Compare the2022 Audi S5VS 2021 BMW M2

Safety
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission and Drivetrain
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S5 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 M2 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The S5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The M2 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The S5’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 M2 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S5 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The M2 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The S5 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The M2 doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The M2 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.

The S5’s optional blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The M2 doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the S5’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The M2 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the S5 and the M2 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S5 the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 205 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The M2 has not been tested, yet.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S5 Coupe gets better mileage than the M2:

			MPG
S5 Coupe
	Auto	3.0 turbo V6	21 city/30 hwy
M2
	Manual	3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	18 city/24 hwy
	Auto	3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	16 city/23 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The M2 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The S5 has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the M2 (15.3 vs. 13.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S5 higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW M2 (3). This means the S5 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the M2 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission and Drivetrain

The Audi S5 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the M2.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Audi S5, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the M2.

All wheel drive, available in the S5, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The BMW M2 is not available with all wheel drive.

Brakes and Stopping

The S5 stops shorter than the M2:

	S5	M2
70 to 0 MPH	150 feet	155 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S5 has larger standard tires than the M2 (255/35R19 vs. 245/35R19). The S5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the M2 (265/30R20 vs. 245/35R19).

The S5’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the M2’s 35 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 offers optional 20-inch wheels. The M2’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The S5 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 M2; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The S5 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The M2’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the M2 (108.8 inches vs. 106 inches).

For better maneuverability, the S5’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the M2’s (37.7 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S5 Prestige Coupe is quieter than the M2 Competition:

	S5	M2
At idle	39 dB	47 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	87 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	70 dB

Cargo Capacity

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the S5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The M2 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The S5 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The M2 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The S5’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The M2 has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The M2 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 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The M2 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the S5 has standard extendable sun visors. The M2 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The S5’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The M2’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the S5 Premium Plus/Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The M2 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The S5 has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The M2 doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The S5 has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the M2.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The M2 doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The M2 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S5 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 M2 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Audi S5 comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the BMW M2 isn’t available as a convertible or four door.

Recommendations

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the BMW 2 Series by 11% during the 2021 model year.