Compare the2022 Toyota C-HRVS 2022 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota C-HR 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 Countryman doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota C-HR 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Pre-Collision System in the C-HR as “Superior.” The Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The C-HR’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 C-HR’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 C-HR and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and driver alert monitors.

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 C-HR the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 145 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the C-HR 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 11 times as many Toyota dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the C-HR’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 C-HR’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (144 vs. 134) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

The C-HR 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.

The C-HR stops much shorter than the Countryman:

The C-HR’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Countryman’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the C-HR has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Countryman.

The C-HR Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the C-HR’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Countryman’s (34.2 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The C-HR has 3.1 inches more front legroom and 7.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The C-HR has a much larger cargo volume than the Countryman with its rear seat up (19.1 vs. 17.6 cubic feet).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the C-HR 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.

Consumer Reports rated the C-HR’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Countryman’s headlights, which were rated “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 C-HR’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 C-HR has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The C-HR 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.

Insurance will cost less for the C-HR owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the C-HR will cost $375 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

The C-HR will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the C-HR will retain 56.66% to 57.4% of its original price after five years, while the Countryman only retains 48.08% to 51.44%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota C-HR will be $8730 to $16996 less than for the MINI Countryman.

The Toyota C-HR outsold the MINI Countryman by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.