Compare the2024 Honda Civic SiVS 2024 Audi A4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Civic Si are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The A4’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Si 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the A4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic Si has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A4.

The Civic Si’s 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 A4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic Si and the A4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Civic Si is safer than the Audi A4:

	Civic Si	A4
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	55 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	189/372 lbs.	431/395 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	1 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	25%
Leg Forces (l/r)	275/164 lbs.	324/341 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Civic Si is safer than the Audi A4:

	Civic Si	A4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	308 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	277
Hip Force	516 lbs.	777 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	260	333

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic Si the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A4 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic Si 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A4 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic Si for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, 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 A4.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Si’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Civic Si has a standard 500-amp battery. The A4’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Civic Si’s reliability 15 points higher than the A4.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Audi.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Si gets better mileage than the A4:

			MPG
Civic Si
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
A4
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/35 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy

The Civic Si 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 A4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic Si higher (6 out of 10) than the Audi A4 (5). This means the Civic Si produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the A4 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic Si stops much shorter than the A4:

	Civic Si	A4
60 to 0 MPH	110 feet	120 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic Si has larger tires than the A4 (235/40R18 vs. 225/50R17).

The Civic Si’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the A4’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Si has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the A4.

Suspension and Handling

The Civic Si handles at .93 G’s, while the A4 Premium pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Si executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the A4 Premium (26.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

Chassis

The Honda Civic Si may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 700 pounds less than the Audi A4.

The Civic Si is 3.5 inches shorter than the A4, making the Civic Si easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic Si has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The A4 uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Si a Mid-size car, while the A4 is rated a Compact.

The Civic Si has 4.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A4 (96.6 vs. 92).

The Civic Si has .3 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the A4.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic Si has a much larger trunk than the A4 (14.4 vs. 12 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Civic Si’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the A4’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic Si and the Audi A4, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 8 more times in the last 39 years. The A4 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Audi A4/S4 by almost 9 to one during 2022.

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