Compare the2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLIVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Autonomous Emergency Braking in the Jetta GLI 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 Jetta GLI has standard backup collision prevention system 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 Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Jetta GLI the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 235 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 Jetta GLI’s warranty.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 94 more horsepower (228 vs. 134) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 39 more horsepower (228 vs. 189) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Jetta GLI 6-speed Manual gets better fuel mileage than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S Manual (26 city/37 hwy vs. 23 city/33 hwy).

The Jetta GLI 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Jetta GLI higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (6 to 7). This means the Jetta GLI produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Jetta GLI	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.2 inches	10.2 inches

The Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/45R18 vs. 195/55R16). The Jetta GLI’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/45R18 vs. 205/45R17).

The Jetta GLI’s 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 4 Door’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Jetta GLI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Jetta GLI’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (105.6 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Jetta GLI is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Jetta GLI’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58.6% to 41.4%) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s (61.5% to 38.5%). This gives the Jetta GLI more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

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

The Jetta GLI has 10.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (93.9 vs. 83.8).

The Jetta GLI has 4.7 inches more front shoulder room, 5.1 inches more rear legroom and 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Ergonomics

The Jetta GLI Automatic 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When three different drivers share the Jetta GLI, 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 Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI’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 Jetta GLI’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.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Jetta GLI 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 Jetta GLI 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 Jetta GLI 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 Jetta GLI 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 Volkswagen Jetta GLI has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Jetta outsold the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door by over 9 to one during 2022.

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