Compare the2024 BMW 7 SeriesVS 2023 Audi A8

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 7 Series are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The 7 Series has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The A8 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The 7 Series has a standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The A8 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The 7 Series 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 A8’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 7 Series has standard Cross Traffic Warning with braking function and automatically engage the brakes. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A8.

The 7 Series’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A8 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the 7 Series and the A8 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 7 Series for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A8.

There are over 15 percent more BMW dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the 7 Series’ warranty.

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 Audi vehicles. With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Audi.

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 Audi 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, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Audi is ranked 6th.

The 740i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (375 vs. 335) and 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (398 vs. 369) than the A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid. The 750e’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 148 more horsepower (483 vs. 335) and 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 369) than the A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid. The 760i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid produces 201 more horsepower (536 vs. 335) and 184 lbs.-ft. more torque (553 vs. 369) than the A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the 740i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Audi A8:

On the EPA test cycle the 7 Series running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the A8:

The 750e can travel with zero emissions for 35 miles. The A8 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The 7 Series’ 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 A8 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the 760i’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the A8:

The 7 Series stops shorter than the A8:

For better traction and acceleration, the 7 Series has larger rear tires than the A8 (285/40R20 vs. 255/45R19). The 7 Series’ rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the A8 (285/40R20 vs. 265/40R20).

The 7 Series’ standard 285/40R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the A8’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 7 Series has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the A8.

The 7 Series 760i offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The A8 doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 7 Series’ wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the A8 (126.6 inches vs. 123.2 inches).

For better maneuverability, the 7 Series’ turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the A8’s (39.7 feet vs. 42.2 feet). The 7 Series xDrive’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the A8’s (40.4 feet vs. 42.2 feet).

The front grille of the 7 Series uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The A8 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The 7 Series has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear headroom than the A8.

The 7 Series has a much larger trunk than the A8 (13.7 vs. 12.5 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 1% lower rating, Audi is ranked 8th.

The 7 Series has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A8 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The 7 Series’ 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 A8 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The 7 Series has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the A8.

The 7 Series is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The A8 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 7 Series first among upper midsize premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The A8 isn’t in the top three.

The BMW 7 Series outsold the Audi A8/S8 by almost four to one during 2022.