Compare the2022 Audi A7VS 2022 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A7 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 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A7 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A7 and 8 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A7 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 8 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A7. But it costs extra on the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the A7 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A7 and the 8 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, around view monitors 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 standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A7 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 8 Series Gran Coupe has not been tested, yet.

On the EPA test cycle the A7 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 8 Series Gran Coupe:

On the EPA test cycle the A7 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 8 Series Gran Coupe:

The A7 55 TFSI e can drive on battery power alone for up to 26 miles. The 8 Series Gran Coupe must run its internal combustion engine to move.

The A7’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 8 Series Gran Coupe (19.3 vs. 18 gallons).

The A7 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A7 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (3). This means the A7 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 8 Series Gran Coupe every 15,000 miles.

The A7 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better traction, the A7 has larger tires than the 8 Series Gran Coupe (255/40R20 vs. 245/40R19). The A7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 8 Series Gran Coupe (255/40R20 vs. 245/35R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A7 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the 840i Gran Coupe.

The A7 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 8 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 8 Series Gran Coupe don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A7 is 1.1 inches wider in the front than the average track on the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

For better maneuverability, the A7’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the 840i Gran Coupe’s (36.4 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The A7 55 TFSI e’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the M850i Gran Coupe’s (40.7 feet vs. 41.4 feet).

The A7 is 4.6 inches shorter than the 840i Gran Coupe, making the A7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Audi A7 amounts to more than styling. The A7 offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .28 to .29 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is lower than the 8 Series Gran Coupe (.3 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A7 get better fuel mileage.

The A7 has .1 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A7’s rear seats recline. The 8 Series Gran Coupe’s rear seats don’t recline.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A7 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 8 Series Gran Coupe 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 A7 has standard extendable sun visors. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The A7 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 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The A7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi A7 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the A7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A7 will cost $1075 less than the 8 Series Gran Coupe over a five-year period.

The A7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the A7 will retain 41.65% to 94.21% of its original price after five years, while the 8 Series Gran Coupe only retains 39.24% to 39.53%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi A7 will be $14517 to $33542 less than for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe.