Compare the2024 Audi S4VS 2024 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S4 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 Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi S4 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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S4 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 4 Series Gran Coupe’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 S4. But it costs extra on the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Both the S4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the S4 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 Gran Coupe’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S4 and the 4 Series Gran 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.

The S4’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 94 more horsepower (349 vs. 255) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 295) than the 430i Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S4 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The 4 Series Gran Coupe requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

For better stopping power the S4’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the 4 Series Gran Coupe:

For better traction, the S4 has larger tires than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (255/35R19 vs. 245/45R18). The S4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4 Series Gran Coupe (255/35R19 vs. 245/40R19).

The S4’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S4 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 Gran 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 Gran Coupe don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For better maneuverability, the S4’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The S4 has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S4 offers cargo security. The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s hatchback body style, non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S4 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S4 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the S4 has standard extendable sun visors. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the S4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S4 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 Gran Coupe.

The S4 has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

The S4 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the S4 will retain 54.86% to 55.98% of its original price after five years, while the 4 Series Gran Coupe only retains 52.7% to 54.31%.