Compare the2023 Cadillac XT4VS 2023 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Cadillac XT4 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.

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 XT4 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Countryman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT4 Premium/Sport offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking 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.

The XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional Surround Vision 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 XT4’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 XT4’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert 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 XT4 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, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the XT4 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 over 5 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XT4’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

The XT4’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 101 more horsepower (235 vs. 134) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 162) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The XT4’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (235 vs. 189) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 206) than the Countryman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac XT4 is faster than the MINI Countryman turbo 3 cyl.:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT4’s fuel efficiency. The Countryman doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The XT4 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.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Cadillac XT4 higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Countryman (3 to 7). This means the XT4 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Countryman every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac XT4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Countryman.

The XT4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Countryman are solid, not vented.

The XT4 stops much shorter than the Countryman:

For better traction, the XT4 has larger standard tires than the Countryman (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R17). The XT4’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 XT4 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Countryman. The XT4’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Countryman.

The XT4 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XT4’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Countryman (109.4 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XT4 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

The XT4 Sport AWD handles at .89 G’s, while the Countryman S pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT4 Sport AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XT4 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (6.7 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the XT4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport 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 XT4 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 XT4 has 4.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (101.3 vs. 96.9).

The XT4 has 3.7 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The XT4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (22.5 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The XT4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (48.9 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XT4. The Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The XT4 has a 2500 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the XT4 uses the StabiliTrak® 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than MINI. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 7% lower rating, MINI is ranked fourth.

The XT4 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 XT4 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 XT4 has standard extendable sun visors. The Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the XT4 and the Countryman offer available heated front seats. The XT4 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 XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport 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 XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport 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 XT4 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 XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional 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 XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional Automatic Park Assist can parallel park by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Countryman’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Insurance will cost less for the XT4 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XT4 will cost $305 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT4 is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because typical repairs cost less on the XT4 than the Countryman, including $75 less for a starter, $36 less for a fuel pump and $186 less for front struts.

The Cadillac XT4 outsold the MINI Countryman by over two to one during 2022.