Compare the2022 Toyota GR 86VS 2022 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GR 86 Auto has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The GR 86 Premium’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 2 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 GR 86 Premium’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 2 Door doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the GR 86 and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems and driver alert monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the GR 86 1 year and 10,000 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 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 11 times as many Toyota dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GR 86’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. MINI is ranked 23rd.

The GR 86’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 94 more horsepower (228 vs. 134) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The GR 86’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 39 more horsepower (228 vs. 189) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota GR 86 is faster than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (manual transmissions tested):

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the GR 86 lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The GR 86 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.

For better stopping power the GR 86’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

The GR 86’s standard 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 GR 86 stops much shorter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

For better traction, the GR 86 has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (215/45R17 vs. 175/65R15). The GR 86’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (215/45R17 vs. 205/40R18).

The GR 86’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.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GR 86 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GR 86’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (101.4 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GR 86 is 1 inch wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The GR 86’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.3% to 44.7%) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s (62.3% to 35.1%). This gives the GR 86 more stable handling and braking.

The GR 86 Premium handles at 1.00 G’s, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GR 86 Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (24.7 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The design of the Toyota GR 86 amounts to more than styling. The GR 86 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .276 Cd. That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (.3 to .34). A more efficient exterior helps the GR 86 go faster and keeps the interior quieter. It also helps the GR 86 get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the GR 86 Premium is quieter than the John Cooper Works Hardtop (40 vs. 42 dB).

The GR 86 has .1 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The engine in the GR 86 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The GR 86 Premium 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 Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GR 86 Premium’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The GR 86 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 2 Door.