Compare the2023 Subaru BRZVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

The BRZ has standard Whiplash Protection Seats, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Protection Seats system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 2 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 Pre-Collision Braking optional in the BRZ as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The BRZ Auto has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The BRZ Limited’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 Cooper Hardtop 2 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 BRZ Limited’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the BRZ and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, rear parking sensors 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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the BRZ its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the BRZ 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. 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 Hardtop 2 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

The BRZ’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 94 more horsepower (228 vs. 134) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The BRZ’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 39 more horsepower (228 vs. 189) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru BRZ is faster than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (manual transmissions tested):

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the BRZ lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The BRZ has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (13.2 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the BRZ’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

The BRZ’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 2 Door are solid, not vented.

The BRZ stops much shorter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

For better traction, the BRZ has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (215/45R17 vs. 195/55R16). The BRZ Premium’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (215/45R17 vs. 205/40R18).

The BRZ Premium’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the BRZ Premium has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the BRZ’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (101.4 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the BRZ is 1 inch wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The BRZ’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.5% to 44.5%) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s (62.3% to 35.1%). This gives the BRZ more stable handling and braking.

The BRZ Limited handles at .99 G’s, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The BRZ executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (25.7 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the BRZ Limited is quieter than the John Cooper Works Hardtop (41 vs. 42 dB).

The BRZ has .1 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The engine in the BRZ is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The BRZ Limited 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 2 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The BRZ’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard power windows.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the BRZ’s exterior PIN entry system. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Assist eCall can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 BRZ’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The BRZ Limited’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 BRZ 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 2 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The BRZ 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 2 Door.

The BRZ will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the BRZ will retain 49.61% to 52.6% of its original price after five years, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door only retains 37.88% to 50.14%.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru BRZ and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BRZ was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2 more times in the last 11 years. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.