Compare the2023 Toyota Corolla Cross HybridVS 2023 MINI SE Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross 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 SE Countryman 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The SE 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 Pre-Collision System in the Corolla Cross Hybrid as “Superior.” The SE Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE has a standard Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid SE/XSE’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. The SE 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid SE/XSE’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Parking Support Brake on the XSE automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Corolla Cross Hybrid and the SE Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

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 Corolla Cross Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 127 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The SE Countryman last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Corolla Cross Hybrid 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the SE 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 SE Countryman 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 Corolla Cross 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.

On the EPA test cycle the Corolla Cross Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the SE Countryman running its gasoline engine (45 city/38 hwy vs. 29 city/30 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The SE Countryman requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the SE Countryman (10.6 vs. 9.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Corolla Cross 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better maneuverability, the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the SE Countryman’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the SE Countryman (8 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Corolla Cross Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 600 pounds less than the MINI SE Countryman.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has 2.5 inches more front legroom and 2 inches more rear headroom than the SE Countryman.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume than the SE Countryman with its rear seat up (21.5 vs. 17.2 cubic feet).

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The SE Countryman has no towing capacity.

The Corolla Cross 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Corolla Cross Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the SE Countryman only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Corolla Cross Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the SE Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The SE Countryman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE’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 Corolla Cross Hybrid SE/XSE has standard extendable sun visors. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.