Compare the2022 Nissan SentraVS 2022 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Sentra have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Sentra 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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sentra are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking in the Sentra as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sentra has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Sentra SR offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Sentra’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 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 Sentra’s standard rear 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 Sentra and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available daytime running lights.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sentra the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 137 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Sentra 1 year and 10,000 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 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 9 times as many Nissan dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sentra’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Sentra’s reliability 23 points higher than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra second among compact cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 10 places higher in reliability than MINI.

Engine

The Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (149 vs. 134) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Sentra higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (5 to 7). This means the Sentra produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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

The Sentra 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sentra has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (205/55R16 vs. 175/65R15). The Sentra SR’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (215/45R18 vs. 205/45R17).

The Sentra S/SV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 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 Sentra S/SV has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Sentra has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sentra’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (106.6 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Chassis

The design of the Nissan Sentra amounts to more than styling. The Sentra offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .27 to .29 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (.29 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sentra get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sentra a Mid-size car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Sentra has 12.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (96 vs. 83.8).

The Sentra has 2.6 inches more front legroom, 5.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom and 4.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Ergonomics

The Sentra (except S) 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.

The Sentra SV/SR 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.

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

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sentra is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because it costs $218 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Sentra than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $157 less for a water pump, $86 less for a muffler, $35 less for front brake pads, $214 less for a starter, $76 less for a fuel pump, $190 less for front struts, $222 less for a timing belt/chain and $715 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Sentra will be $1745 to $3322 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Sentra, based on reliability, safety and performance.