Compare the2020 Hyundai VelosterVS 2019 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist optional in the Veloster as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The Veloster (except N)’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Veloster Premium/R-Spec/Turbo’s blind spot warning system uses digital cameras monitored by computer to alert the driver to moving objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing safer, the Veloster Premium/R-Spec/Turbo’s cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Veloster (except N)’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Veloster and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Veloster the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 88 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door was last qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2017.

The Veloster comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year and 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Veloster 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 7 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Veloster’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

The Veloster has more powerful engines than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

As tested in Motor Trend the Veloster Turbo/R-Spec 1.6 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (manual transmissions tested):

As tested in Motor Trend the Veloster N 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door 1.5 (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Veloster gets better fuel mileage than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

The Veloster has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (13.2 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is included on the Hyundai Veloster Turbo/R-Spec Turbo/Ultimate, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The Veloster offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer an SMG.

The Hyundai Veloster N manual has a downshift rev synchronizer that automatically raises engine speed to make downshifts perfectly smooth. This keeps the car from lurching during downshifts, preventing loss of control during cornering. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

For better stopping power the Veloster N’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

The Veloster N’s optional front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door are solid, not vented.

The Veloster stops much shorter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

For better traction, the Veloster has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (215/45R17 vs. 175/65R15). The Veloster N’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (235/35R19 vs. 205/40R18).

The Veloster 2.0’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 65 series tires. The Veloster N’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Veloster 2.0 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. The Veloster N’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Veloster’s wheelbase is 6.1 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (104.3 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Veloster is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The Veloster N handles at .97 G’s, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Veloster N executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (25.2 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Veloster’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Veloster N is quieter than the John Cooper Works Hardtop:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Veloster a Compact car, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Veloster has 9.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (89.9 vs. 80).

The Veloster has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 5.4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear legroom and 6.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The Veloster has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door with its rear seat up (19.9 vs. 8.7 cubic feet). The Veloster has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door with its rear seat folded (44.5 vs. 34 cubic feet).

The Veloster Premium/R-Spec/Turbo/Turbo Ultimate/N Auto has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Veloster’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s power windows.

The Proximity Key standard on the Veloster Premium/R-Spec/Turbo/Turbo Ultimate/N allows you to unlock the driver’s door, trunk and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s Start/Stop Switch doesn’t unlock the doors or the trunk.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Veloster has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Veloster’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

Insurance will cost less for the Veloster owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Veloster with a number “3” insurance rate while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Veloster is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door because it costs $36 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Veloster than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, including $178 less for a water pump, $97 less for a muffler, $49 less for front brake pads, $203 less for a starter, $41 less for fuel injection, $152 less for a fuel pump, $69 less for front struts, $448 less for a timing belt/chain and $592 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Veloster will be $2528 to $7350 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Veloster and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Veloster N was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2019. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has never been an “All Star.”