Compare the2023 Chevrolet TrailblazerVS 2023 MINI Cooper Clubman

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Trailblazer 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 Trailblazer 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 Trailblazer’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 Trailblazer’s optional 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Trailblazer and the Cooper Clubman 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available rear parking sensors.

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, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Trailblazer its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Clubman has not been tested, yet.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Trailblazer 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 28 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Trailblazer’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 21 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 Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

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

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

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder AWD, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Clubman.

The Trailblazer 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 Trailblazer stops shorter than the Cooper Clubman:

The Trailblazer 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For greater off-road capability the Trailblazer has a 2.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cooper Clubman (8 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Trailblazer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the MINI Cooper Clubman.

The Trailblazer AWD uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Trailblazer has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 5.1 inches more rear legroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

The Trailblazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Trailblazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (54.4 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

The Trailblazer’s cargo area is larger than the Cooper Clubman’s in almost every dimension:

The Trailblazer’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 Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS 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 Trailblazer has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Cooper Clubman has no towing capacity.

The Trailblazer AWD 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 Trailblazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Cooper Clubman can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS 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, with the optional automatic climate control feature. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Trailblazer’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 Trailblazer’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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Trailblazer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Keyless Access standard on the Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS 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 Trailblazer 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 Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS has standard extendable sun visors. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS offers an optional 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Trailblazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Trailblazer will cost $2225 to $6800 less than the Cooper Clubman over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Trailblazer will be $9823 to $15777 less than for the MINI Cooper Clubman.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Trailblazer, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer outsold the MINI Cooper Clubman by almost 25 to one during 2022.