Compare the2023 Audi A7VS 2023 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 its 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.

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 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.

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

The A7 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 8 Series Gran Coupe (19.3 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 out of 10) than the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (3). This means the A7 produces up to 16.5 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 maneuverability, the A7’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 840i Gran Coupe’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The A7’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the M850i Gran Coupe’s (39.7 feet vs. 41.4 feet).

The A7 is 4.7 inches shorter than the 8 Series Gran Coupe, making the A7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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.

The A7 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 A7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A7 will cost $555 to $6050 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 A7 will be $13737 to $48255 less than for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe.