Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2023 MINI Cooper Clubman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The MINI Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/Woodland) offers optional Parking Assist with Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Rav4 Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Cooper Clubman.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE/Limited offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera 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 Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid’s optional rear cross-path warning system 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 Rav4 Hybrid and the Cooper Clubman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 Hybrid the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Clubman has not been tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 Hybrid 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 12 times as many Toyota dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 30 more horsepower (219 vs. 189) than the Cooper Clubman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the Cooper Clubman:

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The Cooper Clubman can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The JCW Clubman requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Rav4 Hybrid has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Clubman (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Clubman (3 to 7). This means the Rav4 Hybrid produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Clubman every 15,000 miles.

The Rav4 Hybrid 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 Rav4 Hybrid stops shorter than the Cooper Clubman:

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Hybrid is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Clubman.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Cooper Clubman’s (58.4% to 41.6%). This gives the Rav4 Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Hybrid’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Cooper Clubman’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Hybrid has a 2.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cooper Clubman (8.1 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Rav4 Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Rav4 Hybrid has 6.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Clubman (98.9 vs. 92.5).

The Rav4 Hybrid has 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Clubman.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4 Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The Cooper Clubman’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 17.5 cubic feet). The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cooper Clubman with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 47.9 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Cooper Clubman’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Hybrid. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Rav4 Hybrid’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 Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/Woodland Edition) offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or, optionally on the Rav4 Hybrid Limited, 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 Rav4 Hybrid has a 1750 lbs. towing capacity. The Cooper Clubman has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 Hybrid uses the Vehicle Stability Control 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 Rav4 Hybrid has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Cooper Clubman (1210 vs. 871 lbs.).

The Rav4 Hybrid 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 Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Smart Key System optional on the Rav4 Hybrid 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 (Rav4 Hybrid XSE/Limited’s optional Smart Key System will also allow unlocking the passenger doors without taking your keys out). The MINI Cooper Clubman’s Comfort Access doesn’t unlock the trunk.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Rav4 Hybrid 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.

The Cooper Clubman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Rav4 Hybrid Limited’s optional 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.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Rav4 Hybrid XLE/SE/XSE/Limited/Woodland has standard extendable sun visors. The Cooper Clubman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the Cooper Clubman offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Hybrid Limited 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.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 Hybrid Limited 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the MINI Cooper Clubman by almost 162 to one during 2022.