Compare the2024 BMW 4 Series Gran CoupeVS 2024 Audi S3

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 4 Series Gran Coupe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The S3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe offers an optional Surround View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The S3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the S3’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 4 Series Gran Coupe has standard Cross Traffic Warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the S3.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’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 S3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the S3 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, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 4 Series Gran Coupe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW 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 S3.

There are over 14 percent more BMW dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 4 Series Gran Coupe third among compact premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The S3 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 10 places higher in reliability than Audi.

The M440i Gran Coupe’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 76 more horsepower (382 vs. 306) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 295) than the S3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the 4 Series Gran Coupe gets better mileage than the S3:

Regenerative brakes improve the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The S3 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the S3 (15.6 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the S3.

For better stopping power the M440i Gran Coupe xDrive’s brake rotors are larger than those on the S3:

For better traction, the 4 Series Gran Coupe has larger standard tires than the S3 (245/45R18 vs. 225/40R18). The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the S3 (F:245/40R19 & R:255/40R19 vs. 235/35R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 4 Series Gran Coupe offers optional 20-inch wheels. The S3’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the S3 (112.4 inches vs. 103.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the 4 Series Gran Coupe is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the S3.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the 4 Series Gran Coupe a Compact car, while the S3 is rated a Subcompact.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the S3 (91 vs. 86).

The 4 Series Gran Coupe has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the S3.

The engine in the 4 Series Gran Coupe is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the S3. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 1% lower rating, Audi is ranked 8th.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s standard Comfort Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Engine Start/Stop standard on the S3 only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the car.

Laser headlights, optional on the 4 Series Gran Coupe, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the S3’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The S3’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The S3’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Both the 4 Series Gran Coupe and the S3 offer available heated front seats. The 4 Series Gran Coupe also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the S3.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the 4 Series Gran Coupe keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The S3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The S3 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The S3’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The BMW 4 Series comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Audi S3 isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

The 4 Series Gran Coupe is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The S3 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The BMW 4 Series outsold the Audi A3/S3/RS 3 by almost four to one during 2023.