After living with and beating the crap out of a B9 Audi S4 for over a year, I recently had the opportunity to drive its closest rival, the BMW M340i, on one of the East Coast’s best roads: The Tail of the Dragon.
I’ll start off by saying I wish I had road-tripped there in the BMW rather than my Mazda Miata, but that’s not really a fair comparison. The Miata is arguably more fun on some of the roads we drove.
From an exterior styling perspective, the M340i and S4 take two very different directions. While the Audi is very angular and has mostly straight lines, the BMW is softer and more flowing. They’re both pretty subtle as performance cars go, though this particular M340i has extra black and carbon fiber components that make it stand out a bit more. Personally, I can’t pick a winner between the two; they’re both rather good looking cars in their own ways.
On the other hand, you can certainly pick a winner between the noises coming out of the back. While I’ve previously said that I don’t think the S4 sounds as bad as the general populous makes it out to be, there’s no getting around the fact that the M340i just has a nicer tone to its exhaust note. It’s also significantly louder in stock form, and the burbles are surprisingly less predictable than the Audi.
Ultimately, the difference comes down to what’s under the hood. Whereas the S4 uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, the M340i has a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. In stock form, they produce relatively similar numbers on paper, but a quick look at any forum post or YouTube video with dyno testing shows the BMW is significantly underrated. (Which makes sense when you realize that the stock BMW is just as quick from 0-60 mph as my Stage 1 tuned S4 was.)
On the inside, I prefer the ergonomics and design choices of the BMW, but the materials and build quality of the Audi. For one, the M340i’s cognac colored interior is absolutely stunning — Audi doesn’t really allow any exciting color choices on their S and RS cars. I also like how the screens are sort of integrated into one binnacle, and that BMW chose to offer touchscreen capability. On the other hand, there are more hard plastics down low in the M340i, some of the switchgear feels cheaper, and a lot of the materials creak and rattle under light force.
In terms of technology and user interface, it’s a mixed bag. Audi’s “Virtual Cockpit” digital gauge cluster display offers way more customization than BMW’s “Live Cockpit”; on the other hand, this version of iDrive infotainment is miles ahead of the Audi’s MMI from a design and usability standpoint. This particular M340i is also equipped with the Driver Assistance Pro package, which includes a hands-free driving assistant with eye tracking, and works incredibly well on the highway — just as good as Tesla’s Autopilot system and others, if not better in some ways.
Seat comfort is equal to me; though I haven’t lived with the M340i on a longer-distance drive. Both cars offer similar adjustability up front with thigh cushion extenders, power side bolsters, four-way lumbar, and memory settings. The BMW is missing massage functionality, but neither car includes ventilated/cooled front seats which would be a nice amenity on a $60,000-plus vehicle.
In the back, materials and comfort carry over from the front, which is once again both a good and bad thing. Rear legroom as well as trunk space are nearly identical, but this particular M340i offers more amenities, including three-zone climate control and heated rear seats.
Let’s cut to the more interesting comparison with these two cars, though: the driving experience. You would think that two small German sports sedans with six-cylinder engines and eight-speed automatic transmissions would be pretty similar, right? Wrong. At it’s core, the S4 is a front wheel drive car. The engine is in front of the front axle, while the M340i’s is behind. While the S4 is all-wheel-drive, the regular A4 is front-based; whereas the BMW is rear-biased (or just plain rear-wheel-drive, like this one).
Around corners, the M340i feels significantly better balanced. While BMW’s traditional 50/50 weight distribution is slightly lost here, it is considerably closer to perfect than the S4’s split. As equipped, both cars weigh about the same, but the Audi feels more planted thanks to its all-wheel-drive system. xDrive is available on the M340i if you prefer, but adds an extra 100 pounds to the curb weight.
BMW’s M Sport steering wheels are always some of my favorites, and this one is no exception. While it’s not a flat-bottom wheel like the Audi offers, it’s chunkier, squishier, and just feels nicer in hand. The shift paddles are metallic and rubberized versus the plastic ones of the Audi. It’s also heated, which the Audi does not offer on its flat-bottom design. These days, BMW’s steering is no longer what it used to be, but the M340i’s steering weight and feel is night and day versus the S4.
Ultimately, the M340i is a superior car in driving experience, but the other important considerations are price and reliability. As the market currently sits, pre-owned B9 S4s are available anywhere from $30,000 to $40,000 depending on mileage and options. Since the M340i went on sale two years after the S4, however, the bottom of the price bracket is still in the high 30s, with nicer examples still over $40,000.
While I haven’t lived with the M340i for over a year as I did with the S4, the owner is my best friend and as such, I’ve heard pretty much every detail of his ownership thus far. Both cars would technically be considered higher-mileage for their age. I purchased my 2018 S4 in the high-50,000 mile range and sold it in the high-70,000 range. This 2020 M340i was bought with around 60,000 miles and now has over 82,000. As I’ve documented in my 1-year ownership report, my S4 was riddled with electrical and mechanical issues. So far it seems the M340i has been incredibly solid, minus a collapsed engine mount and a clunking noise from the rear differential.
Thus far, there have been no oil leaks, no overboost issues, and nothing engine-related that is detrimental to the driving experience of the car. The biggest complaint from the owner is something that many other G-chassis BMW owners seem to experience, which is the car being incredibly over-sensitive and wanderous on the highway. Due to an issue with the toe angles, the car essentially changes direction far too easily, and on its own, which requires too many micro-corrections. Luckily, the forums suggest a good alignment fixes this issue in 80 percent of cases.
Overall, if I were shopping for a German sports sedan over again, and could afford the step up in terms of price, I would one hundred percent pick the BMW M340i over the Audi S4. The slight downgrade in interior quality is worth the upgrade in driving and ownership experience all day long. And who knows — maybe the M340i is a car I’ll own sooner rather than later? Hint, hint. Stay tuned.
| Vehicle Tested | 2020 BMW M340i |
| Color | Alpine White / Cognac Sensatec |
| Drivetrain | 3.0L turbo I-6, 8-spd automatic, Rear wheel drive |
| HP / Torque | 382 horsepower / 369 ft-lbs |
| Curb Weight | 3,850 lbs (est.) |
| 0-60 mph | 3.8 seconds |
| EPA Fuel Econ | 22 city / 30 hwy / 25 combined |
| MSRP | $64,000 (est.) |
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