Compare the2023 Toyota Corolla CrossVS 2023 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross 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.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross 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.

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 Corolla Cross 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 Pre-Collision System in the Corolla Cross 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 Corolla Cross XLE has standard Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Corolla Cross LE/XLE’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 Corolla Cross LE/XLE’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Corolla Cross 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

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 Corolla Cross its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Corolla Cross 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 12 times as many Toyota dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Corolla Cross’ 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 Corolla Cross’ reliability 46 points higher than the Countryman.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

The Corolla Cross’ 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (169 vs. 134) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Corolla Cross gets better mileage than the Countryman:

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

The Corolla Cross 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 Corolla Cross stops much shorter than the Countryman:

The Corolla Cross XLE AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Countryman ALL4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Corolla Cross’ turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Countryman’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

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

The Toyota Corolla Cross may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the MINI Countryman.

The Corolla Cross has 2.5 inches more front legroom and .7 inches more rear headroom than the Countryman.

The Corolla Cross has a much larger cargo volume than the Countryman with its rear seat up (26.5 vs. 17.6 cubic feet).

The Corolla Cross has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman has no towing capacity.

The Corolla Cross 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 Corolla Cross 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.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Corolla Cross LE/XLE has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Corolla Cross has a standard Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Countryman doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Toyota Corolla comes in sedan, four door hatchback and four door bodystyles; the MINI Countryman isn’t available as a sedan or four door hatchback.

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Corolla Cross as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Corolla outsold the MINI Countryman by over 29 to one during 2022.