Compare the2023 Honda Civic Type RVS 2022 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R 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 Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Type R deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Type R’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Type R’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 Civic Type R’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 Civic Type R and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic Type R 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 over 10 times as many Honda dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Type R’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 18 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 181 more horsepower (315 vs. 134) and 148 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 126 more horsepower (315 vs. 189) and 104 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (315 vs. 228) and 75 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 235) than the John Cooper Works Hardtop’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic Type R uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Civic Type R 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 Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Civic Type R’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (265/30R19 vs. 175/65R15). The Civic Type R’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (265/30R19 vs. 205/40R18).

The Civic Type R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 65 series tires. The Civic Type R’s tires are lower profile than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 9.5 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (107.7 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Type R is 5.2 inches wider in the front and 4.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Type R a Large car, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Civic Type R has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door can only carry 4.

The Civic Type R has 18.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (99 vs. 80.3).

The Civic Type R has .9 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 6.4 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 6.6 inches more rear legroom and 8.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The Civic Type R’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door John Cooper Works does not have a temperature gauge.

The Civic Type R’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Civic Type R’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard power windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Civic Type R has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Civic Type R Sedan has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Civic Type R 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.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Civic Type R has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Type R has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. Only the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

The Civic Type R was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 5 years. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic Type R was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2018. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has never been an “All Star.”