Compare the2023 GMC TerrainVS 2023 MINI Cooper Clubman

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 Terrain 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Terrain’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali offers an optional Surround Vision 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 Terrain’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 Terrain’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 Terrain 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, 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 all wheel drive.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 233 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Clubman has not been tested, yet.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Terrain 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 16 times as many GMC dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Terrain’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Terrain third among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Cooper Clubman isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is rated lower.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Terrain uses regular unleaded gasoline. The JCW Clubman requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Clubman (14.9 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Clubman (15.6 vs. 13.2 gallons).

The Terrain 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.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Terrain higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Clubman (3 to 7). This means the Terrain 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 GMC Terrain, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Clubman.

The Terrain 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Terrain’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Cooper Clubman (107.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Terrain is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Clubman.

For greater off-road capability the Terrain SLE has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cooper Clubman (6.9 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Terrain to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s minimum ground clearance is 2.3 inches higher than on the Cooper Clubman (7.9 vs. 5.6 inches).

The Terrain 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 Terrain has 10.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Clubman (103.2 vs. 92.5).

The Terrain has 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Terrain’s rear seats recline. The Cooper Clubman’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Terrain’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Terrain’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 Terrain offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, by just 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 Terrain has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Cooper Clubman has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Terrain 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Terrain 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 Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Cooper Clubman does not have an oil pressure gauge.

Keyless Access standard on the Terrain allows you to unlock the doors, 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 Terrain 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 Terrain has standard extendable sun visors. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Terrain and the Cooper Clubman offer optional heated front seats. The Terrain Denali also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cooper Clubman.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Terrain Denali 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.

The Terrain 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 Terrain owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Terrain will cost $2125 to $6740 less than the Cooper Clubman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Terrain is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Clubman because typical repairs cost much less on the Terrain than the Cooper Clubman, including $104 less for a starter, $189 less for front struts and $438 less for a power steering pump.

The GMC Terrain outsold the MINI Cooper Clubman by over 35 to one during 2022.