Compare the2022 Honda CR-VVS 2022 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V 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 Countryman doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Countryman’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Collision Mitigation Braking System in the CR-V as “Superior.” The Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring’s 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 Countryman 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 CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 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 Countryman doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the CR-V and the Countryman 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman last would have qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2017.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the CR-V 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Countryman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 9 times as many Honda dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’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 CR-V’s reliability 28 points higher than the Countryman.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 18 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 56 more horsepower (190 vs. 134) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 162) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 1 more horsepower (190 vs. 189) than the Countryman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V is faster than the MINI Countryman turbo 3 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the Countryman:

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Countryman doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The CR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Countryman doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Countryman (235/65R17 vs. 225/55R17).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (8.2 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the CR-V uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Countryman doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Countryman doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The CR-V has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (105.9 vs. 96.9).

The CR-V has .9 inches more front legroom, 6 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 2.8 inches more rear legroom and 10.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (39.2 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (75.8 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the CR-V’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Countryman doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman has no towing capacity.

The CR-V SE/EX/EX-L/Touring 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 Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CR-V has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Countryman 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 CR-V’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the CR-V has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Insurance will cost less for the CR-V owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CR-V will cost $100 to $1850 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

The CR-V will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CR-V will retain 51.86% to 55.49% of its original price after five years, while the Countryman only retains 50.05% to 51.36%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CR-V is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because it costs $418 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the CR-V than the Countryman, including $181 less for a water pump, $223 less for a muffler, $58 less for front brake pads, $120 less for front struts, $261 less for a timing belt/chain and $88 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda CR-V will be $5171 to $9827 less than for the MINI Countryman.

The Honda CR-V has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The CR-V was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 20 years. The Countryman has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Countryman has never been chosen.