Compare the2023 Volvo XC40VS 2022 MINI Countryman

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 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 its rear seat belts.

The XC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Countryman doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 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.

Both the XC40 and Countryman have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Countryman’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. 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 City Safety in the XC40 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 XC40 has a standard CTA Auto Brake that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The XC40 offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Countryman 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 XC40’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 XC40’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 XC40 and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC40 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 87 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

There are almost 3 times as many Volvo dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XC40’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 5 places higher in reliability than MINI.

Engine

The XC40 has more powerful engines than the Countryman:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC40 B4 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	194 HP	221 lbs.-ft.
XC40 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	247 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
Countryman 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder	134 HP	162 lbs.-ft.
Countryman S 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	189 HP	206 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

The XC40 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.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 B5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Countryman:

	XC40 B5	Countryman
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	11 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Countryman:

	XC40	Countryman
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Countryman (235/55R18 vs. 225/55R17). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Countryman (245/45R20 vs. 225/55R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Countryman. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Countryman.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC40’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Countryman (106.4 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (8.1 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The XC40 has .5 inches more front legroom, 4.8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom and 11.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The XC40 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Countryman doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC40. The Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The XC40 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction 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.

Ergonomics

The XC40 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 XC40 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 XC40’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 XC40’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The XC40 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Countryman. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Countryman.

The XC40 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Countryman.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo XC40 and the MINI Countryman, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Volvo XC40 outsold the MINI Countryman by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.

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