Audi RS5 vs BMW I4

What's the difference?

Good looking, good to drive, and good to simply sit in, the Audi RS5 range ticks plenty of premium boxes. Whether you can live with the practicality pitfalls of the Coupe is up to you, but if you can't, might I suggest taking a wander over to our RS4 Avant review?

The BMW i4 balances a solid, old-school feel with the beauty and stunning looks of high-end technology. It feels like the end of an era for the German brand before it leaps into the screen-heavy age of software-defined vehicles.

While BMW hasn’t publicly announced an end-date for i4 production just yet, the new i3 is bound to overshadow it once it arrives. It offers more than double the claimed range and will likely address a number of this car’s flaws.

In the meantime however, the i4 is definitely worth considering if you value driving dynamics and a quality feel in a car that you can drive daily.

I defy anyone to describe the RS5, and especially the Coupe, as anything but stunning. Seriously, the near perfect proportions and swept-back styling make it look fast even when it's parked. 

Up front, there's a new-look black-mesh grille that's been given a 3D effect, like it juts out over the road in front it, while the thing headlights have been carved back into the body work like they're been windswept under hard acceleration.

The 20-inch darkened alloys fill the arches, too, with a sharp body crease that runs from the front headlight all the way back to the bulging shoulder lines above the rear tyres accentuating the curves.

Inside, the RS5 is a sea of black Nappa leather and sporty touches, and we particularly like the chunky, flat-bottomed steering wheel, which both looks - and feels - great.

The BMW i4 is firmly at the end of its lifecycle, however its exterior design is ageing like fine wine. This is apt given our tester was finished in delicious-looking 'Fire Red' metallic paint.

The overall proportions of this car are gorgeous, especially towards the rear where the roofline is drawn out, accentuating the liftback look.

This latest update only brought minor tweaks to the design, including refreshed headlight and tail-light signatures. As mentioned above, the M Sport package is now also standard which does give this car a subtly sporty look.

Inside the design marries together the best of the old and new worlds. A major highlight is the curved display housing not only the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, but also a 14.9-inch touchscreen multimedia display. It’s a stunning setup that looks ultra modern.

On the flipside however, there is still a lot of physical switchgear on the centre console, including a rotary iDrive controller that allows you to control the content on the screen. It’s a great setup if you like to avoid getting fingerprints on the touchscreen.

While there are a few applications of glossy piano black around the cabin, it’s balanced nicely with other metallic and matt finishes. You’re able to choose from a few different trim inlays, including aluminium and open-pore wood, for no extra cost.

Lastly, the new M Sport steering wheel looks great in this car and adds a lovely sporty touch to the interior.

We only tested the Coupe, and I can tell you that the practicality perks on offer largely depend on where you're sitting.

Up front, you're spoiled for room in the two-door Coupe, with the two spacious seats separated by a sizeable centre console that's also home to two cupholders and a variety of cubbies, with extra bottle storage in each of the front doors. 

The back seat, though, is a little, or a lot, tighter, with come acrobatics required to even climb into it, given the Coupe only has two doors. The Sportback offers two more doors, which will surely make the process a little easier. 

The Coupe measures 4723mm in length, 1866mm in width and 1372mm in height, and will deliver a decent 410 litres in luggage space in the boot. The Sportback measures in at 4783mm, 1866mm and 1399mm, and boosts your luggage space to 465 litres.

Either vehicle has your tech needs sorted, with an abundance of USB and power outlets serving both front and backseat riders.

Hopping into the i4, it’s clear you’re getting into a low-slung vehicle. If you’ve got poor mobility, it may be worth looking elsewhere.

Once you’re in though, the cockpit is a lovely space to spend time. The driver’s seat is beautifully comfortable and offers plenty of adjustment, including extendable thigh support.

Ahead of the driver the steering wheel is rather thick in classic BMW fashion. I appreciate the physical buttons and scroll wheels as they’re easy to understand and use on the fly.

