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:

• 

  Beautiful Car, Poor Gas Mileage and Ride - 2012 Audi A5
  By catperson9 - September 1 - 12:57 pm

  Lovely exterior, nicest interior Ive ever experienced. Im proud to be seen in this car. However, gas mileage is nowhere near EPAs 21/29 rating. I get a disgraceful 16-17 mpg in town, doing little highway driving -- and Im anything but a leadfoot. In typical German fashion, controls/infotainment are way too complicated, very hard to learn. Also, I find the ride very stiff and rough, especially on some of West L.A.s pitted streets. This is probably my first and last Audi. (I kept my previous car, a 1996 Mercedes C280, for 16 years, and I miss its simplicity.)

• 

  2.0t oil consumption solutions - 2010 Audi A4
  By keegs1224 - July 31 - 3:57 pm

  A review to all those having oil consumption problems: I bought my 10 a4 2.0t about a year ago off of a lease with about 16k on it. I was sick of bringing it to the dealer where I purchased it from for a top of because of the "oil min" light. IT IS NOT NORMAL. Switched my servicing to another Audi Dealer in the DC area, and they learned that my turbo and pistons were not made up to par with what my car required (something about a bad batch). Both my turbo and all oil parts were just replaced in hopes that it will solve the problem and will cause less oil to be burned without necessity. As long as you are persistant, they will fix the problem. Just dont bring it to a dbag dealer

• 

  Rev it up! - 1999 Audi A4
  By nanonevol - July 31 - 9:54 am

  Fun to drive. Handles great with AWD and goes right up snowy hills in Worcester. Overall solid feel to the car. Doesnt look like a 15 year old car at all and I dont do anything special to take care of it. Expensive repairs come with the deal - expect them. Wheel bearings (make sure your wheels are balanced and car aligned), flex pipes, dirt in ABS sensor lights the dash. Dash is currently lit up like a Christmas tree. Ill miss it but Im scrapping it with too many repairs needed for an 06 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD (I MUST have AWD)

• 

  Known Navigation problem that Audi will not tell you - 2014 Audi Q5
  By garakl - July 30 - 2:06 am

  I own the 2014 Audi Q5 TDI for 6 months. Love everything in this car except MMI. Recently discovered a problem with Navigation - sometimes, it looses GPS signal and when re-acquires, it recalculates your position by 1-2 miles off your real location. MMI reset does not help. All that helped so far, is to stop the car, turnoff the ignition, and wait for 10-15 minutes. AUDI is aware of this problem, but has no solution. Today, after 6 month of very gentle use, I have only 6K miles on the car, its rear view camera stopped working, shows green chaotically blinking stripes and rectangles. I am very disappointed. I planned to keep the car, but now I am glad that I leased it first.

• 

  Love it! - 2004 Audi A4
  By caspersim - July 11 - 4:07 pm

  Owned my A4 1.8T for a year now, bought it used. I love it, the cost of service is a bit higher but the car seems to not need service as often, but time will tell. The interior is beautiful and comfy, but there is a serious lack of cup holders...Performance is amazing, for a 4 cylinder car it has some serious power with the turbo, and the car corners like a dream. Handles very good in winter conditions with the Quattro

• 

  Ugly but overall a great car - 1997 Audi A8
  By felipe444444 - July 11 - 7:12 am

  I just reached 200,000 miles on my car it runs well very comfy and very fun to drive a great car for student drivers

• 

  Brakes at 31,000 Miles - 2014 Audi Q5
  By srubin415 - May 5 - 9:27 am

  At 31,000 miles, the dash indicator screen told me I needed brake pads. Over a third of those miles were put on during 2 road trips. Yet when I questions Audi both at the dealer level and at the corporate level, I was told that on the Q5 & Q7 models, the brake pads must be replaced around 25,000 to 30,000 miles. I have owned many automobiles including 5 other Audi cars. I have never had to replace brakes at 25 - 35,00 miles

• 

  TDI engine is a superstar - 2014 Audi Q5
  By wolvesq - April 27 - 9:55 am

  I cross-shopped the Q5 against the X3 35i, XC60 T6, Range Rover Sport, and Cayenne. All had their strengths, but I fell in love with the Q5s TDI engine. In short, it provides the best of both worlds. It explodes off the line like a rocket thanks to its considerable low end torque, but also returns fantastic mpg, often reaching 35 mpg on the highway. I had no idea diesels were so much fun -- I preferred it to the petrol inline sixes in the XC60 and X3. You can get the same basic TDI engine in the Cayenne, but its at least $20k premium over a similarly equipped Q5. And just so you dont think Im too easy of a grader when I say it "explodes" off the line, Im coming from a C63 AMG.

• 

  2014 Premium Plus TDI - 2014 Audi Q5
  By motoracer - April 22 - 9:45 pm

  Our Q5 TDI is only four days old and already impresses. Premium Plus with MMI, B&O sound system, tow hitch and side assist. Per the computer that might be optimistic, we got 37 mpg on the mainly highway trip home from the dealer. Managed 33 mpg on the way into work (uphill) and 37 mpg on the way home. The OEM tow hitch is a clean install and they gave me a color matched insert for the back bumper if I ever get rid of the hitch. The auto stop system is not intrusive.

• 

  Fun but a PAIN - 2001 Audi A6
  By bizbinski - April 2 - 7:19 am

  Ive got drive a few cars such as a 2005 Caddy STS, a 2008 caddy CTS, a 2012 Buick LaCrosse, 2014 Caddy ATS, and a 2014 Caddy XTS. Honestly the Audi was the best and most fun car to drive. It handles better than all the rest and feels more like a GT car than a fat 4 door sedan. Although its such a blast to drive the reliability is garbage. I had it for one month before it was having a misfire . After i got that fixed it ran good for a day now it wont stay running. Also the tubing inside is more brittle than glass. Also both cup holders have broke. Ive already dropped about $1000 into it but im suspecting to be dropping more in the near future.