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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  pay the price - 1998 Audi A6
  By audi fan ? - June 13 - 10:46 pm

  I bought my audi with 40k drove it to a 100k and sold it had it for three years. A very nice car to drive I must say my only problem with the car is it cost a thousand dollers every three months in little nickel and dime problems my front head light went out and it cost 1,000 between the igniter and the lamp for 1 head light. the power windows went out several times. the engine light would come on regulary and would all ways cost me at least a grand each time. Now I am going to by a mercedes or bmw or lexus.

• 

  Alright... - 2005 Audi A4
  By O. Toledo - June 13 - 4:39 pm

  My experience so far has been a negative one. One month with the car and an engine belt breaks off meaning 2 weeks of labor. An extra two months into the car and the left tail light went off. Lately, the Airbag sign came on. Not to mention that the ignition key battery is already dead.

• 

  Great Design, Poor Reliability - 1998 Audi A6
  By GoodDesign - June 12 - 10:13 pm

  Like most reviewers here, I bought my A6 right after it came off of a 3-yr lease. I wondered, "Why would the original owner not buy this wonderful car?" The maintenance is horrific on this car but the car drives so well, and the styling is so superb, I am conflicted over whether or not I would make the purchase again. My mistake was in not purchasing an extended warranty, something that I would never have even considered after owning several Japanese cars. I thought that only American cars needed extended warranties. But when you look at similar year BMWs & Mercedes, there was really no contest. The BMW was faster & the Benz had more recognition, but Audi won the styling competition easily.

• 

  Total Package - 2005 Audi A6
  By jramieri - June 11 - 6:24 pm

  The car is great to drive..lots of power and the interior is flawless. The premium sound system is the best Ive experienced in a stock OEM unit. The CD changer is poorly placed in the glove compartmenbt with no in dash CD player. The Tiptronic and sport modes for the trans are fun. The car, however, looks like ten thousand others and is undistinguished. Smooth, quick and elegant. I love getting into it each morning and am sorry to leave it. Power steering is a tad too light and brakes a bit too touchy.

• 

  Satisfied Owner But Waiting to See - 2005 Audi A6
  By Herbert Hunter - June 11 - 12:34 pm

  When I lease this car, with 400 miles on the odometer, there was a vibration in the steering wheel and on the floor of the car. After returning it twice, and wheel balancing and an exchange of driveshaft from another car and new wheels, it took the dealership at least three weeks to find out the nature of the probem and hopefully correct it. Not what you would expect with a new car of such "high quality." The air conditioning system gadgets are too complicated to use.Too many Elvis Presly selections in the Sirus, no Blues as I recall.

• 

  Automobile Work of Heart - 1996 Audi A4
  By ryancp85 - June 10 - 3:03 pm

  This Audi is a gem to look at from every angle. Looks better than the 96 3 series and the 02 A4. Quattro gives snow days a blast and you can do all sorts of tricks in the snow. Before purchasing this, I would find a friendly mechanic who can work on Audis. Dont bother taking it to a dealer and only bring it there for only changes and minor work.

• 

  Low quality performer - 2002 Audi S4
  By TDF - June 8 - 3:19 pm

  I couldnt be happier with the stock performance of this car. The price to performance and features ratio of this car cant be beat, and simple upgrades can make this car truly track ready. In the Northeast or snowy climes, no car on the road can touch it (B6 S4 and RS 6 aside). But quality, reliability, and dealer service is absolutely brutal. Electrical system problems are Audis specialty, but I have also had problems with everything from rattles to rivets popping to coolant pumps failing to leather spalling to ... Service quality and knowledge from dealers is poor (e.g. Audi service does not feel its necessary to rotate tires).

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  Sad state of affairs - 1999 Audi A8
  By Audi Owner - June 6 - 11:34 pm

  These cars are really nice cars, however this particular model (mabye not the newer ones) has depreciated GREATLY over the years and has a ton of mechanical problems that are out of warranty and not cheap to fix. BEWARE of having to fix this car, it will NOT be cheap. That being said, it is a great car to drive and looks and handles very well.

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  Great car -- when you modify it - 2000 Audi A4
  By ACE - June 4 - 8:35 pm

  Yes, out of the box, this car is a little underpowered. But if you drop in a performance chip and cat-back exhaust the car is very different. I also upgraded the brakes and shocks after the OEM stuff wore out. Ive had fewer problems than most with this car -- Ill admit Im lucky. But I do a lot of preventative maintenance. If you want a car you drive and neglect, get a Toyota or Honda. If you want a car with character, states individuality and is fun to drive, the Audi is it. Only real problem thus far: radio died, but it was replaced under warranty. It took amost 3 months, but it gave me time to listen to the new cat-back exhaust I had just purchased.

• 

  Great convertible cruiser... - 2003 Audi A4
  By pablo_lie - June 1 - 2:00 am

  The Audi offers the best cabin by a mile - its interior quality is the best in this company. The only let-down was the persistent creaky noise that came from the convertible top in my test drive car, which had about 3k miles on it. But thats something bound to happen with all convertibles sooner or later, and usually can be fixed with a little WD40. Dynamically, the Audi seems surprisingly sluggish at times. A look at the cars weight figure gives a hint as to why that might be the case. On the other hand, that weight results in a very planted, very good ride. Its the least crashy in this company.