Compare the2023 Lincoln CorsairVS 2023 MINI Countryman

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Corsair 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.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking in the Corsair 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 Corsair has standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Corsair offers an optional 360-Degree 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 Corsair’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 Corsair’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 Corsair and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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 and available all wheel drive.

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 Corsair the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Corsair 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Countryman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 7 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Corsair’s warranty.

Reliability

The Corsair has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Countryman doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

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 Corsair’s reliability 32 points higher than the Countryman.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is rated lower.

Engine

The Corsair has more powerful engines than the Countryman:

	Horsepower	Torque
Corsair 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	250 HP	275 lbs.-ft.
Corsair Grand Touring 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	266 HP
Countryman 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder	134 HP	162 lbs.-ft.
Countryman S 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	189 HP	206 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Corsair turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the MINI Countryman:

	Corsair	Countryman turbo 3 cyl.	Countryman S
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	9.3 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	17 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.4 MPH	79.6 MPH	86.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Corsair running on electricity gets better mileage than the Countryman:

			MPGe
Corsair
	AWD	Grand Touring Electric Motor	83 city/72 hwy
Countryman
			MPG
	FWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/32 hwy
		S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
	AWD	JCW Countryman 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Corsair running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Countryman:

			MPG
Corsair
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/32 hwy
Countryman
	AWD	JCW Countryman 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

The Corsair Grand Touring can travel with zero emissions for 28 miles. The Countryman can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Corsair 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Corsair higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the MINI Countryman (3 to 7). This means the Corsair produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Countryman every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Corsair Grand Touring 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.

Brakes and Stopping

The Corsair stops much shorter than the Countryman:

	Corsair	Countryman
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Corsair’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 Corsair Standard has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Countryman. The Corsair’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 Corsair’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Countryman (106.7 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Corsair is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

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

The Corsair Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Corsair uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Countryman doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Corsair uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Countryman doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Corsair has 5.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (102.5 vs. 96.9).

The Corsair has 2.8 inches more front legroom, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

Cargo Capacity

The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (27.6 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (57.6 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Corsair’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Countryman doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Corsair. The Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Corsair has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman has no towing capacity.

The Corsair Grand Touring can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Corsair can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Countryman can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Corsair uses the AdvanceTrac® 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 Corsair 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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Corsair’s exterior PIN entry system. The Countryman doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Corsair 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 Corsair’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Countryman’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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

Both the Corsair and the Countryman have standard heated front seats. The Corsair also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Countryman.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Corsair keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Countryman doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Corsair Reserve/Grand Touring offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Countryman.

The Corsair 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 keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Corsair has a standard Adaptive 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 Corsair’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Countryman’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Corsair is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because typical repairs cost less on the Corsair than the Countryman, including $66 less for a starter and $74 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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

The Lincoln Corsair outsold the MINI Countryman by almost three to one during 2022.