Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 MINI Cooper Clubman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Soul 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 Soul 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 Soul’s optional 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 Soul’s optional 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 Soul and the Cooper Clubman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available lane departure warning systems.

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Clubman has not been tested, yet.

The Soul comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cooper Clubman’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Clubman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Clubman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 12 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 statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 28 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 11th.

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the Cooper Clubman:

The Soul has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Clubman (14.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Soul 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Soul stops shorter than the Cooper Clubman:

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Clubman (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R17).

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Cooper Clubman pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Cooper Clubman’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the MINI Cooper Clubman.

The Soul is 3.3 inches shorter than the Cooper Clubman, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has 9.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Clubman (102.2 vs. 92.5).

The Soul has .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 4.5 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

The Soul’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.

The Soul 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 Soul’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 Soul’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.

The Smart Key standard on the Soul S/EX/GT-Line 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 Soul 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.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Soul owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Soul will cost $1585 to $6560 less than the Cooper Clubman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Clubman because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Cooper Clubman, including $145 less for a water pump, $72 less for a muffler, $46 less for front brake pads, $165 less for a starter, $298 less for a fuel pump, $188 less for front struts, $225 less for a timing belt/chain and $358 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $13150 to $14773 less than for the MINI Cooper Clubman.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Soul, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Soul outsold the MINI Cooper Clubman by over 23 to one during 2022.