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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  Cannot duplicate - 2012 Audi A4
  By a4avantguard - February 15 - 11:54 am

  Purchased Nov 8, 2011. Odometer now shows 4015 miles (as of Feb 10, 2012 when it was towed to dealer). Beginning at about 1000 miles, engine made serious noise when first started in the mornings. To an untrained ear, it sounds like a bad bearing noise emanating from something at the front of the engine. Car has been to dealer service twice for a cumulative 9 days. Techs and Service Advisor have listened to audio recordings of the noise, but report that they cannot duplicate the problem hence, they cannot fix the problem. I found several YouTube postings by A4 owners with the same problem. Dealer says, "its normal," yet, it did not make the noise for the first 1000 miles.

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  Oil leak Problem - 2003 Audi A4
  By samnim - February 1 - 12:57 pm

  As much fun to drive this car as, as much as the oil leakage does hurt your budget, so far I did spend close to 6000$ on this car in repairs, and yet the issue of oil leak was not fixed. and I was last called by the dealer to tell me, it needs an engine rebuild and this will cost me another 3000-4000 $ and they are not sure if it will solve the massive loss of oil ( more than a quarter of oil every 900 miles )

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  German engineered nonsense - 2009 Audi Q5
  By gigles - January 26 - 9:35 am

  Instead of going into a long winded review of my 2009 Audi Q5, i will simply list the warranty work that has been performed thus far: - replaced center console - replaced water pump - replaced exterior HID light system - repaired gas lid - replaced rear hatch struts - removed engine for DE-carbon (3 full days) - replaced fuel injection - replaced steering rod & pump Non warranty: - replaced brakes and rotors (30K)

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  2012 Audi A4 Premium Plus - 2012 Audi A4
  By penpen1999 - January 14 - 2:16 am

  Bought a new 2012 A4 in November. I was shocked that a $40,880 vehicle does not support Bluetooth Audio streaming when a budget car like the Ford Fiesta does! The rear headrests are so large that they block 20% of the rear windshield. The Bluetooth voice command requires a separate phonebook that requires user entry The steering feels artificial and loose and lacks good road feel. My highway gas mileage has been 24 MPG but the spec said 29 MPG. I have been very gentle with the accelerator (less than 2000 rpm) and only drive highway so this is far lower than I expected. I get 30 MPG in my Accord when the spec says 29. The instantaneous MPG on the trip computer says 200 MPG sometime

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  Fun to drive, costly to own - 2006 Audi A4
  By jdr8n - January 11 - 3:39 pm

  Original purchaser, just over 5 years with not quite 60k kms/37k mi on it, all easy miles. All maintenance done by Audi per recommended schedule. Great car to drive, but expensive to maintain once OoW. Low oil pressure light/check engine light 1 month out of warranty. Known issue with oil starvation due to sludge requires a complete engine replacement - $12k. Dealer went to bat for me and Audis covering a portion, but even so, its more than I spent on my last 2 Fords with twice the mileage. Clicking noises come from dash when cold due to known issues with actuators. Audi wont cover even though reported under warranty. Even basic service is 2X my Ford/Honda. Costly lesson.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Audi Q7
  By tazzygirl - January 11 - 7:58 am

  I purchased my Q7 October 2008 & loved it for the first 2 years. October 2010 things started to go wrong. I drive a lot of highway miles so it was out of warranty. The lane side assist went out, the latch for the rear moonroof broke ($900.00 for a latch!) & in November 2010 the heat went out, only on the drivers side, then both motors on the mirros went out at a cost of over $300.00 each. It is now January 2012 & I am still dealing with heat issues after spending $1500.00 in repairs it still doesnt work properly, sometimes not at all. Now my remote is beginning to fail. I have spent the last 15 months dealing with failures & expenses. Im done! Will never buy Audi again!

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  Very unhappy with quality of Car - 2011 Audi A5
  By rpm15 - December 16 - 8:43 pm

  12 Months in and the car has been in the shop a dozen times. This time for 10 days. The car is a beauty. Drives well (Not a BMW). And is quattro. It has a a full trunk and the design is great. The reality is that the shifting is very suspect. It does not engage properly at slow speeds which is a safety issue when you accelerate. Audi says there is no issue. The bluetooth works when it wants to and the ipod hook up works when it wants to. I like the car but will never ever buy another Audi. Audi corporate is a nightmare and the build quality just is another nightmare. My service advisor is a good guy and we just laugh every time I call.

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  Audi A3 dissapointed - 2007 Audi A3
  By mddriver1 - October 31 - 12:17 pm

  Although my Audi A3 is fun to drive and handles well, I am extremely disappointed by the frequency and cost of repairs, and cost of maintenance. My 2007 A3 has only 79k miles but I have spent about $4,000 in repairs in maintence in the past two years. That is inexcusable and not something I expected from a supposedly high end auto manufacturer. Actively looking for a new car.

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  most expensive POS audi i ever bought!!!!!!!! - 2005 Audi A8
  By carreona8 - September 8 - 6:51 am

  i bought 2005 audi a8 back of 2009 ever since then i have problem with this car.started with tire pressure coming on for no reason.other issue, battery always discharging completely even nothing on.This car is probably the worst car out there.If anyone thinking buying one,you better think again!!.i did some research with this car before i bought it.They have desame issue im having since i got it.i should listen to other people.unless you willing to be at shop every week and spend alot of money.2005 audi a8 PSO thats the 3 letters for this car.beware!!!!!!!!never going buy audi again.

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  Cute car with LOTS of problems - 2005 Audi A4
  By zoiezoe - August 21 - 8:58 pm

  I loved this car when I first bought it, but in a short time I had SO many problems with it, including problems with coils, compressor, air flow sensor, motor mounts, vacuum leak, and more. My engine burned up and they refused to replace under warranty because I was slightly over my oil change and therefore violated my warranty contract conditions according to Audi, even though the delay was so minor it could not cause such a problem (sludge, not lack of oil). I later did a Google search for "Audi engine sludge" and found similar complaints from others. Its very difficult and expensive to fix. This car is adorable and fun to drive, but wow did it do damage to my wallet.