Compare the2023 Audi A6VS 2023 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 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 its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 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 A6 and 8 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A6 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The A6 Prestige has a standard backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A6. But it costs extra on the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

Both the A6 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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A6 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 89 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 8 Series Gran Coupe has not been tested, yet.

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 A6’s reliability 19 points higher than the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

On the EPA test cycle the A6 gets better mileage than the 8 Series Gran Coupe:

The A6 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 8 Series Gran Coupe (19.3 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A6 higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (3). This means the A6 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 8 Series Gran Coupe every 15,000 miles.

The A6 offers an available 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.

The A6 stops shorter than the 8 Series Gran Coupe:

For better traction, the A6’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 8 Series Gran Coupe (255/40R20 vs. 245/35R21).

The A6 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.

The A6 Prestige handles at .93 G’s, while the 840i Gran Coupe xDrive pulls only .92 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the A6’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 840i Gran Coupe’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The A6’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the M850i Gran Coupe’s (39.7 feet vs. 41.4 feet).

The A6 is 5.9 inches shorter than the 8 Series Gran Coupe, making the A6 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Audi A6 amounts to more than styling. The A6 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. 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 A6 get better fuel mileage.

The A6 has .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the 8 Series Gran Coupe.

The A6’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The 8 Series Gran Coupe does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A6 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 A6 has standard extendable sun visors. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The A6 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 A6 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 A6 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 8 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The A6 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The 8 Series Gran Coupe’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Insurance will cost less for the A6 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A6 will cost $1945 to $8385 less than the 8 Series Gran Coupe over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi A6 will be $25567 to $54912 less than for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A6, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Audi A6/S6/RS 6 outsold the BMW 8 Series by 43% during the 2021 model year.