Compare the2023 GMC TerrainVS 2023 MINI Countryman

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 Countryman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking in the Terrain as “Superior.” The Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Terrain’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Countryman 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 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 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 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 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 Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Terrain and the Countryman 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.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Terrain 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Countryman 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 Countryman 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.

The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (175 vs. 134) and 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 162) than the Countryman’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

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

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 Countryman 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 Countryman (3 to 7). This means the Terrain 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 GMC Terrain, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Countryman.

For better traction, the Terrain’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Countryman (235/50R19 vs. 225/55R17).

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 Countryman 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 Countryman (107.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Countryman ALL4 (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Terrain SLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (6.9 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Terrain to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the Countryman (7.9 vs. 6.5 inches).

The front grille of the Terrain offers available 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 Terrain 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 Terrain has 6.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Countryman (103.2 vs. 96.9).

The Terrain has .5 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Countryman with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Terrain has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 47.6 cubic feet).

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

The Terrain has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Countryman 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 Countryman 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 Countryman 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 Countryman 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 Countryman does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

Both the Terrain and the Countryman 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 Countryman.

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 Countryman 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 Countryman 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 $490 less than the Countryman over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Terrain is less expensive to operate than the Countryman because typical repairs cost less on the Terrain than the Countryman, including $31 less for a starter and $193 less for front struts.

The GMC Terrain outsold the MINI Countryman by over 9 to one during 2022.