Compare the2024 Subaru WRXVS 2024 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
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 Subaru WRX 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 Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru WRX 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 2 Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the WRX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The WRX has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door 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-Collision Braking optional in the WRX as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The WRX Limited SPT/GT has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The WRX 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 WRX Limited/GT/TR’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 2 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 WRX Limited/GT/TR’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the WRX and the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru WRX is safer than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

	WRX	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	24.5%	36%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	238
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34.4%	37%
Leg Forces (l/r)	203/285 lbs.	277/243 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru WRX is safer than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

	WRX	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	152	293
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	165 lbs.	181 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	357	704
Spine Acceleration	66 G’s	80 G’s
Hip Force	839 lbs.	935 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	315
Hip Force	819 lbs.	912 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the WRX is 1.1% less likely to roll over than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the WRX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the WRX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 6 times as many Subaru dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the WRX’s warranty.

Engine

The WRX’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 137 more horsepower (271 vs. 134) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The WRX’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 82 more horsepower (271 vs. 189) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 206) than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The WRX’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (271 vs. 228) and 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 235) than the John Cooper Works Hardtop’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru WRX is faster than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (manual transmissions tested):

	WRX	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door turbo 3 cyl.	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S
Zero to 60 MPH	5.5 sec	7.3 sec	6.8 sec
Quarter Mile	13.9 sec	15.8 sec	15.1 sec

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the WRX lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru WRX 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 WRX has 5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (16.6 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The WRX offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	WRX	WRX TR	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door	John Cooper Works Hardtop
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	13.4 inches	11.1 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	11.4 inches	12.8 inches	10.2 inches	10.2 inches

The WRX’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 WRX stops much shorter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

	WRX	Cooper Hardtop 2 Door
70 to 0 MPH	153 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	113 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the WRX has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (235/45R17 vs. 175/65R15). The WRX Premium/Limited/GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (245/40R18 vs. 205/40R18).

The WRX’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 2 Door’s standard 65 series tires. The WRX TR’s tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the WRX has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. The WRX TR’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the WRX’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (105.1 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the WRX is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The WRX Limited handles at .95 G’s, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door S pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the WRX a Mid-size car, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The WRX has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door can only carry 4.

The WRX has 18.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (98.9 vs. 80.3).

The WRX has 1.7 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 6.1 inches more front shoulder room, 5.7 inches more rear legroom and 7.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

Cargo Capacity

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

Servicing Ease

The engine in the WRX 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.

Ergonomics

The WRX Auto 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 2 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The WRX’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard power windows.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the WRX Premium/Limited/GT/TR’s exterior PIN entry system. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Assist eCall can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The WRX has two rear doors to provide better access for cargo and rear passengers. The Cooper doesn’t offer rear doors.

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 WRX’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The WRX Premium/Limited/GT/TR’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.

The WRX Premium/Limited/GT/TR 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 2 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the WRX has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru WRX and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.