Compare the2023 Volkswagen Golf RVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Golf R 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Golf R 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Golf R’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Autonomous Emergency Braking in the Golf R as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Golf R has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Golf R has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Golf R’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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 Golf R’s standard 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Golf R and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, 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.

The Volkswagen Golf R weighs 441 to 635 pounds more than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Golf R its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 6 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Golf R’s warranty.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Golf R’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The Golf R Manual’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 181 more horsepower (315 vs. 134) and 118 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Golf R Manual’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 126 more horsepower (315 vs. 189) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Golf R DSG’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 126 more horsepower (315 vs. 189) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Golf R has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (14.5 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Golf R’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door:

	Golf R	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S
Front Rotors	14.1 inches	11 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	10.2 inches	10.2 inches

The Golf R’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Golf R has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (235/35R19 vs. 195/55R16). The Golf R’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (235/35R19 vs. 205/45R17).

The Golf R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 55 series tires. The Golf R’s tires are lower profile than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Golf R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Golf R’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (103.5 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Golf R is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Golf R’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (59.2% to 40.8%) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s (61.5% to 38.5%). This gives the Golf R more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Golf R a Compact car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Golf R has 8.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (91.9 vs. 83.8).

The Golf R has 4.7 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Cargo Capacity

The Golf R has a much larger trunk than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with its rear seat up (19.9 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Golf R, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Golf R’s optional 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Golf R’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 Hardtop 4 Door has neither an oil pressure gauge nor a temperature gauge.

The Golf R’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Golf R’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Golf R’s standard 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.

The Golf R has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The Golf R also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Golf R keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Golf R has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Golf R has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Golf R 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Golf R has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Golf R has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

Motor Trend selected the Golf R as their 2015 Car of the Year. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Golf as the 2015 North American Car of the Year. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been chosen.

The Volkswagen Golf/GTI outsold the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door by over two to one during 2022.

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