The curved display not only looks stunning, but is functional and easy to use. The digital instrument cluster has a number of layouts you can choose from and it can be paired with the head-up display, which is great to refer to at a glance.

Moving across, there is a lot going on with the central multimedia system. It can feel overwhelming with the amount of content and information to begin with, but once you start poking around, things are logically sorted.

Thankfully there are also a series of shortcut buttons always at the bottom of the screen to take you to key menus.

Adding to this, there is the flexibility of having the iDrive controller. Reaching the far side of the screen from the driver’s seat can be a bit of a stretch and being able to use the rotary dial on the move is much easier.

There is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. It takes up the full touchscreen display, which looks great.

Looking around the cabin, storage space is fine but not amazing. There are two cupholders plus a wireless charger tucked behind them on the centre console, plus a shallow centre storage area under the central armrest.

Hopping into the second row, it’s clear the focus for this car is on the occupants up front. The door aperture is rather narrow, making it tricky to get in and out gracefully.

In the second row space is nothing more than adequate. At a leggy 182cm tall, my legs almost touch the seat in front when it’s set to my driving position and my head almost brushes the roofliner. I’d struggle to spend a lot of time back here.

This is compounded by the massive hump in the centre that’s a carryover from the combustion platform this car is based on.

Second-row amenities include climate control with air vents mounted on the back of the centre console, two USB-C ports, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there is a large liftback that opens and closes electronically. With the rear seats upright there is 470L of boot space, which expands to 1290L when folded.

While this is not massive in terms of outright capacity over a similarly sized sedan, the envelope is much more open and usable.

There’s also a section under the boot floor that’s generously sized for power cables, among other odds and ends.

BMW now only offers one version of the i4 in Australia, the eDrive35. It dropped the M Performance grade when the facelift was introduced last year.

The 2026 BMW i4 eDrive35 is priced from $88,900 before on-road costs, which is $1100 more than it was in pre-update guise.

It’s worth noting that it now picks up the M Sport package as standard which gains sporty exterior and interior highlights. This was previously offered on defunct eDrive40 trim.

Critically the i4 remains under the LCT threshold which means that if you put it on a novated lease it’s exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax.

Standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, power tailgate, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 14.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, synthetic leather upholstery and heated front seats.

It’s fairly standard on this front, though a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats would make for a nice touch. However, this would likely tip it over the LCT threshold.

Its a terrific engine, this - a twin-turbo 2.9-litre six-cylinder TFSI that will deliver 331kW at 5700rpm and 600Nm at 1900rpm, sending it thundering to all four wheels (because quattro) via an eight-speed tiptronic automatic.

That's enough, says Audi, to deliver a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.9 seconds in the Coupe and the Sportback. Which is very, very quick.

The i4 eDrive35 continues to be powered by a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces an unchanged 210kW and 400Nm.

This is nothing revolutionary in terms of the powertrain, though it’s nice it retains a rear-wheel drive-layout like the discontinued 4 Series Gran Coupe this car is based on.

BMW claims the i4 eDrive35 can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.0 seconds and the top speed is 190km/h.

The RS5 Coupe will sip a claimed 9.4L/100km on the combined cycle, and emit a claimed 208g/km of Co2. It's fitted with a 58-litre fuel tank. 

The RS5 Coupe will the same 9.4L/100km, but emit 209g/km of Co2.

The electric motor is fed by a 70kWh lithium-ion battery pack that allows for up to 448km of claimed range, according to ADR 81/02 testing.

This is 18km more than the pre-update car thanks to silicon carbide semiconductor components which are claimed to reduce energy consumption and increase range.

However, the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 both still offer more range for less money.

BMW claims the i4 eDrive35 consumes an average of 16.3kWh/100km, according to ADR 81/02 testing. Over my 200km of urban testing I saw an average of 17.5kWh/100km, which isn’t fantastic as EVs are predominantly more efficient in the city.

Using my as-tested consumption, this means you have a theoretical range of 379km. That’s not great, though this range issue will be addressed with the forthcoming i3 electric sedan.

