Compare the2024 Audi e-tron GTVS 2024 BMW i5

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi e-tron GT are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the e-tron GT and i5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The e-tron GT has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The i5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the e-tron GT. But it costs extra on the i5.

Both the e-tron GT and the i5 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The e-tron GT’s standard electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (523 vs. 335) and 177 lbs.-ft. more torque (472 vs. 295) than the i5 eDrive40’s standard electric motor. The RS e-tron GT’s standard electric motors produces 44 more horsepower (637 vs. 593) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (612 vs. 586) than the i5 M60’s standard electric motors.

The e-tron GT can travel longer on a full charge than the i5 on a full charge:

The e-tron GT RS offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The i5 doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

For better traction, the e-tron GT Prestige/RS’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the i5 (F:265/35R21 & R:305/30R21 vs. F:245/40R20 & R:275/35R20).

The e-tron GT’s 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 i5’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the e-tron GT has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the i5.

The front and rear suspension of the e-tron GT uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the i5, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The e-tron GT has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The e-tron GT’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The i5 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the e-tron GT is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the i5.

For better maneuverability, the e-tron GT’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the i5 M60 xDrive’s (38.1 feet vs. 39 feet). The e-tron GT’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the i5 eDrive40’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.4 feet).

The e-tron GT has .2 inches more front headroom and .6 inches more front legroom than the i5.

Laser headlights, standard on the e-tron GT Prestige/RS, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the i5’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the e-tron GT has standard extendable sun visors. The i5 doesn’t offer extendable visors.