Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2014 Audi S4 VS 2014 BMW 3 Near Phoenix, AZ

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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer pretensioners for the 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 3 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S4. But it costs extra on the 3 Series Sedan.

Both the S4 and the 3 Series Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi S4 is safer than the BMW 3 Series Sedan:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Audi S4 is safer than the BMW 3 Series Sedan:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2013 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Audi 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 18th, below the industry average.

The S4’s 3.0 supercharged V6 produces 153 more horsepower (333 vs. 180) and 141 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 184) than the 320i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. The S4’s 3.0 supercharged V6 produces 93 more horsepower (333 vs. 240) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 255) than the 328i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. The S4’s 3.0 supercharged V6 produces 33 more horsepower (333 vs. 300) and 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 300) than the 335i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6 cyl.

As tested in Road & Track the Audi S4 is faster than the BMW 3 Series Sedan (manual transmissions tested):

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi S4 is faster than the BMW 3 Series Sedan (automatics tested):

The S4 has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the 3 Series Sedan ActiveHybrid/diesel’s standard fuel tank (16.1 vs. 15 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the S4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 3 Series Sedan:

The S4 stops much shorter than the 3 Series Sedan:

For better traction, the S4 has larger standard tires than the 3 Series Sedan (245/40R18 vs. 225/50R17). The S4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 3 Series Sedan (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R19).

The S4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 3 Series Sedan’s standard 50 series tires. The S4’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the 3 Series Sedan’s optional 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S4 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 3 Series Sedan.

The S4 handles at .96 G’s, while the 335i pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Road & Track skidpad test.

The S4 goes through Road & Track’s slalom 3 MPH faster than the 328i (70.1 vs. 67.1 MPH).

The S4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the 328i (24.9 seconds @ .78 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

As tested by AutoWeek, the interior of the S4 is quieter than the 328i:

The S4 has .4 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear legroom than the 3 Series Sedan.

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 51.82% of its original price after five years, while the 3 Series Sedan only retains 44.99% to 45.66%.

The S4 was selected by Automobile Magazine as their 2010 Car of the Year. The 3 Series was Car of the Year in 2006.