Compare the2022 Acura ILXVS 2022 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Acura ILX are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The ILX has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 5 points, IIHS rates the Collision Mitigating Braking System in the ILX as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The ILX’s optional blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the ILX’s optional cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the ILX and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the ILX the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 213 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the ILX 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Acura dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the ILX’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the ILX’s reliability 17 points higher than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Acura vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Acura 10th in reliability, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 17th.

The ILX’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 67 more horsepower (201 vs. 134) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (180 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The ILX’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 12 more horsepower (201 vs. 189) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The ILX has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (13.2 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Acura ILX comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Acura ILX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For better stopping power the ILX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door:

For better traction, the ILX has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (215/45R17 vs. 175/65R15). The ILX A-SPEC’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/40R18 vs. 205/45R17).

The ILX’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 4 Door’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ILX has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ILX’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (105.1 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the ILX is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The ILX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the ILX a Compact car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The ILX has 5.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (89.3 vs. 83.8).

The ILX has .9 inches more front legroom, 4.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and 4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the ILX offers cargo security. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s hatchback body style, non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the ILX. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than MINI. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 3% lower rating, MINI is ranked 9th.

The ILX offers a 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 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When two different drivers share the ILX, the optional memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle and climate settings. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a memory system.

The ILX has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The ILX has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the ILX has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

Insurance will cost less for the ILX owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the ILX will cost $495 to $2080 less than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door over a five-year period.

The ILX will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the ILX will retain 48.32% of its original price after five years, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only retains 46.36% to 47.58%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the ILX is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because it costs $345 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the ILX than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $116 less for a water pump, $154 less for a muffler, $41 less for front brake pads, $45 less for a fuel pump, $9 less for front struts, $374 less for a timing belt/chain and $430 less for a power steering pump.