Compare the2022 Audi S4VS 2022 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the S4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S4 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The S4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S4. But it costs extra on the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S4 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 4 Series Gran Coupe only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the S4 and the 4 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The S4’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 94 more horsepower (349 vs. 255) and 75 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 294) than the 430i Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The S4’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 368) than the M440i Gran Coupe’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S4 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The 4 Series Gran Coupe requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

For better traction, the S4 has larger standard tires than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (245/40R18 vs. 225/40R19). The S4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe (255/35R19 vs. 245/45R18).

The S4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s 45 series tires. The S4’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional 40 series front tires.

The S4 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the 4 Series Gran Coupe don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For better maneuverability, the S4’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The S4 has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S4 offers cargo security. The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s hatchback body style defeats cargo security.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S4 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S4 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the S4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S4 has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S4 Prestige’s Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Audi A4/S4 outsold the BMW 4 Series by almost two to one during 2020.