Compare the2023 Audi TTVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi TT have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The TT has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The TT’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.

Both the TT and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

There are almost 3 times as many Audi dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the TT’s warranty.

The Audi TT’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The TT has more powerful engines than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi TT uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The John Cooper Works Hardtop requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The TT has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (14.5 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The TT has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Audi TT comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

All wheel drive, available in the TT, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is not available with all wheel drive.

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

The TTS Coupe’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 TT RS offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

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

For better traction, the TT has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (245/40R18 vs. 195/55R16). The TT’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (255/30R20 vs. 205/40R18).

The TT 45 TSFI’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 2 Door’s standard 55 series tires. The TT’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the TT 45 TSFI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. The TT’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the TT is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The TT 45 TSFI Coupe handles at .98 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 TT 45 TSFI Coupe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (24.6 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the TT 45 TSFI Coupe is quieter than the John Cooper Works Hardtop:

The TT Coupe has 3 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The TT Coupe has a much larger trunk than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door with its rear seat up (12 vs. 8.7 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox and standard locking center console (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the TT. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The engine in the TT 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 TT’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Cooper Hardtop 2 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi TT has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door Iconic offers wireless charging.

The TT will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the TT will retain 49.37% to 49.87% 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 Audi TT and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.