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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  Comfortable, Quiet, Easy Handling, Fuel Efficient - 2017 Audi A6
  By Mink70 - November 22 - 1:19 pm

  There is no perfect car, but this one comes pretty close, with mostly "pluses" and just a few "cons." The only options I did not order on the Prestige Package were a Bang and Olufsen stereo, the $3300 comfort seat upgrade and night vision (The Prestige comes with 12-way ventilated seats). I also stuck with the stock 18" 245/45 all weather tires because of their higher profile. On the plus side are its stylish look in Florett Silver with Atlas Beige/Dark Walnut interior, great handling, extreme comfort, great temperature and direction controls, wonderful visibility, well-designed driver assistance, and great parking assist (easiest car I have ever parked beside the 2017 Q5). The virtual cockpit and heads up displays are easy to use, informative and very helpful. Its great having the Nav display directly in front of the driver. The transmission shifts smoothly, and for such a powerful car, it is surprisingly quiet when accelerating, and there is virtually no wind noise when cruising, The ECO start/stop was a little hard to get used to (abrupt stop), but I really like the fuel savings it affords around town. Speaking of fuel economy, I have been getting between 30-36 mpg on trips and averaging 25 mpg combined. FANTASTIC! I think the secret is that I allow the adaptive cruise to pretty much control the car on a trip. On the "con" side, the info system does take time to figure out. I spent over 2 hours with Audi Connect getting the AT&T SD card and navigation system reprogrammed, I am still learning the system. I wish all the information on the retractable Nav screen could be turned off so the entire screen displayed the route. I wish connection to the internet was included in the price like GM proposes to do on its new models. The garage door HomeLink was a bear to set. The salesman spent over an hour at my home setting it up, but it has worked well since being programmed. Dash glare is another "con." I had ordered the brown interior and dash trim with the expectation that dash glare would be reduced. NOT! My 2011 Volvo S80 had a similar colored dash that gave off almost no dash glare. Instead of using a grained glare-reducing material over the entire dash, Audi used hard plastic around the heads up display and other selected places which, in combination, produces a lot of reflection on the windshield. It apparently failed to engineer the windshield angle to reduce glare on the type of dash materials it chose to use. I also join others in expressing a desire that the car have a little more storage space in the front passenger compartment, but I have learned to do more with less junk in the cabin of the car. It is only these later "cons" that kept me from giving the car 5 stars overall. Its looks, its performance, its comfort, fuel economy, etc. all call for 5 stars. Because of some convenience issues, however, I could only give it 4 overall. (PS: The price for this category of car was in line with its competitors, and I thought the dealer treated me fairly considering the additional warranties that were included in the out-the-door price. Therefore, the price rating should be read as an N/A. It was not a factor in my ratings.)

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  This is German engineering???? - 1997 Audi A4
  By Bob - November 19 - 3:12 pm

  Fun to drive. Not fun to service. Belt tensioner went south at 60K, ($700 repair) ECM at 70K ($600 repair) plus electrical and AC problems. Recommended service always on time at a independent Audi shop. Parts should not be failing at this rate. Audi service manager said that these vehicles exhibit problems, and listed about 10. Suggested I buy a 2005 A4. My company cars (Ford, Chevys) are more reliable though not as fun to drive. OK, were selling this A4 and buying a new 06 Civic. Fun to drive, tight body, go kart handling etc. Not worth the $$$ to replace poorly designed components. You can get the same performance looks etc., in other cars.

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  Never Again! - 2000 Audi S4
  By goingbacktojapan - November 17 - 10:26 pm

  In the 18 months Ive owned this vehicle I put in over $3000 in repairs & maintenance. Something is continually going wrong with this car: Fuel gauge unit, throttle body, fuel line, ABS control unit, CV boot, turn signal. These were not minor repairs as the parts and labor were very expensive. I hope to sell this care very soon. I will never own another Audi.

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  Techno overkill - 2006 Audi A8
  By Tom J - November 8 - 1:04 am

  I do think its the best looking car on the road.The ride and handling is exquisite. The fit and finish is flawless. Unfortunately the MMI is ill-conceived and annoying at best. You need to agree to a waiver every time you start the car your bluetooth phone needs to be programmed every time you start the car its a two step process to change the setting on the heated seats the radio is the most annoying requiring multiple steps for every function. I owned an A6 4.2 and Id love to have those simple functions back. The folks at Audi need to realize less is more and technology should enhance the driving experience.

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  Major repair every 4 months - 2001 Audi TT
  By stan - November 2 - 1:29 am

  A very comfortable and fun car to drive, but the most unreliable car Ive owned since the 48 Dodge pickup that I bought for $50 in 1973. A lot of the problems were with the turbo system, but also had both cooling fans, catalytic converter, wiring harness in door, instrument cluster, fuel sensors in tank all replaced before the car had 50,000 miles. I purchased this car new and it was never wrecked.

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  Disappointing - 2003 Audi A4
  By LA Driver - October 30 - 11:30 pm

  After great initial enthusiasm for this car I have become very disillusioned. I have had ignition coils replaced twice (once stranding me 400 miles from home), more flat tires than ever in my life, squeeks and rattles, seatbelts that get wet when it rains, on and on. I love this car, but I cant afford to keep it now that the warranty has expired. Its cost me $2000 in the last two months in repairs. Its great to drive, but too unpredictable to enjoy all of its wonderful features.

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  Love the ride - hate cost of ownership - 1999 Audi A6
  By love cars - October 28 - 1:11 am

  Bought this car with 30K miles now have 88K. The Quattro is wonderful in slick stuff (snow/ice/rain). The seats are good (inc long trips), the car is roomy and has a decent Bose sound system (CD changer is in trunk). Trunk is huge. Rear seat offers plenty room for family of 4. Maintenance is expensive ($$$$) and I cant do any of it myself - always need specialty tools that are very costly. Seems verything is $500- $1500 per visit. Vehicle Info System fades, bumper rips off if you hit curb- stop, oil-transmission and differential fluids all leak. Brakes dont last, air pump fails, expensive suspension components. Mediocre mileage (I average 22 mpg), tires dont last. Still like ride!

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  Beautiful Vehicle! - 1994 Audi 100
  By KF - October 27 - 3:58 am

  This car is amazing. I bought the car with 120K and drove it until 140K and was still performing great. It was my 16th birthday present and I loved everything about the car. The ride is great and I got many envious looks from other drivers. Very upscale and still after 11 years makes you feel like your driving an expensive vehicle.

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  Most practical in its class - 2006 Audi S4
  By jelinbra - October 27 - 12:01 am

  Similiar to the M3 and CTS-V except it offers all wheel drive, which is huge in areas where you get poor road conditions. Highly recommended.

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  Too bad Warranty Ended when it did - 2000 Audi A6
  By josh carter - October 24 - 11:52 pm

  Let me start off by saying I LOVE the interior design/ comforts. The car has been RELIABLE, but as soon as the warranty expired, the in-dash CD and the HUD info window started failing/ stopped all togther. Audi is aware of the HUD issues (very common issue), but refuses to address it out of warranty, and is VERY expensive to fix.