Compare the2024 Volkswagen Jetta GLIVS 2024 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

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 Maneuver Braking 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 Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engage the brakes. 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 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

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.

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.

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Jetta GLI 6-speed Manual gets better fuel mileage than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S Manual (24 city/35 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.

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.

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

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.

For better traction, the Jetta GLI has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/45R18 vs. 175/65R15). 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 Classic’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Jetta GLI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Classic.

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.

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.

The Jetta GLI Autobahn 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 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.

To shield the driver’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side window, the Jetta GLI has a standard extendable sun visor. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Jetta GLI Autobahn 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 is only available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Signature/Iconic.

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.

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