Compare the2023 Dodge HornetVS 2023 MINI Cooper Clubman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Dodge Hornet 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 Clubman 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 Hornet are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Hornet 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Hornet offers optional Rear Park-Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

The Hornet offers an optional 360° Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cooper Clubman 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 Hornet’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 Clubman 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 Hornet’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 Clubman doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Hornet and the Cooper Clubman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available driver alert monitors.

Dodge’s powertrain warranty covers the Hornet 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Clubman. 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 Clubman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 23 times as many Dodge dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Hornet’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Hornet has a standard 160-amp alternator. The Cooper Clubman’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 13th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in long-term dependability. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

The Hornet GT’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 79 more horsepower (268 vs. 189) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 206) than the Cooper Clubman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Hornet R/T’s standard 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (383 vs. 331) than the JCW Clubman’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Hornet R/T can travel with zero emissions for 30 miles. The Cooper Clubman can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Hornet 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 Clubman doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Dodge Hornet, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Clubman.

For better stopping power the Hornet R/T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Clubman:

For better traction, the Hornet’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Clubman (235/40R20 vs. 225/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Hornet offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Cooper Clubman’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

For greater off-road capability the Hornet R/T has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cooper Clubman (6.1 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Hornet to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Hornet GT’s minimum ground clearance is 2.5 inches higher than on the Cooper Clubman (8.1 vs. 5.6 inches).

The Hornet has .3 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

The Hornet has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (27 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Hornet has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (54.7 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

The Hornet’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Cooper Clubman’s two swing out doors impair rear visibility, need a lot of clearance, and can block loading in tight quarters.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Hornet offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a power cargo door, so its cargo door has to be closed manually.

The Hornet has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Cooper Clubman has no towing capacity.

The Hornet 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Hornet’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Clubman’s standard power windows.

The Hornet’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Cooper Clubman’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

The Hornet’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Cooper Clubman’s available power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

Keyless Enter-N-Go standard on the Hornet allows you to unlock the driver’s door, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The MINI Cooper Clubman’s Comfort Access doesn’t unlock the trunk.

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

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