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BMW M4 vs Audi S5

What's the difference?

VS
BMW M4
BMW M4

$147,900 - $388,888

2022 price

Audi S5
Audi S5

$79,800 - $93,990

2021 price

Summary

2022 BMW M4
2021 Audi S5
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 6, 3.0L

Turbo V6, 3.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
10.4L/100km (combined)

8.6L/100km (combined)
Seating
4

5
Dislikes
  • Aggressive styling
  • Expensive options
  • Short warranty

  • Still no wireless CarPlay
  • Three-year warranty lags behind cheaper brands
2022 BMW M4 Summary

Few cars carry the burden of expectation more than the BMW M3 – and, by association – the two-door versions latterly rebadged M4. Porsche 911 definitely. Mazda MX-5 probably. Ford Mustang maybe. Icons all.

Since the arrival of the left-hand-drive-only – thus it never officially came to Australia – E30 3 Series two-door original in 1986, it’s become the benchmark for which all others follow, and regular finalist in any given ‘greatest sports car of all time' listings.

Except… it hasn’t always turned out that way.

After the visceral E30 M3, it’s been a rollercoaster ride of disappointment and elation: by 1992’s patchy E36 arch enemies Audi and Mercedes-Benz were chiming in, only to be swept aside by the exquisite E46 M3 from 2000. But then its 2007 E90 and 2014 F80 successors both missed their marks for reasons we’ll go into later, leaving us with 2021’s G82/3 generation.

Does the latest two-door M-car return to form? We take a look at the M4 convertible, which simultaneously rediscovers the fabric roof and adopts all-wheel drive (AWD) for the first time.

Glorified blow dryer or glorious mind blower? Let’s see.

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2021 Audi S5 Summary

Audi would probably prefer you not to realise this, but the five distinct versions of S4 and S5 on the market all pertain to a single performance and equipment formula spread across five different bodystyles. 

Yes five, and this has been the case for more than a decade, with the S4 sedan and Avant wagon, A5 two-door Coupe, convertible Cabriolet and five door liftback Sportback all representing vastly different shapes for you to choose from, with the same underpinnings. This simply echoes the A4 and A5 ranges they’re based on of course, and BMW clearly thought it was a good idea too, given the 3 and 4 Series ranges were split into individual lines at the start of last generation.

Mercedes-Benz offers a similar array, minus the liftback, but is happy to wrap the whole lot under the C-Class label. 

So, given that the A4 and A5 range scored a mid-life update a few months ago, it’s only logical that the changes flow on to the performance S4 and S5s, with the top-tier RS4 Avant following suit. 

We’ve covered the latter in October, and now it’s the turn for the former, and CarsGuide was among the first to drive the updated S4 and S5 ranges at their Australian media launch last week.

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Deep dive comparison

2022 BMW M4 2021 Audi S5

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