Compare the2023 Audi A5VS 2023 BMW 4 Series Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A5 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 4 Series Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A5. But it costs extra on the 4 Series Coupe.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A5’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The 4 Series Coupe doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the A5 and the 4 Series Coupe 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, 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 A5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 109 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 4 Series Coupe has not been tested, yet.

The Audi A5’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the 4 Series Coupe’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The A5’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (261 vs. 255) than the 430i Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The 4 Series Coupe requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The A5 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 4 Series Coupe doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the A5’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the 4 Series Coupe:

For better traction, the A5 has larger standard tires than the 4 Series Coupe (245/40R18 vs. 225/45R18). The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4 Series Coupe (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R19).

The A5’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 4 Series Coupe’s standard 45 series tires. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the 4 Series Coupe’s optional 40 series front tires.

The A5 is 3 inches shorter than the 430i, making the A5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The A5 is 3.1 inches shorter than the 440i.

The A5 Coupe has .2 inches more front shoulder room and .9 inches more rear headroom than the 4 Series Coupe.

The A5’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. BMW does not offer a locking feature on the 4 Series Coupe’s standard power windows.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 4 Series Coupe 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 A5 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 4 Series Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.