Compare the2024 BMW 4 Series Gran CoupeVS 2023 Acura TLX

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The TLX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the 4 Series Gran Coupe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The TLX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The TLX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The TLX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the TLX’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 4 Series Gran Coupe has standard Cross Traffic Warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Acura charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Monitor on the TLX.

Both the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the TLX 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the TLX’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 4 Series Gran Coupe for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Acura pays for maintenance for the TLX (3/36,000 vs. 2/24,000).

There are over 30 percent more BMW dealers than there are Acura dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the TLX’s camshafts. If the TLX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe’s reliability 33 points higher than the TLX.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 4 Series Gran Coupe third among compact premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The TLX isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. With 15 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Acura.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Acura is ranked 8th.

The 430i Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 280) than the TLX’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The M440i Gran Coupe’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 27 more horsepower (382 vs. 355) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 354) than the TLX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6.

On the EPA test cycle the 4 Series Gran Coupe gets better mileage than the TLX:

Regenerative brakes improve the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The TLX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The TLX doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the TLX are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the 4 Series Gran Coupe has larger standard tires than the TLX (245/45R18 vs. 235/50R18).

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the TLX’s standard 50 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The TLX doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.8% to 50.2%) than the TLX’s (57% to 43%). This gives the 4 Series Gran Coupe more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the TLX’s (39.4 feet vs. 40.1 feet). The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the TLX with 19/20-inch wheels’ (39.4 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

The 4 Series Gran Coupe is 6.1 inches shorter than the TLX, making the 4 Series Gran Coupe easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has 1.4 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more rear headroom than the TLX.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by waving your foot, leaving your hands completely free. The TLX doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

The engine in the 4 Series Gran Coupe is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the TLX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The power windows standard on both the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the TLX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the 4 Series Gran Coupe is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The TLX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The TLX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Laser headlights, optional on the 4 Series Gran Coupe, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the TLX’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the 4 Series Gran Coupe offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The TLX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The 4 Series Gran Coupe also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The TLX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The TLX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The BMW 4 Series comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Acura TLX isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the 4 Series Gran Coupe will retain 52.7% to 54.31% of its original price after five years, while the TLX only retains 45.75% to 49.71%.

The BMW 4 Series outsold the Acura TLX by over three to one during 2022.