Compare the2023 Audi A4VS 2023 BMW 3 Series Sedan

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A4 and 3 Series Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 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 3 Series Sedan’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 A4. But it costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The A4’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

Both the A4 and the 3 Series Sedan 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, rearview cameras, available 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 Audi A4 is safer than the BMW 3 Series Sedan:

	A4	3 Series Sedan
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	277	305
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

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

Reliability

The Audi A4’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the 3 Series Sedan’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A4’s reliability 19 points higher than the 3 Series Sedan.

Engine

The A4 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (261 vs. 255) than the 330i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the A4 45 TFSI is faster than the 330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	A4	3 Series Sedan
Zero to 60 MPH	4.8 sec	5.2 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	12.9 sec	13.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.6 sec	6.4 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	13.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102 MPH	100 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A4 gets better mileage than the 3 Series Sedan:

			MPG
A4
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/33 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
3 Series Sedan
	RWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/32 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A4 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The 3 Series Sedan requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The A4 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The A4 stops much shorter than the 3 Series Sedan:

	A4	3 Series Sedan
70 to 0 MPH	149 feet	165 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	105 feet	114 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 3 Series Sedan (245/40R18 vs. 225/40R19).

The A4’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 3 Series Sedan’s optional 40 series front tires.

Suspension and Handling

The A4 Premium Plus handles at .97 G’s, while the 330i xDrive pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the 330i xDrive (25.3 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the A4’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the 3 Series Sedan’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Towing

The A4 has a 3968 lbs. towing capacity. The 3 Series Sedan has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 3 Series Sedan 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 A4 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the A4 (except Premium) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the A4 is less expensive to operate than the 3 Series Sedan because typical repairs cost much less on the A4 than the 3 Series Sedan, including $45 less for a water pump, $236 less for a muffler, $29 less for front brake pads, $136 less for fuel injection, $492 less for a timing belt/chain and $325 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.