Compare the2024 Audi A5VS 2024 MINI Cooper Convertible

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission and Drivetrain
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A5 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 Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The A5 has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Cooper Convertible 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 Sense Front in the A5 as “Superior.” The Cooper Convertible scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The A5 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A5’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top and Corner View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cooper Convertible only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The A5’s optional 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 Convertible 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 A5’s optional Rear Cross-Traffic Assist uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Automatic Brake Activation automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the A5 and the Cooper Convertible have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

The Audi A5 weighs 572 to 1153 pounds more than the MINI Cooper Convertible. 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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Convertible has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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 A5’s warranty.

Reliability

The Audi A5’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Cooper Convertible’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 A5’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 127 more horsepower (261 vs. 134) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 162) than the Cooper Convertible’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The A5’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 72 more horsepower (261 vs. 189) and 67 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 206) than the Cooper Convertible S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The A5’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 33 more horsepower (261 vs. 228) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 235) than the John Cooper Works Convertible’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The John Cooper Works Convertible requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The A5 has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Convertible (15.3 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission and Drivetrain

The Audi A5 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Convertible.

All wheel drive, available in the A5, 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 Convertible is not available with all wheel drive.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper Convertible:

	A5	Cooper Convertible	John Cooper Works Convertible
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	11.1 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	10.2 inches	11 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A5 has larger standard tires than the Cooper Convertible (245/40R18 vs. 195/55R16). The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Convertible (255/35R19 vs. 205/40R18).

The A5’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 Convertible’s standard 55 series tires. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Cooper Convertible’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A5 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Convertible. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Convertible.

The A5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Cooper Convertible; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A5’s wheelbase is 10.6 inches longer than on the Cooper Convertible (108.8 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A5 is 3.8 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Convertible.

Chassis

The design of the Audi A5 amounts to more than styling. The A5 offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .32 to .33 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is significantly lower than the Cooper Convertible (.36 to .37). A more efficient exterior helps the A5 go faster and keeps the interior quieter. It also helps the A5 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A5 Cabriolet a Subcompact car, while the Cooper Convertible is rated a Minicompact.

The A5 Cabriolet has 7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Convertible (83 vs. 76).

Cargo Capacity

The A5 Cabriolet has a much larger trunk with its top down than the Cooper Convertible with its top down (7.2 vs. 5.7 cubic feet). The A5 Cabriolet has a much larger trunk with its top up than the Cooper Convertible with its top up (9.3 vs. 7.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A5 easier. The A5’s trunk lift-over height is 28.5 inches, while the Cooper Convertible’s liftover is 31.5 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the A5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

With its coupe body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the A5 offers cargo security. The Cooper Convertible’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A5’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the A5 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Cooper Convertible. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The A5 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 Convertible doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When two different drivers share the A5, the optional memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, suspension setting and outside mirror angle. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a memory system.

The A5’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Cooper Convertible 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.

Laser headlights, standard on the A5 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Cooper Convertible’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

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 A5’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Cooper Convertible’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A5 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Cooper Convertible’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’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.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the A5 Coupe has standard extendable sun visors. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the A5 and the Cooper Convertible have standard heated front seats. The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cooper Convertible.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the A5 Premium Plus/Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The A5 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Cooper Convertible.

The A5 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 Convertible doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the A5 has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer rear vents.

Recommendations

The Audi A5/S5 outsold the MINI Cooper Convertible by almost six to one during 2022.