Compare the2023 Hyundai Elantra NVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Elantra N 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.

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 Elantra N are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist in the Elantra N 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 Elantra N Auto has standard Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Elantra N’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 Elantra N’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Elantra N and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Elantra N 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.

The Elantra N comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Elantra N 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Elantra N’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 11th.

The Elantra N’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 142 more horsepower (276 vs. 134) and 127 lbs.-ft. more torque (289 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Elantra N’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (276 vs. 189) and 83 lbs.-ft. more torque (289 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is optional on the Hyundai Elantra N, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

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

The Elantra N’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.

For better traction, the Elantra N has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (245/35R19 vs. 195/55R16). The Elantra N’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (245/35R19 vs. 205/45R17).

The Elantra N’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 Elantra N’s tires are lower profile than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Elantra N 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Elantra N’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (107.1 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Elantra N is 3.6 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

To minimize engine movement during hard acceleration and transmission shifts, the Elantra N has solid engine mounts. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door uses conventional rubber.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Elantra N a Mid-size car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Elantra N has 15.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (99.4 vs. 83.8).

The Elantra N has .7 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 5.3 inches more front shoulder room, 5.7 inches more rear legroom and 6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Elantra N’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Elantra N Auto 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Elantra N’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Elantra N 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 Elantra N has standard rear heat 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 Hyundai Elantra N has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Elantra as the 2021 North American Car of the Year. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Elantra outsold the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door by over 28 to one during 2022.