  Hold on To Your Investment - 2003 Audi A4
  By paynowpaylater - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Small disp engine is very quiet and excl gas mileage (25-30mpg). A lot of extras come std, like subwoofer, CD chgr, cargo net, dual zone a/c, 1 touch wndw on all 4. Solid car. Big caveat, if buy/lease, plan for long term. Resale is horrendous. Due to growing family, looking to trade in for familymobile, but am finding out that after < 1 yr, car has lost 1/3 value. Had a BMW before and didnt get to this point until after almost 4 years.

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  Fun to drive, expensive to repair - 1998 Audi A4
  By Permechanic - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I loved the road handling and the way 80 mph felt like 35 mph. -Quattro will take off some low end grunt from a stand still. The styling is very slick and the interior very comfortable. However, I found the car to require frequent, expensive service.

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  My Toy Roadster - 2003 Audi TT
  By stkbrk - August 17 - 2:00 am

  Power plant is acceptable for this kind of vehicle. Performance is great... acceleration is superb, although scary. DMV threat me with revoking my license is I get another fine. It cruises at 80 mph with no effort. Style and design provokes in others curiosity and admiration. Its a simple fun to drive and owned german roadster. I will not have it any other way!

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  Audi A4 needs a lot of repairs - 1998 Audi A4
  By Sacramento owner - August 16 - 2:00 am

  This car is really fun to drive but has needed a LOT of repairs. In a little over 2 years it has needed 6500 worth of repairs. I spoke to the extended warranty company (thank goodness I bought that) and he said they are losing their shirt on Audis. It is still a blast to drive, but beware of repairs.

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  As good as it gets. - 2004 Audi TT
  By Mystro - August 15 - 2:00 am

  This car is art in motion. Quality and fit&finish are the best I have seen. The quattro AWD lets you mash the pedal and go. Cornering seems to defy physics. It is very easy to drive this car well. Most rear wheel drive sports cars (Porsche 911) makes you work hard when driving in challenging conditions. The Audi TT Roadster does it effortlessly.

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  High-speed Cruiser - 1999 Audi A4
  By Snowboard Enthusiast - August 13 - 2:00 am

  Ive put 4K on this car since I purchased it three months ago. One trip from Denver to Utah and several trips into the mountains have been extremely enjoyable. This car is at home with high speeds. I have the 5- speed, but test drove the tiptronic 2.8 and the new 1.8T 5-speed. The 2.8 5- speed had the best acceleration and sense of control to reach optimum torque on uphill climbs. Im looking forward to see how quattro does in the snow, which is a main reason I purchased the car.

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  Practicality was never so much fun! - 2000 Audi S4
  By jatwrite - August 12 - 2:00 am

  The S4 is an outstanding overall vehicle for someone who likes to have fun driving but has practical needs too -- like a fold-down rear seat, decent trunk, four doors, etc. Also fun to modify: for $600 I bought a chip (APR) that adds 58 hp and 100 lb ft of torque, making torque 358!!! Quarter mile under 14 yet still a comfortable ride.

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  German Disappointment - 1999 Audi A6
  By NC_Audi_Owner - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car used -- still under Audi A$$urance -- and boy did we need it! Dealer tried to weasel out of almost all our issues. Our personal mechanic was more reliable than the dealer. We bought Audi because we trust German engineering (we own a 13 year old Benz that has over 225K miles - still solid as a rock!). Sorry to say .. this will be our last 2.8 A6 -- and its interesting to see Audi now using a 3.0 in place of the 2.8 -- hmmmmmmmm.