Aston Martin Vanquish vs Audi S4: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Audi S4 burns about $3,150 of fuel annually against $4,750 for the Aston Martin Vanquish. That $1,600 yearly gap compounds to roughly $8,000 over five years and $12,800 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Audi S4 leads in both cycles — 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway against 13 and 21 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Aston Martin Vanquish is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (5.2, 6.0), the Audi S4 with 1 (SIDI). Across 10 recorded Aston Martin Vanquish configurations and 12 for the Audi S4, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Aston Martin Vanquish is offered with Rear-Wheel Drive, the Audi S4 with All-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Minicompact Cars and Compact Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Audi S4 emits 363 g/mile of CO2 versus 554 g/mile for the Aston Martin Vanquish. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.