Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza 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 Hardtop 4 Door 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 Impreza are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 EyeSight™ System optional in the Impreza as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Impreza Limited has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Impreza (except Base)’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 Hardtop 4 Door 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 Impreza (except Base)’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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Impreza and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, rear parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

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 headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Impreza the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Impreza 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. 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 Hardtop 4 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 6 times as many Subaru dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Impreza’s warranty.

Engine

The Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 18 more horsepower (152 vs. 134) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Impreza has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (13.2 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (6 to 7). This means the Impreza produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Impreza offers an optional 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (205/55R16 vs. 195/55R16). The Impreza Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/40R18 vs. 205/45R17).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (105.1 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Impreza is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.2 feet).

Chassis

The design of the Subaru Impreza amounts to more than styling. The Impreza has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (.29 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Impreza get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza Sedan a Mid-size car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Impreza Sedan has 16 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (99.8 vs. 83.8).

The Impreza Sedan has 1.7 inches more front legroom, 5.5 inches more front shoulder room, 4.2 inches more rear legroom and 6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with its rear seat up (20.8 vs. 13.1 cubic feet). The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 40.7 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Impreza. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Impreza Auto 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 Hardtop 4 Door 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 Impreza’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Impreza Base). The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Assist eCall can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Impreza Limited’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Impreza Limited has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Impreza has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Impreza owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Impreza will cost $100 to $1365 less than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door over a five-year period.

The Impreza will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Impreza will retain 53.58% to 57.04% of its original price after five years, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only retains 39.35% to 49.52%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impreza is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because typical repairs cost much less on the Impreza than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $104 less for a water pump, $117 less for a muffler, $35 less for front brake pads, $2 less for a starter, $155 less for a fuel pump, $247 less for a timing belt/chain and $904 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Impreza will be $5546 to $6090 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door by over seven to one during 2022.