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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  Just fun to drive at autobahn - 2004 Audi A4
  By amg - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Very responsive car on autobahn as well as highway. Fun to drive in summertime. Reliable car as well even in winter when it snows yet quattro (4wd) probably will be superior. However, storage space is generious compared to other convertables.

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  Not fun to fix - 2003 Audi Allroad Quattro
  By Hoss - October 17 - 6:16 pm

  I loved driving the allroad, but I hated to fix it. Every time it went to the shop it needed at least $1000. Leaks here, bad parts there, $90 oil changes, Mine was becoming such a money pit I was glad to sell it at a loss. The 2.7T can be tuned to make great power, but it also leaks oil like a sieve and is expensive to fix. Parts go bad on these cars far short of what I would consider an acceptable life span.

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  fun to drive - 2002 Audi A4
  By ALAN - October 16 - 10:00 am

  Real fun to drive. Handels great

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  Awesome A4 - 2009 Audi A4
  By Frank - October 5 - 11:23 am

  This is an update from my previous review. We got some snow here and I was able to test Quattro system much more than on wet pavement. I confirm that without ASR, handling is exceeding my expectation! I feared that the electronic would limit my fun, but Im very pleased by the latitude granted by my A4. And with ASR, I know my wife will not be in trouble when driving in the snow. Also, I got my Ipod cable and can confirm that Ipod integration is flawless. I use playlist and store over 350 CDs on my Ipod. Can navigate with ease and of course, sound quality it excellent. The only one thing that disappointed me a bit is the non SDHC support for SD cards which limits capacity to 2GB

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  2001 Audi Wagon 1.8 - 2001 Audi A4
  By M. - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I had wanted an Audi wagon for awhile. I did a lot of research on the car. I did finally end up purchasing one and overall, I have enjoyed driving it. Some issues that I have sadly encountered are: I had to have a new transmission after owning it for 1 month! The sunroof has an awful vibration unless the two back windows are rolled down some. If you purchase the sport package as I did, the tires create a lot of wind noise!

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  not what I expected - 2003 Audi A4
  By ccunning - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I recently test drove this car. Overall its a solid car, very well built and attractive. Its very smooth and has good power, very comfortable driver. Unfortunately it left me wanting in terms of performance. While power was good, handling was not. It just didnt feel like a drivers car, lost its composure too easily under hard turns. I also wasnt too fond of the interior, there are too many buttons all over the place making it look busy, and the rest of the interior is just rather plain. Its a good comfortable car, but not a drivers car.

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  Nice, practical, Little, fun car. - 2006 Audi A3
  By Derek - October 5 - 8:43 am

  It is a very nice, peppy car with a turbocharged four, and still gets a 25 mpg int the city and 32 on the highway. Acceleration a bit jerky at the beginning, but once you are in seconds gear, the power starts pouring out. I was very impressed with the DSG automatic transmission, the shifts were so fast I did even feel the car jolt as it did it. Nice exhaust note for a 4 cylinder, and its looks are somtimes missed in a bland color, and arent truely appreciated until you see the car in the brillant red color, (my color). It truely brings out the coolness of the car.

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  A bit afraid - 2006 Audi A3
  By Peter - October 4 - 5:30 pm

  DSG is great - for those whole like to control the RPMs but are affraid of traffic and 3rd pedal...your reward is finally here. The 2.0 engine is much stronger and torque is higher as well. It is not as noisy as the old 1800 block. No turbo lag observed. Very strong brakes, thanks to oversized discs. Stiff, and has no "dipping" on sharper curves. Has a sporty feel for sure but is very easy to handle and navigate due to smaller size. Inerior: I am about 62 nd plenty of space (head, shoulder, leg). Rear space is fine too, great cargo for this size class.

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  2017 Audi A4 Prestige Quattro AWD 4Dr - 2017 Audi A4
  By FWC - October 3 - 7:26 pm

  The new A4 design is a redesigned automobile based somewhat on the Audi Q7 cabinet. Audi was smart enough to keep somewhat of the same exterior design. They were smart enough to add technology to the interior cabinet in place of big outside body changes. With that said, the inside cabinet has totally changed - for the BETTER. There is more room and comfort, better placement of hand controls, a well-placed cup holder, and three very smart user display areas across the center console, driver dashboard, and windshield . Compared to the previous model, it is a comfortable rocketship with added safely technology and conveniences surrounding the entire cabinet, including the heated back seats. The only big drawback is the Apple CarPlay needs to be connected via a cable and not via wireless bluetooth. Yes, we are Apple iPhone users. Another concern is BMW, Mercedes, and other car manufacturers moving away from Apple, since they are supposedly building their own car line. My questions are: will Audi stay up-to-date with Apple upgrades and changes, or move away? And even if they stay with Apple or Android, can these new designs - Apple CarPlay and their GPS accept a software upgrade? In regards to the new A4, I would recommend it. The changes are enough to get me to the showroom. Hats off to the online marketing department. In regard to price, it is pricer with all the new option stuff. In closing, I will probably buy one in June because my wife loves her A4, I love her, and its time to trade up. Good luck with the car hunting!

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  Great but not BMW great - 2018 Audi A4
  By Bill - October 2 - 2:21 pm

  I loved the A4 but the BMW 330i won with me. More fun to drive (BMW is the ultimate driving machine). BMW had a much better sales team too.