Compare the2022 Jeep RenegadeVS 2022 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Renegade 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.

The Renegade has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Countryman doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Renegade Limited offers optional Park Assist with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Renegade’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 Renegade’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 Countryman doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Renegade and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and front and rear parking sensors.

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 “Acceptable” 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 Renegade the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman was last qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2017.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Renegade 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 almost 21 times as many Jeep dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Renegade’s warranty.

The engine in the Renegade has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Countryman have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep 4 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (177 vs. 134) and 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 162) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 206) than the Countryman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Renegade 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.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Renegade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Countryman.

The Renegade stops much shorter than the Countryman:

For better traction, the Renegade Latitude/Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Countryman (235/45R19 vs. 225/55R17).

The Renegade Trailhawk offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Countryman; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

The Renegade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Countryman doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Renegade Trailhawk 4x4’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Countryman’s (35.3 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Renegade’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Countryman’s (36.3 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Renegade has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (8 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Renegade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Renegade Trailhawk’s minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the Countryman (8.7 vs. 6.5 inches).

The Renegade is 3.1 inches shorter than the Countryman, making the Renegade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Renegade (except Trailhawk) 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 Renegade has 3.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (100.1 vs. 96.9).

The Renegade has .6 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear headroom and 10.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The Renegade has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (18.5 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Renegade has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (50.8 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Renegade. The Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Maximum trailer towing in the MINI Countryman is limited to 0 pounds. The Renegade 4x4 offers up to a 2000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Renegade uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Countryman doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Renegade Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited 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 Renegade 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 Renegade’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” 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 Renegade has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Renegade 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 Countryman.

The Renegade (except Sport) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Countryman doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Renegade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Renegade will cost $195 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Renegade is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because typical repairs cost much less on the Renegade than the Countryman, including $56 less for a water pump, $81 less for a muffler, $81 less for fuel injection, $15 less for a fuel pump, $127 less for a timing belt/chain and $404 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Renegade will be $4984 to $11130 less than for the MINI Countryman.

The Jeep Renegade outsold the MINI Countryman by over five to one during the 2021 model year.