Compare the2023 Volkswagen GTIVS 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 GTI 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 GTI 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 GTI’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 GTI 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 GTI 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 GTI’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 GTI’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 GTI and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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.

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 available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GTI the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 174 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 GTI’s warranty.

Reliability

The Volkswagen GTI’s engine uses 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 GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 107 more horsepower (241 vs. 134) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 52 more horsepower (241 vs. 189) and 67 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the GTI’s fuel efficiency. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The GTI has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (13.2 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GTI	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	10.2 inches	10.2 inches

The GTI’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 GTI has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/40R18 vs. 195/55R16). The GTI Autobahn’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (235/35R19 vs. 205/45R17).

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GTI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The GTI Autobahn’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GTI’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (103.6 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GTI is 1.6 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Passenger Space

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

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

The GTI 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 GTI 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 GTI (except S), the optional 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 GTI (except S)’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 GTI’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 GTI’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 GTI’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 GTI has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The GTI Autobahn 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.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the GTI (except S) 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 GTI 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 GTI 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.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the GTI 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 GTI has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

The GTI was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2022 and 15 more times in the last 17 years. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the GTI 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.