Compare the2024 Audi S4VS 2023 Genesis G70

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 Genesis G70 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The G70 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S4 and G70 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 G70’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.

The Audi S4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The G70 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The S4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The G70 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The G70 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S4. But it costs extra on the G70.

Both the S4 and the G70 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The S4’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the G70’s (12 vs. 7 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Genesis vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 6 places higher in reliability than Genesis.

The S4’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 97 more horsepower (349 vs. 252) and 109 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 260) than the G70 2.0T’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi S4 is faster than the Genesis G70:

On the EPA test cycle the S4 gets better mileage than the G70:

Both the S4 and the G70 2.0T have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All S4s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch costs extra on the G70.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S4 higher (5 out of 10) than the Genesis G70 (3). This means the S4 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the G70 every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the S4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the G70:

The S4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the G70 2.0T are solid, not vented.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The S4 has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The G70 doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The S4 stops shorter than the G70:

For better traction, the S4 has larger tires than the G70 (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R19).

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 G70’s standard 40 series front tires.

The S4 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The G70’s suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

The S4 Prestige handles at .91 G’s, while the G70 Sport Advanced pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S4 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the G70 Sport Advanced (25.2 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

The S4 has .5 inches more rear headroom and .9 inches more rear legroom than the G70.

The S4 has a much larger trunk than the G70 (12 vs. 10.5 cubic feet).

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S4 offers cargo security. The G70’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Genesis. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 29% lower rating, Genesis is ranked 23rd.

If the windows are left open on the S4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the G70 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The S4’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The G70’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 G70 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 G70 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the S4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The G70 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 is only available on the G70 AWD/3.3T Sport Prestige.

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 G70.

The S4 Prestige’s Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The G70 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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 G70 only retains 49.24% to 51.02%.

The Audi A4/S4 outsold the Genesis G70 by 20% during 2022.