Compare the2023 BMW 2 Series Gran CoupeVS 2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the City Collision Mitigation in the 2 Series Gran Coupe 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 2 Series Gran Coupe offers optional Active Park Distance Control that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’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 2 Series Gran Coupe’s standard Cross Traffic Warning 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 2 Series Gran Coupe and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee 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, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe weighs 430 to 759 pounds more than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

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 available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the 2 Series Gran Coupe the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 176 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

There are over 3 times as many BMW dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the 2 Series Gran Coupe first among small premium cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is rated lower.

The 228i Gran Coupe’s standard 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 228i Gran Coupe’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. The M235i xDrive Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 112 more horsepower (301 vs. 189) and 125 lbs.-ft. more torque (331 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe 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.

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, 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 2 Series Gran Coupe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door:

The 2 Series Gran 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 4 Door are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/45R17 vs. 195/55R16). The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (235/35R19 vs. 205/45R17).

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’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 4 Door’s standard 55 series tires. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (105.1 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the 2 Series Gran Coupe is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58.3% to 41.7%) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s (61.5% to 38.5%). This gives the 2 Series Gran Coupe more stable handling and braking.

The design of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe amounts to more than styling. The 2 Series Gran Coupe offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .27 to .3 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (.29 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the 2 Series Gran Coupe get better fuel mileage.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe has 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the 2 Series Gran Coupe easier. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s trunk lift-over height is 24.5 inches, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s liftover is 26 inches.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the 2 Series Gran offers cargo security. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s hatchback body style, non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the 2 Series Gran Coupe. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under 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 2 Series Gran Coupe offers a 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.

When two different drivers share the 2 Series Gran Coupe, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a memory system.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The 2 Series Gran Coupe’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.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe 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 2 Series Gran Coupe 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.

Both the 2 Series Gran Coupe and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe’s optional Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Iconic’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BMW 2 Series outsold the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door by almost three to one during 2022.