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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  Expensive Unreliability - 2004 Audi A8
  By Lynne LeGallais - November 10 - 4:18 pm

  We expected Audi quality and attn to customer service when we purchased this vehicle. Our experience has been terrible. Mechanical car repairs since 80,000KM have exceeded $7,500. Examples of necessary repairs are, replacing starter cost $992.16, dysfunctional remote which has had batteries replaced 5 times. Four upper control link bushings cost $1130.53, breather valve atop manifold cost $240.81. Decarbonization of air intake system cost $216.57. And the car stopped functioning on HWY 81 last night requiring towing, stranding us in Wilkes Barre, Penn and now requiring replacement of the mass air flow sensor cost unknown. It apparently was also misfiring on some cylinders.

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  Another Lemon Review - 2003 Audi A4
  By red - November 1 - 6:58 am

  This car is a total lemon. Had to replace the motor and turbo (Audi eventually paid for it after a threatened law suit), electrical system, CVT, multiple headlights and break lights while being told this can be due to "normal" wear and tear. Check engine light is now on for the third time (motor is only one year old) and I have spent $1500 thus far and the problem still isnt resolved. They also replaced my front tires twice before they figured out I had unusual wear because of a front end alignment problem.

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  Wish I had my 01 S4 back - 2004 Audi S4
  By Andrew - October 4 - 11:43 am

  I so wanted to love this car after enjoying my 01 SO MUCH but although its fast and fun, the mpg is pathetic (my 01 averaged 18-22 but I got 33-36 on cruises in the Rockies) and electrical gremlins are numerous. Strut replacement at $2000 is obscene and why water dribbles out of the side panels days after a wash is pathetic. The Alcantara wears very badly.

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  Q7 4.2 S-Line - 2008 Audi Q7
  By Q7 Stowe - August 24 - 9:29 pm

  Our Q7 has been at the dealer for the past 45 days and they have no estimate as to when they will return it. This car has been a nightmare. Brakes started screeching at 2000 miles and in the 2.5 years that I have owned this car, it has been at the dealer over 20 times (excluding scheduled maintenance). The starter has been replaced twice which requires the entire engine to be pulled from the vehicle (nice design). Audi does have roadside assistance which is nice since I have had to utilize this service 6 times to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The Q7 S-line is a cool looking SUV, if the cool design does not turn heads, the screeching brakes will!

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  Dont buy - 2009 Audi A3
  By gisrail - July 28 - 9:35 am

  So much for German engineering they have not discovered aluminium. All the interior design is in plastic with silly parts that break and are not covered by the warranty. I used the back seat arm rest once and it broke I plugged an ipod in the cigarette lighter and it broke the two moon light roof hatches broke the bolt that holds the spare tire broke, etc. In addition, the car gets a check engine light every six months (and deal with the service people.) Its the only brand that charges for rental car while on service, contrary to what they said at purchase.

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  My first and last Audi - 1998 Audi A4
  By Once A Mistake - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Audi new in 1998 after comparing it to the BMW. To me, the Audi "felt" like a more sturdy car. Needless to say, my Audi has been anything but sturdy. A design flaw keeps the front-end of my car flapping in the wind most of the time. My salesman has never seen or heard of this problem. The service people see it all the time. I pay to have it fixed - at least twice a year. Friends laugh when I get out of my car and pound my bumper back on with my hand. A new warning indicator lights up every other month. Audis response? $$$Ca-ching... I paid my car off 6 months ago. Now my monthly payment goes to repairs.

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  A Very Pretty Lemon - 2003 Audi A4
  By A very Pretty Lemon - May 26 - 7:24 am

  This is the prettiest lemon I have ever owned! Not worth the cost of the tires. It is very unreliable. I purchased this car for my daughter last year, a college student, and she has been stranded so many times that AAA canceled our contract after only 4 months! First the CVT went out, then its been in the shop for numerous sensor replacements. Headlight replacements, $300 a pop. Just required to have the timing belt replaced at only 80K on Friday ($1500), Saturday a.m. my daughter called and said the check engine light came back on.

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  DONT buy an Audi - 2007 Audi Q7
  By Shammy - April 28 - 10:09 pm

  Important to note: I am a grandma and a teacher. I do not speed. I always take my car for service promptly! I am absolutely outraged with the quality of this car. I only have 19,000 miles and I need a NEW ENGINE. How ridiculous is that! This vehicle has had many faults. One example is that emergency brake locked on me while I was driving on the freeway, very scary. Other defects: Window mechanism broken on both front windows -Molding coming off -headlights fogged from inside -bad brakes. BE AWARE...the blue-book price has drastically decreased FIFTY Percent. Overall, DONÂ’T buy an AUDI! I wish I never did!!!

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  Beware the 2003 Audi A4 4WD - 2003 Audi A4
  By Lydia Bernstein - March 20 - 10:28 pm

  I purchased 2 2003 Audi A4s at the same time. Just as the warranty expired, similar defects appeared in both cars. In just over two years, almost everything has gone wrong with both cars. They are both lemons. The Audi dealership we went to charged me almost $3K for 2 visits in which they couldnt diagnose the problem. The turbo exploded 2 weeks ago in one of them and damaged the engine in the process. Both cars are a money pit, and I am attempted to dump both & absorb the loss. Audi corporate apologized for my frustration & loss & asked if there was anything else they could do today. DONT BUY THESE CARS!!!!

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  Not so good! - 2001 Audi A6
  By Mayo - February 18 - 12:26 pm

  I looked at Audis for a long time and finally bought it! Almost 2 years later and boy what a mistake!! I was trading in a Jeep so I could get better gas mileage and its not a big improvement. I get about 18-20mpg & thats 75% highway and rest city. I have had to replace many parts and of course they are EXTREMELY expensive to fix. The car rides nice and looks good but be prepared to spend a lot to fix it when it breaks! For supposedly being a German performance car it doesnt handle that well. 2.7T has good power most of the time but there is a decent delay if you try to accelerate quickly. I wont ever own an Audi or foreign car again, this one ruined it!