Compare the2026 BMW M4VS 2025 Aston Martin Vantage

The M4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Vantage doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 M4 are reminded to check the back seat. The Vantage doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The BMW M4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 Vantage doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The M4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Vantage doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The M4 has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Vantage 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The M4 offers an optional Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Vantage doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The M4 Competition xDrive has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Vantage doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the M4 and the Vantage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The M4 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Vantage’s 3-year basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

The M4’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Vantage’s (12 vs. 10 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the M4 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Aston Martin doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Vantage.

There are almost 10 times as many BMW dealers as there are Aston Martin dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the M4’s warranty.

As tested in Motor Trend the M4 Competition xDrive is faster than the Aston Martin Vantage (automatics tested):

On the EPA test cycle the M4 Coupe gets better mileage than the Vantage:

On the EPA test cycle the M4 Convertible gets better mileage than the Vantage:

Regenerative brakes improve the M4’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Vantage doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the M4’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Vantage doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The M4 offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Vantage doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

All wheel drive, available in the M4, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The Aston Martin Vantage is not available with all wheel drive.

The M4 stops shorter than the Vantage:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the M4’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the Vantage (112.5 inches vs. 106.5 inches).

The M4 Coupe handles at 1.03 G’s, while the Vantage Coupe pulls only 1.01 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The M4’s standard power retractable hardtop allows a seamless transition from an open car, to a completely sealed coupe. The Vantage doesn’t offer a retractable hardtop.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the M4 Coupe is quieter than the Vantage Coupe:

The M4 has standard seating for 4 passengers; the Vantage can only carry 2.

The M4 Coupe has 4 inches more front headroom, 7.1 inches more front legroom and 1.6 inches more front shoulder room than the Vantage Coupe.

The M4 Coupe has a much larger trunk than the Vantage Coupe (15.5 vs. 12.2 cubic feet).

With its coupe body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the M4 offers cargo security. The Vantage’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the M4 has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Vantage doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

The M4 Auto offers a 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 Vantage doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The M4 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Vantage doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The M4’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Vantage’s power windows’ switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the M4 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Vantage doesn’t offer cornering lights. The M4 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The M4’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Vantage’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The M4’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Vantage has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The M4 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 Vantage.

The BMW M4 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. Aston Martin charges extra for Homelink® on the Vantage.

The M4’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Vantage’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The BMW 4 Series outsold the Aston Martin Vantage by almost 68 to one during 2024.