Compare the2025 Audi S4VS 2024 Volkswagen GTI

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 GTI doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S4 and GTI 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 GTI’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 GTI doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The S4 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The GTI doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The S4 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The GTI 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.

Both the S4 and the GTI have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 rear cross-path warning.

The Audi S4 weighs 692 to 743 pounds more than the Volkswagen GTI. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Warranty

The S4’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the GTI’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

Reliability

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 S4’s reliability 24 points higher than the GTI.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The S4’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 108 more horsepower (349 vs. 241) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 273) than the GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi S4 is faster than the Volkswagen GTI (automatics tested):

	S4	GTI
Zero to 60 MPH	4.2 sec	5.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.7 sec	13.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.7 sec	5.8 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.8 sec	3 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	3.6 sec	4.1 sec
Quarter Mile	12.8 sec	14.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	108 MPH	102 MPH
Top Speed	155 MPH	128 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the S4’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The GTI doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The S4 has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the GTI (15.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The S4 has a tether attaching its gas cap to prevent its loss. The GTI’s gas cap isn’t tethered, so it can be left at a gas station if the driver forgets to screw the cap back in.

Transmission

The Audi S4 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the GTI.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Audi S4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the GTI.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	S4	GTI
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.2 inches

The S4 stops shorter than the GTI:

	S4	GTI
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	120 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S4 has larger tires than the GTI (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R18). The S4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GTI (255/35R19 vs. 235/35R19).

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 GTI’s standard 40 series tires.

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

Suspension and Handling

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S4’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the GTI (111 inches vs. 103.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S4 is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GTI.

The S4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the GTI’s (60.9% to 39.1%). This gives the S4 more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

The S4 has .1 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the GTI.

Cargo Capacity

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the S4. The GTI doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S4’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The GTI doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The S4 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The GTI uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the S4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the GTI. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The S4 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The GTI doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 GTI can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The S4’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the GTI’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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 GTI doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The GTI’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The S4 Prestige’s standard 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.

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

Both the Audi S4 and Volkswagen GTI offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The S4 offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the GTI’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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 GTI.

The S4 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the GTI Autobahn.

The Audi S4 has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Volkswagen charges extra for Homelink® on the GTI.

Recommendations

The Audi A4/S4 outsold the Volkswagen Golf/GTI by 27% during 2023.

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