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:

• 

  Great car as long as there is not a problem. - 2016 Audi Q5
  By Len - January 14 - 9:24 pm

  This is our third Q5 in a row. When the car was 2 days old the backup warning system failed and I backed into a mailbox The dealer told me the system sensors needed a deep cleaning, which they did, but would not repair a small dent. I complained to Audi, they said it is up to the dealer because that would be covered under the warranty. The dealer said Audi refuses to pay for the damage. During the next six months the GPS would freeze and the MMS system would simply not turn on at times. I complained to the dealer again this times they told me there was an update to the software due to problems that Audi was having. The dealer and Audi Still refused to take responsibility for a failed system. This will be my last Audi not because the Q5 isnt a good car but because Audi does not back their vehicles like other companies I have dealt with in the past.

• 

  Goodbye Audi! - 2003 Audi A6
  By Andrew - August 4 - 1:00 pm

  Best day was when I got rid of my 2003 Audi A6 after owning if for 3 months. Second day after I got it I was in the shop for an electrical issue. In three months I had 2 other electrical issues but the real kicker is that fact that after sitting idle for a few hours the car has a "warm up" period before the car will drive. Not to mention I get 12-15 MPG around town.

• 

  Buyer Beware - 2004 Audi A4
  By kwiel - July 21 - 2:00 am

  The car is good in the snow with the Quattro system - however, the build quality of this car makes it the worst car I have ever owned. 2 new transmissions in the first year and numerous visits to the dealer to correct squeaks and body trim falling off. Buy another make car!

• 

  Dont Buy an Audi - 2004 Audi A4
  By kelbelle37 - April 14 - 10:27 am

  My Audi has serious electrical problems (every headlight, tail light, turn signal and now the regulator which controls my power window - $350 to replace - has been replaced at least once) and Audi USA and the dealer dont seem to care. I get "it happens to every car" - not any that I owned in the past (Japanese). Theyre great looking cars and fun to drive, but need too much up-keep for the price. Think of something else before purchasing unless you dont mind dishing out hundreds of $$$ every couple months on things that should never go wrong let alone within the first couple months of owning a brand new, showroom floor car.

• 

  Huge mistake - 2003 Audi A4
  By cneff - February 3 - 10:37 pm

  My first mistake was to start the car. Now I know German cars need care, but this car was at the dealer for 150 days (45 in a row) for all sorts of issues. Audi USA sent me to 4 dealers before they sent someone for Germany to take a look, they kept saying I am having a unique experience - guess I am blessed. The team from Germany spent 2 weeks rebuilding it, however, that did not stop the electrical issues. Audi USA now says I can go anywhere I like. Audi does not stand behind the product. If they just took the time to offer a customer service experience Id might take another chance.

• 

  Big Problems - 2005 Audi A8
  By Rick - November 21 - 5:00 pm

  We have had continual problems with the computer and Advanced Keys. The electricly operated trunk closed on my wife and hurt her, the HVAC is hard to control and does what it wants, the settings are nested inside the unit and are unsafe to operate while driving, the visibility to the rear required removing the rear headrest, the outward side visibility is poor as the mirrors are not wide enough and the pillar and seat back obscure side vision. The dealer cannot fix the problems and Audi has not "escalated" our complaints to where the regional or national reps will get involved. We are tremendously unhappy and Audi has not helped.

• 

  Longing for reliability - 2001 Audi A6
  By Jackson - November 18 - 5:11 pm

  By far the most unreliable car Ive had. Bought the car use as "Certified Pre-Owned" with 32000 miles on it. The car was wonderful the first 3 months, the the problems started. In the next 6 months, it spent more time at the dealership than in my garage. Most problems were of electrical nature. Bottom line ..... save yourself a lot of trouble by avoiding this car and this manufacturer all together.

• 

  Lemon - 2003 Audi A4
  By Lemon - November 17 - 2:16 am

  This was my 1st (and last) Audi after many VWs. Ive had nothing but troubles. Numerous electrical problems (too many to list) the dealership either cant or wont fix. Interior is cramped. Im 6 tall and 200lbs and have to wedge myself in and out of the car. Drivers side leg room is very bad. Center console digs into my right knee. Cup holder and glove box are totally useless. Interior knobs and parts have broken, melted, and fallen off. Exterior parts fall off. Tires wear unevenly and one is bald after only 30k mi. The dealership laughs at all the problems I report every time I bring the car in for service. Luckily its a lease and I will be happy to pay the aquisition fee to give it back.

• 

  Wish I kept my base model 2011 Maxima - 2017 Audi Q3
  By Christina - September 23 - 6:10 pm

  I have never had a car payment until I purchased this car and I was more than happy to pay the large monthly payment when I considered all the "upgrades" and the luxury of driving an Audi. I have had nothing much tech/mechanical issues since the day I bought the car. Overall it is a very nice car. Its stylish, its okay on pick up (but nothing like the Maxima) the interior styling is very nice and the trunk/folding down rear seats are why I mostly wanted to upgrade to an SUV. However, the minor down sides eventually became so irritating I traded it in for a BMW Gran Turismo. The windows constantly needed the "pinch sensor" reset. which means my windows would roll up and then immediately roll back down. This happened 4x. I would need to call and either talk through it with a tech over the phone or drop it off for reset. My BLUEtooth never worked properly. Heaven forbid I answer a call while my 3rd party player was streaming music.... after the call ended I would have to reset the bluetooth system and again maybe play 2 songs before it randomly disconnected. My AC stopped working 7 months into owning the car. ( that was the last straw) The car is very nice, but it didnt wow me. Even aside from the minor issues....the tech package is bland at best. Certainly nothing I wouldnt expect in any other brand, luxury or not. Just did not live up to the luxury I expected from an Audi.

• 

  Highly overated - 2005 Audi A8
  By David - August 8 - 9:15 am

  I have owned this car for almost 1 year. During that time the car has been back for repairs on numerous ocassions.The air conditioner is horrible. It takes 10 minutes on a hot day for the air to begin to cool off, until then a hot blower makes it feel worse. This is the same experience others with the same car say. The dealer says that "everything checks out fine". The car jumps when accelerating from a quick stop. The car has too many computers and there inherent glitches. The display pop up has been replaced, the center dash module replaced, and the navigational unit replaced. The car has a hard ride and is quite frankly overrated and poorly represented by their service people.