AC charging is available at rates up to 11kW, whereas DC fast-charging is offered at rates up to 180kW, allowing for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 32 minutes.

With our time behind the wheel limited to the RS5 Coupe, we can only really report on how the two-door feels on the road, but given the prodigious power on offer, it's unlikely the addition of two doors is going to make the Sportback any slower. 

In short, the RS5 is thunderously fast, collecting speed with utter nonchalance thanks to this thick and endless-feeling supply of power unleashed whenever you plant your right foot.

It makes even the most ham-fisted attempts at cornering feel fast as lightning, with the power flow able to make up for every slow entry and exit by simply piling on pace between bends. 

But that's what you expect from an RS model, right? So perhaps more impressive is the RS5's ability to transform back into a relatively sedate urban cruiser when the red mist subsides. The suspension is firm, especially over rough road surfaces, and you do need to be a little careful with the accelerator to avoid that lurching feeling at every green light, but driven calmly, it doubles as a everyday car quite nicely.

Like in the RS4, we did find the gearbox felt a little quick to change at pace, shifting up or down at strange moments on the way into or out of corners, but you can reclaim control via the paddle shifters.

BMW has positioned itself as creating vehicles that are the ‘ultimate driving machine’ for decades now and this i4 is no exception.

While it’s not an outright performance powerhouse, it doesn’t need to be in order to feel engaging to drive.

The rear-mounted electric motor produces a decent 210kW/400Nm and it’s enough to get moving in frenetic urban traffic with ease. You’ll rarely want any more out on the open road either as rolling acceleration is decent.

The regenerative braking system in this car feels natural and transitions to the friction brakes with no awkward lurching or inconsistencies.

I like how you can drive this car like a regular combustion car using both the accelerator and brake pedals, or with an extra flick of the gear selector you can activate one-pedal driving. During my loan I played around with both and didn’t have a favourite as both feel well tuned and easy to adapt to.

The steering is direct and on the lighter side, making the car feel agile and nimble on the move. However, in low-speed situations you realise the turning circle isn’t fantastic…

I appreciate that BMW opted for standard 18-inch alloy wheels that are paired with tyres that have chubby sidewalls as this keeps the ride from being harsh and jittery, especially over firmer bumps.

Don’t worry if 18 inches aren’t enough though, BMW offers alloy wheel options that go all the way up to 22 inches.

This is the type of car that suits a long-distance road trip as it’s such an easy and fun car to cruise around in. That's why it’s so unfortunate that the range limits how you can travel before recharges.

In terms of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in the cabin, the i4 is naturally quiet given it’s an EV. However, it feels like there’s extra insulation because even at high speeds tyre and wind noise are virtually nonexistent, creating a hushed and tranquil interior ambience.

The BMW i4 received a four-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2022.

It was held back from receiving a five-star rating due to its ‘Safety Assist’ score of 62 per cent. A car needed to receive a minimum of 70 per cent back in 2022 to achieve five stars.

It’s also worth noting that the Australian-specification BMW i4’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems are claimed to be of a “higher standard” than the European-specification car tested by Euro NCAP. However, BMW never provided ANCAP with an Australian-spec i4 for verification testing.

Standard safety highlights include AEB, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, plus a surround-view camera.

One of the few safety features that is missing is an active lane-keep assist or lane-centring function. When you drift near a marked line the steering wheel only vibrates to notify you and doesn’t physically move you back into the lane.

Audi vehicles are covered by a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is feeling more than a little underdone when compared to some competitors.

Services are due every 12 months or 15,000kms, and Audi allows you to pre-pay your service costs for the first five years, at a cost of $3,050.

Like all electric BMWs, the i4 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

A five-year warranty has been commonplace within the premium space for a few years now, whereas many mainstream brands have since moved up to seven years of coverage, or longer in some cases. It’s far from competitive.

Owners also receive three years of complimentary roadside assistance.

BMW offers a six-year pre-paid service package priced at $2420, which averages out to just over $400 per year.