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:

• 

  Do not buy - 2002 Audi A4
  By Megan - April 11 - 11:07 pm

  We bought this car thinking it was going to be reliable. After 2 years we had to replace the engine, now at 100,000 miles we need a new transmission. It has been one thing after the other and I will never buy an Audi ever again. Nobs all wear or fall off, interior tears, head lights burn out every 2 seconds. Not only have I spent tons of money having to repair the car I want to get rid of it and it isnt worth anything, horrible resale. Bad bad bad, that is all I have to say!

• 

  You pay way for way overpriced Honda Accord - 2016 Audi A6
  By Moody - March 25 - 2:53 am

  I got this car all excited by the Audi name. First, the engine is very loud, even when you close the windows you can still hear the engine, comparing it to my wifes MB E350, huge difference. The ride is rough, even on the most comfortable setting, especially if you sit in the backseat. Everytime we go out as a family, the kids would run to my wifes car. I am really disappointed at the infotainement system. Search and scrolling through the setting is so antique, I wish they can learn from Tesla or Volve how to make the infotainment system user friendly: easy to use and attractive. I dont think I will be keeping the car beyond its waranty, God knows what else Audi was misleading the customers in their products.

• 

  Please do not buy this Audi! - 2003 Audi A8
  By Do not like my Audi - January 16 - 2:52 pm

  I bought the Audi A8L about 14-15 months ago. It STINKS. I am actually going to sell it. One thing after another breaks. Two Audi places cannot figure out whats wrong with the sensors that monitor the tire pressure. The window regulator broke, the adjustable headrests broke on 2 seats, the adjustable lumbar support broke on 2 seats, and MORE. The car is not reliable. The driver controls are NOT well thought out. The NAV STINKS, none of the controls are self explanatory, you cannot see the display with polarized glasses on if you are in the drivers seat. The speakers are not that good, the responsiveness is not good, and gas mileage is BAD. I could go on!

• 

  Dissatisfied audi owner - 2006 Audi A4
  By unhappy owner - November 11 - 3:35 pm

  Ive own this car for about a year and a half now. So far this car has been in the shop for more than 7 times due to multiple recalls that I was never notified and malfunctions. One recall I was in total shock was the airbag, it was not functioning and I never got a recall letter until I had to get a letter of recalls for importing my car to Canada. The engine ignition had problems, the valve got disconnected after a few thousand miles, and my car would do this horrid shaking (I thought I was in an earthquake). What else, now the suspension is squeaking. This should not be happening to a car of this price. I will never buy audi again.

• 

  Lousy Audi - 2006 Audi A6
  By leblancjon - July 21 - 10:07 am

  Spent a total of 3 months at the dealer for repair of sunroof (3 times), noise in suspensions (never fixed - the dealer gave up, suggested I buy another car), blew transmission after 6300 miles. Again dealer suggested I should have bought a Quatro, instead of a CVT. Still has noises in the liner, suspension, rattles in the door and seats. Do yourself a favor, do not bay an Audi.

• 

  Wish Id NEVER bought this car! - 2003 Audi A4
  By LLL - May 2 - 2:00 am

  I test drove a lot of cars before I purchased the Audi and this one seemed like the most fun and by far looked the best. That was where the fun ended...Radio went dead after 1 week, one headlight went out, then another a few months later, then had to pull over on a major highway because coil pack went bad at which time the tire also shredded (which Audi refused to replace), air conditioner smells like mildew and now neither gas gauge registers. Now Im in the process of getting rid of the Audi (which no one will buy for more than 19K and I paid 31K for it brand new and fully loaded 10 months ago). So much for a fun car!

• 

  Great looking car - reliable? Not so much - 2010 Audi A4
  By Kathy - April 7 - 3:51 am

  I bought the car certified pre owned in 2011 with 13k miles on it. Before 20k the oil light kept coming on. Took it to the dealer who said it was "normal" to use a lot of oil cause its a turbo. Took it back to the dealer when we had to start putting a quart or more of oil in every 1000 miles. They had to go thru a 3 step process to "prove" the car had an oil consumption problem which involved 4 visits to the shop over the course of the better part of a year. They finally had to basically rebuild the top half of the engine. This was around 60k miles. Fast forward to just over 100k miles and the timing chain tensioner failed. Car was of course just out of warranty and despite technical bulletins on the issue and a class action lawsuit the Audi dealership didnt cut us any slack on the repair quote. Over $13k to rebuild the engine or $20k for a new one. We took it to a 3rd party shop and managed to get the work done for a "mere" $7k. The ignition coils have failed 3 times in the last year. Random lights keep failing. Fuel pump went bad at 112k miles. Car is now just around 120k miles and has multiple EPC faults, idles rough and randomly dies at low speeds. Its been in the shop 3 times in the last 3 months, still not fixed. This is without a doubt the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. I once drove a 1972 Ford Ltd in the 90s that was more reliable. I would never buy another Audi and the only reason Im still (attempting) to drive this one is its paid off. Except for the repair bills, those keep coming!

• 

  Think twice before you buy - 2007 Audi A3
  By Laura - April 4 - 6:17 pm

  Since I bought my brand new car I never got more than 16 MPG, the gas cover got locked, the back of the front seat fell, it ran out of of oil more than 5 times, the 5th door froze and was impossible to open, the tires wore out - $1,000 to replace them! - the stick shift locks in the worst moments, it is so noisy inside you can not hear the radio, open the window when raining, all the water goes inside because of bad design, every time you want to open the front window, you open the rear one because of bad design. NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE BUYING - THIS IS EXPENSIVE JUNK!!

• 

  Seriously Bad - 2007 Audi Q7
  By John Wilson - March 28 - 1:30 pm

  Third row! What third row, you mean you can actually get in it. A child could wiggle in. When the 3rd row is up that it, no space left. For the length of this car, where has all the space gone. As for auto trunk lid. I broke it within 10 minutes. Seriously. Yes I know I should have read all the instructions but I dont expect guests and friends to have read the manual to properly operate the auto trunk lid. This is a huge car with all the space used by the front half while we were buying it for the rear half. Our mistake, please dont make the same one.

• 

  Q7 - Is it what people say? - 2007 Audi Q7
  By krulla11 - February 13 - 9:53 am

  I have been reading what other people are writing about the Q7 so I thought I would take the time to write one as well. Performance: happens to be really good, itÂ’s a fast car and it sits on the road well. Comfort: I have to say that it has been giving me a really bumpy ride. This weekend I had people in my car and we took a long trip together, and they all complained that it shook them up. Interior design/exterior design: In overall itÂ’s done really well, except for the fact that in the backseat you canÂ’t seat any adults, and when you do put down the seats you get very little room for cargo compared to other SUVs .