Compare the2023 Jeep CherokeeVS 2023 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Cherokee 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 Cherokee has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. 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 Forward Collision Warning with Crash Mitigation optional in the Cherokee 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 Cherokee has standard Parksense with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cherokee. But it costs extra on the Countryman.

The Cherokee’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 Cherokee’s standard Rear Cross-Path Detection 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 Cherokee 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 seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Cherokee the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 195 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Countryman has not been fully tested, yet.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Cherokee 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 23 times as many Jeep dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Cherokee has a standard 160-amp alternator (180-amp - Cherokee optional). The Countryman’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

The Cherokee has more powerful engines than the Countryman:

As tested in Motor Trend the Cherokee Trailhawk 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Countryman S 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

The Cherokee 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.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Cherokee, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Countryman.

The Cherokee stops much shorter than the Countryman:

For better traction, the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Countryman (245/65R17 vs. 225/55R17).

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Countryman doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Cherokee Trailhawk has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Countryman; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

The Cherokee’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Countryman doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cherokee’s wheelbase is 1.5 inches longer than on the Countryman (106.6 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Cherokee is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

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

The Cherokee Altitude LUX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Cherokee has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (7.9 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Cherokee Trailhawk’s minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the Countryman (8.7 vs. 6.5 inches).

The front grille of the Cherokee (except Trailhawk) 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 Cherokee 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.

The Cherokee has 6.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (103.5 vs. 96.9).

The Cherokee has .7 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (54.7 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

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

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

The Cherokee 4x4 with optional equipment 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 Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Countryman can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Cherokee uses the Electronic Stability 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.

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Cherokee 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 Cherokee has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Countryman.

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Countryman doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Cherokee is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because it costs $491 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Cherokee than the Countryman, including $12 less for a water pump, $27 less for fuel injection, $49 less for front struts and $320 less for a power steering pump.

The Jeep Cherokee outsold the MINI Countryman by over four to one during 2022.