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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  02 Audi A4 3.0 - 2002 Audi A4
  By jylatham - August 23 - 2:00 am

  What a fun car to drive, with the manumatic shifter! The fun of a standard, but also the ease and convenience of an automatic transmission. My only complaint about this car is the relatively small amount of storage - pockets in the doors and on back of the front seats, but hardly any room for CDs or sunglasses.

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  Poor visability and Arrogant Audi - 1998 Audi A8
  By norwind - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Safety issues are my main complaints. An accident when I was run off the road into a 4deep drainage ditch. $30,000s worth of damage and the passengers airbag fired with no passenger in the vehicle or anything on the passengers seat. Audi claims this is "normal" I do not think so a smart interlocked air bag is not a maybe situation. The external vision has far too many blind spots from tiny mirrors, large A and C pillers. In addition the rear seat head bolsters occupy about 30% of the usable visability when looking to the rear while backing up. The most important part of the rear window is the mid point down.

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  GREAT CAR BUT PROBLEMS - 2005 Audi A8
  By zoombie99 - August 21 - 2:00 am

  Car is great but the NAV & the radio keeps on shorting out. Audi claims that they know of the problem and they are working on a fix. There is no fix as of this date. I understand that only a few mid year models have this problems. We also bought the AUDi phone. It is a waste of money and the sound quality is poor.

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  Bring your checkbook - 1999 Audi A4
  By annp - August 13 - 2:00 am

  When its running well, its a great car. Handles great, plenty of power, it feels both sporty and safe. Its also quiet and comfortable. But the cars had one electrical problem after another. Its had 4(!) gas guage sensors, and needs another, among an assortment of other problems that were either fixed under warranty, or are not being fixed because the cost of fixing them is prohibitive. Every trip for maintenance is a $1500-2000 excursion. I think Ill go for a Toyota next time.

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  This is not a chevy - 2002 Audi A4
  By Jay-Hawk - August 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 2003 1.8T A4 just over a year ago and I still love my car. Its a fun car to drive while maintaining some functionality that I need. I would recommend this car to anyone considering buying one. I would also recommend getting the ECU reprogrammed by APR to improve the performance.

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  Spectacular! - 1997 Audi A4
  By William Miller - August 9 - 2:00 am

  I had a blue adui a4 and i loved it, it was like my little go kart, becuase it was so fun to drive. I liked the layout of the interior, but i wish the backseat was bigger. I was also very pleased with the reliability. All in all, i recomend this car to anybody who is looking for a small, reliable, and fun to drive automobile.

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  Not as bad as it sounds - 1999 Audi A4
  By UpstateNY Albany - August 7 - 2:00 am

  Always wanted an A4, finally talked myself into getting a certified 99 previously leased by a soccer mom. I figured with the warranty and it being used as a family vehicle I was safe buying my first used car. So far, a few problems. The rear wheel rotor went during first month. Broken magnetic strip in the tiptronic housing. A headight died. A coolant leak and oil leak needed attention. Paint chipping on trunk lid. Radio has spazed out a few times, but no repairs needed. Brakes are acting up at 70k miles. Catalytic converter blew one day. Thank God for the warranty. Otherwise, the car has been great. Very comfortable to drive and ride in.

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  to better winter driver - 1994 Audi 100
  By wtmakp - August 6 - 2:00 am

  This is the best winter driving car I have ever driven. In icy conditions it handles so well you have to keep reminding yourself not to drive too fast. Things have had to be fixed and yes very expensive, i.e. water pump,fuel sensor,ignition switch,all oil head gaskets. No major mechanical. Ive decided to sell this and had been looking for minivans,less expensive vehicles to replace this like something toyota, for 2 months-and what did I come up with--99 audi a6 wagon. The driving experience is just too tough to give up! So Ill try one more time to see how many things have to be fixed!

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  Mixed bag... :( - 2001 Audi TT
  By back_to_BMW - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Awesome car if you approach it as a nice looking sporty car! Far from a real sports car. My 16 year old M3 can run circles around it except in a straight line!!! Resale value makes me want to never get an Audi ever. My first and last Audi ever. Fun while it lasted, but I cant afford to buy a car at $40K and sell it at $16K every 3 years. Much better value as a used car!!!!

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  Audi - 1993 Audi 90
  By choleric - July 29 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car, ive always been an audi enthusiast so i was pretty when i got this car for such a low price. Nothing really wrong with the car, runs smooth looks great.