Compare the2023 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2022 MINI Cooper Clubman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Crosstrek 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 Clubman 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 Crosstrek CVT are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Cooper Clubman.

The Crosstrek (except Base/Manual)’s optional 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 Clubman 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 Crosstrek (except Base/Manual)’s optional 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 Clubman doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Crosstrek and the Cooper Clubman 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, rear parking sensors 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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 141 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Clubman has not been tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Crosstrek 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Clubman. 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 Clubman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 6 times as many Subaru dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Crosstrek’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 Crosstrek’s reliability 55 points higher than the Cooper Clubman.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 15 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek gets better mileage than the Cooper Clubman:

The Crosstrek has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Clubman (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Crosstrek higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Clubman (3 to 7). This means the Crosstrek produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Clubman every 15,000 miles.

The Crosstrek offers an optional 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 Clubman doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Crosstrek stops shorter than the Cooper Clubman:

For better maneuverability, the Crosstrek’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the Cooper Clubman’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 3.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cooper Clubman (8.7 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Crosstrek has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Clubman (100.9 vs. 92.5).

The Crosstrek has 1.7 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (20.8 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Cooper Clubman’s in almost every dimension:

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

The Crosstrek’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Cooper Clubman’s two swing out doors impair rear visibility, need a lot of clearance, and can block loading in tight quarters.

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Cooper Clubman has no towing capacity.

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

The Crosstrek 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 Clubman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Crosstrek’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Clubman’s standard power windows.

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Cooper Clubman’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

The Crosstrek’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Cooper Clubman’s available power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Keyless Access and Start optional on the Crosstrek (except Base) allows you to unlock the driver’s door, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The MINI Cooper Clubman’s Comfort Access doesn’t unlock the trunk.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Crosstrek has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cooper Clubman only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Cooper Clubman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Crosstrek Limited’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.

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

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Crosstrek is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Clubman because typical repairs cost much less on the Crosstrek than the Cooper Clubman, including $104 less for a water pump, $115 less for a muffler, $41 less for front brake pads, $2 less for a starter, $155 less for a fuel pump, $247 less for a timing belt/chain and $900 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance.