Compare the2022 Audi S5 SportbackVS 2022 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback and 4 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback’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 S5 Sportback. But it costs extra on the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S5 Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top and Corner 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 S5 Sportback 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S5 Sportback the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 4 Series Gran Coupe has not been tested, yet.

The S5 Sportback’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 S5 Sportback’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 S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R19). The S5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe (265/30R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The S5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s 45 series tires. The S5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional 40 series front and 35 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 Sportback has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the 4 Series Gran Coupe. The S5 Sportback’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s (38.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the S5 Sportback a Mid-size car, while the 4 Series Gran Coupe is rated a Compact.

The S5 Sportback has .8 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S5 Sportback has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (21.8 vs. 12 cubic feet).

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The S5 Sportback 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 S5 Sportback 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 A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the BMW 4 Series by almost two to one during 2020.