Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2022 Audi A4 Allroad

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Highlander’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Highlander and the A4 Allroad have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Audi A4 Allroad:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A4 Allroad has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A4 Allroad. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A4 Allroad ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A4 Allroad.

There are over 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The A4 Allroad isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 83 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 32nd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Audi is ranked 14th.

The Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 34 more horsepower (295 vs. 261) than the A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A4 Allroad requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Highlander has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the A4 Allroad (17.9 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Highlander, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the A4 Allroad.

The Highlander stops shorter than the A4 Allroad:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum has standard 20-inch wheels. The A4 Allroad’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Highlander’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the A4 Allroad (112.2 inches vs. 110.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than on the A4 Allroad.

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the A4 Allroad Premium Plus pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the A4 Allroad’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the A4 Allroad (8 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the A4 Allroad can only carry 5.

The Highlander has 49.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A4 Allroad (141.3 vs. 92).

The Highlander has 3.8 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 5.3 inches more rear legroom and 4.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the A4 Allroad.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The A4 Allroad’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the A4 Allroad.

The Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the A4 Allroad’s (5000 vs. 3968 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the A4 Allroad only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The A4 Allroad’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Highlander Platinum’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Highlander is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Highlander and the Audi A4 Allroad, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Audi A4/S4 by over 15 to one during the 2021 model year.