Compare the2024 Subaru WRXVS 2024 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 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
Economic Advantages
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 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 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 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 4 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 4 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 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 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 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the WRX and the Cooper Hardtop 4 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 Subaru WRX achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the WRX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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 4 Door doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The WRX has 5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 4 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 4 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 4 Door:

	WRX	WRX TR	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	13.4 inches	11.1 inches	12.1 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 4 Door are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the WRX has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (235/45R17 vs. 175/65R15). The WRX Premium/Limited/GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (245/40R18 vs. 205/45R17).

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 4 Door Classic’s standard 65 series tires. The WRX TR’s 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 WRX has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Classic. The WRX TR’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the WRX’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 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 4 Door.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the WRX a Mid-size car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The WRX has 15.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (98.9 vs. 83.8).

The WRX has 1.7 inches more front legroom, 5.5 inches more front shoulder room, 4.2 inches more rear legroom and 6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 4 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 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 4 Door’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Cooper Hardtop 4 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 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

The WRX will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the WRX will retain 58.98% to 63.86% of its original price after five years, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only retains 55.53% to 56.61%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru WRX and the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, based on reliability, safety and performance.