Compare the2023 Hyundai VenueVS 2022 MINI Countryman

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 Venue are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Countryman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assistance in the Venue as “Superior.” The Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The Venue SEL/Limited’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 Venue SEL/Limited’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 Venue and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available daytime running lights.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Venue the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 158 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

The Venue comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Countryman’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Venue 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Countryman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Venue’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 11th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 17 places higher in reliability than MINI.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Venue is faster than the MINI Countryman turbo 3 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Venue gets better mileage than the Countryman:

The Venue 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 Venue stops much shorter than the Countryman:

The Venue SEL handles at .81 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Venue’s turning circle is 4.2 feet tighter than the Countryman’s (33.2 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Hyundai Venue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1050 pounds less than the MINI Countryman.

The Venue is 10.6 inches shorter than the Countryman, making the Venue easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Venue has .9 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom and 8.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The Venue has a much larger cargo volume than the Countryman with its rear seat up (18.7 vs. 17.6 cubic feet).

The Venue (except SE) 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 Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Venue 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 Venue’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

To shield the driver’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side window, the Venue has a standard extendable sun visor. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Insurance will cost less for the Venue owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Venue will cost $415 to $1765 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Venue will be $9732 to $18603 less than for the MINI Countryman.

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

The Hyundai Venue outsold the MINI Countryman by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.