Compare the2024 Audi A5VS 2024 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 4 Series Coupe offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A5 with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The 4 Series Coupe’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

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 and around view monitors.

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 128 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.

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 A5’s reliability 17 points higher than the 4 Series Coupe.

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.

On the EPA test cycle the A5 Coupe gets better fuel mileage than the M440i Coupe xDrive (24 city/32 hwy vs. 22 city/31 hwy).

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 on average about 82.8 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 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 4 Series Coupe; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the 4 Series Coupe don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

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.

Laser headlights, standard on the A5 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the 4 Series Coupe’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

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 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 4 Series Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A5 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the 4 Series Coupe. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the 4 Series Coupe.

The A5 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 4 Series Coupe.

Insurance will cost less for the A5 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A5 will cost $1085 less than the 4 Series Coupe over a five-year period.