Compare the2023 Audi S8VS 2022 BMW 7 Series

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi S8 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 7 Series doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S8 and 7 Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S8 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 7 Series’ 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.

The S8 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The 7 Series doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S8. But it costs extra on the 7 Series.

Both the S8 and the 7 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, around view monitors, available night vision systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The S8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 228 more horsepower (563 vs. 335) and 259 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 331) than the 740i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder. The S8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 174 more horsepower (563 vs. 389) and 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 443) than the 745e’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The S8’s 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (563 vs. 523) than the 750i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi S8 is faster than the 745e 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the S8 gets better fuel mileage than the M760i running its gasoline engine (15 city/23 hwy vs. 13 city/20 hwy).

The S8 has 9.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series 745e’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 12.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The S8 has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series’ standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 20.6 gallons).

For better stopping power the S8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 7 Series:

The S8 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The 7 Series doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The S8 stops much shorter than the 7 Series:

For better traction, the S8 has larger tires than the 7 Series (265/35R21 vs. 245/50R18). The S8’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 7 Series (265/35R21 vs. 255/40R20).

The S8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 7 Series’ standard 50 series tires. The S8’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the 7 Series’ optional 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S8 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the 7 Series. The S8’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the 7 Series.

The S8 handles at .95 G’s, while the 745e xDrive pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S8 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the 745e xDrive (24.4 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 26.1 seconds @ .73 average G’s).

The S8 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The 7 Series doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S8 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 7 Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The S8 offers an optional 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 7 Series doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.