Revisiting the 1980 Audi 4000 Automatic: Pre-Quattro Era Insights

[Source: Car and Driver]

Car and Driver recently republished a road test of the 1980 Audi 4000 Automatic from their October 1980 issue. It provides some fascinating insight into what Audi cars were like 45 years ago and how they evolved into the machines that we enjoy today. We thought it would be fun to share the archived review and to discuss some of the more interesting points it raises.

The 1980 Audi 4000 is a 2-door coupe, which is a vehicle type that Audi doesn’t offer in their current lineup. And at the time this car was released the whole Audi quattro era was just on the cusp of beginning. The Ur-quattro was just revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March of that year. But the Audi 4000 tested here used traditional front-wheel drive.

Performance

The Audi 4000 may not have had quattro all-wheel drive, but it did have another iconic bit of Audi technology, the 5-cylinder engine. Which was a novelty powerplant back in 1980. It made an even 100 horsepower and was connected to a 3-speed automatic transmission. Car and Driver noted the unique sound of the 5-cylinder, and they felt the engine elevated the overall character of the car. There is a reason why 45 years later, you can still find a 5-cylinder under the hood of an Audi. Although sadly its days seem to be numbered.

If anything, this 1980 road test shows how spoiled we are today when it comes to performance. The 1980 Audi 4000 took 12.2 seconds to reach 60 mph. That is roughly twice as long as the slowest Audi you can buy today. The quarter mile took 18.5 seconds and had a trap speed of 73 mph. The next time you complain about the new Audi A5 being slow, consider that it would absolutely crush the old Audi 4000.

Styling

It also crushes it with its heft. Modern cars have put on a lot of weight over the years. The Audi 4000 tipped the scales at 2,580 pounds. A new A5 is about 1,500 pounds heavier. Technology and safety equipment is heavy.

In the looks department, the Audi 4000 is a much more angular and simpler design than what you see on the current Audis. One interesting design element of the old car is the steering wheel. Many Audi fans are quick to point out their dislike for the style of the new steering wheels. However, if you look at the steering wheel in the Audi 4000 you can clearly see that the new wheels were inspired by this classic design.

The Audi 4000 had a staring price of $10,150 and an as-tested price of $12,360. In 2025 dollars, that is an as-tested price of about $48,600. About the same as a nicely equipped 2026 Audi A3. There is no question that the new A3 packs a lot more performance and technology for the same amount of money. But for the day, the Audi 4000 was a fine German coupe. It showed the promise of the 5-cylinder even before it got paired to the legendary quattro all-wheel drive system.