Audi Car Reviews: A4, S5, TT, R8, RS4, Q7, A3, S4 & A8

Review: 2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI

By John Holt
June 29, 2009

On paper, the Audi A3 TDI is an exercise in futility. The model shares platform bits with a Golf Rabbit. It's smaller than a Jetta Sportwagen. It carries a lofty price premium; the diesel-powered A3 “boasts” the same engine that can be had across the street at the Vee-Dub for thousands less. It's not as fast, sporty or capacious as the rear wheel-drive BMW 335d. By any rational measure, the A3 TDI is an answer to a question that few Americans even thought about asking. Which is why it's better to judge the A3 TDI "in the flesh."

Review: 2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2010 Audi A3 2.0 TDI

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | Sales | 46 comments

Review: 2009 Audi Q5

By Michael Curwood
May 13, 2009

Audi is pitching its late-to-the-party Q5 against Lexus' recently refreshed RX350. Audi's ad men would have you believe that the Q5 buyer is making a forceful statement of individuality and taste---in contrast to the RX buyer's safe, boring, follow-the-herd mentality. It's a strange play during these times of economic certainty, but understandable. The Q5 is preaching to the choir. The majority of the Q5's buyers will come from within the brand's established audience, who consider Audi's products the automotive equivalent of an Armani suit. Which makes the Q5 yet another fine young cannibal, preying on whatever sales the Q7 may have generated and stealing business from the gotta-have-an-A4-on-stilts crowd. Hang on. Whose product line is this anyway?

Review: 2009 Audi Q5 continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Audi Q5

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 43 comments

Review: 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro

By Robert Farago
April 9, 2009

Throw out your copy of WardsAuto “Interior of the Year” awards. The Audi A5 with the S Line seats is four-wheeled Hammer time: the world’s best automotive interior. Nobody can touch the way this cabin looks, works, feels and smells. OK, when you use the Audi A5’s thumbwheel to scroll through your iPod tunes, if you don’t select a new tune within the allotted time, the menu reverts to the song playing, which could be six clicks back. Other than that, I can’t think of anything wrong with the A5’s cabin. Yes, even the dreaded MMI mouse thingie has won me over. If you want a reason to admire/buy/worship/savor the Audi A5 3.2 Quattro, there you go. Otherwise, well, I have issues. For example. . .

Review: 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Audi A5 3.2 Quattro

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 42 comments

Comparo - Audi A4 3.2 quattro vs. Infiniti G37 6MT

By Frank Williams
March 16, 2009

Imagine you're looking for a $41k imported sports sedan. You want something fun to drive. Sayonara Lexus. You were traumatized by an orthodontist. Aloha to Acura's tin grin TL. You appreciate the difference between having it and flaunting it. Auf wiedersehen BMW and Mercedes. That leaves the Audi A4 3.2 Audi and Infiniti G37 6MT. Oddly enough, I recently sampled those two exact cars. Funny how these things work out.

Comparo - Audi A4 3.2 quattro vs. Infiniti G37 6MT continued »

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | Infiniti | 66 comments

Comparo: BMW M3 vs. Audi RS4 vs. Cadillac CTS-V vs. Lexus IS-F vs. Mercedes C63 AMG

By Mike Solowiow
February 23, 2009

M, RS, V, F, AMG. The alpha alphabet represents five manufacturers' best efforts to create something unique, exciting and memorable from their more prosaic mainstream motors. The resulting "performance tuned" sports sedans are so powerful, so capable, so versatile, that they're the ground based equivalent of the all-weather fighter jets that battle for control of the skies. While the shibboleth "there's no such thing as a bad car" applies here, there are always going to be winners and losers. And it's our job to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Comparo: BMW M3 vs. Audi RS4 vs. Cadillac CTS-V vs. Lexus IS-F vs. Mercedes C63 AMG continued »

Capsule Review: 1998 Audi A4 (B5)

By Mike Solowiow
January 9, 2009

60 Minutes nearly killed Audi in North America. After “Unintended Acceleration in the Audi 5000” aired in 1986, Audi sales dropped from 74k sales a year in 1986 to less than 12k by 1991. Sales remained constant until 1996, when Audi debuted a car that would finally tackle the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes C-Class head on. With its still unusual all-wheel drive system, classic German styling and interiors that set the industry standard, the A4 single-handedly revived sales in North America. An Audi fan since birth (when I was driven home in an Audi Fox GTI), I viewed them from afar; Roswell’s nearest Audi dealer lay eight hours away in Dallas. So I rejoiced when I signed the paperwork to purchase the first of the 5-valve V6 powered A4 quattros. Little did I know the next year would be filled with Germanic Sturm und Drang.

(more…)

Posted in Audi | Capsule Reviews | Car Reviews | News Blog | 55 comments

2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro Review

By Megan Benoit
September 22, 2008

Over the last few years, the last generation Audi A4 was growing increasingly stale. Updated offerings from BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, everyone but Volvo have overtaken Ingolstadt's brot und butter model. To keep the faith-- or at least the faithful-- Audi’s engineers initiated a massive redesign of the A4. Obviously, it’s a better car. Vorsprung and all that. But can the new A4 leapfrog the luxury brat pack? Or is it more of the same? Yes.

2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro Review continued »

2009 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro rating summary and performance review

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 90 comments

2008 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium Review

By Frank Williams
July 21, 2008

$Yes, it\'s that big.$ Full disclosure: I really like Audis. I own two of them: an A4 Avant and an A4 Cabriolet. So when Audi offered me the chance to review a Q7, Ingolstadt's answer to "how late can you be to an SUV party and still not wonder why you bothered to show up in the first place," I said game on. After all, it's an Audi. What's not to like?

: Cargo space trumps passenger comfort

: Yes, it's that big

: How sweet it is. And thirsty.

: Yes, it's that big

: Yes, it's that big.

: No less than expected

2008 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium Review continued »

2008 Audi Q7 4.2 Premium rating summary and performance review

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 32 comments

2008 Audi R8 Long Term Test

By Jay Shoemaker
July 5, 2008

I've been pining for the Audi R8 since I first laid eyes on the "Le Mans" show car five years ago. Last February, I test drove Audi's 911 redo in Vegas (baby). Although I found the R8 lacked some of the the Porsche Turbo's user-friendly OMG WTFitiude, Audi gave their everyday supercar a far more appealing wrapper than the ass-engined Nazi slot car (thank you P.J. O'Rourke). Yes, I knew the movie Ironman would define R8 ownership for non-owners. But I was willing to take the risk of being associated with an actor who's spent more time in rehab than any five celebutantes you can name. So I placed an order and arranged for delivery of my R8 at the Neckarsulm factory.

2008 Audi R8 Long Term Test continued »

Posted in Audi | Car Reviews | 25 comments

2008 Audi TT 2.0T Convertible Review

By P.J. McCombs
June 30, 2008

I drove the Audi TT 2.0T Convertible prepared to hate it. Its wrong-wheel-drive, mandatory two-pedal transmission, extra-chunky-style curb weight and econobox-based platform violates all that I hold sacred in a two-seat drop top. Similar formulas have belched forth such embarrassments as Mercury’s legendary (for all the wrong reasons) Capri. But the topless TT is no Capri. And thank Gott for that.