Compare the2024 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2024 MINI SE Countryman

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 Recharge 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC40 Recharge’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 Recharge 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the XC40 Recharge and SE Countryman have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 Recharge Ultimate has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The SE Countryman’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 Recharge has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The SE Countryman 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 City Safety in the XC40 Recharge as “Superior.” The SE Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC40 Recharge has a standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XC40 Recharge’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The XC40 Recharge Plus/Ultimate has a standard 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The SE Countryman 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 XC40 Recharge’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. The SE Countryman 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 XC40 Recharge’s standard Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Braking Intervention automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the SE Countryman 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge weighs 527 to 753 pounds more than the MINI SE Countryman. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 Recharge for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than MINI pays for maintenance for the SE Countryman (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Volvo dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XC40 Recharge’s warranty.

Engine

The XC40 Recharge Single Motor’s standard electric motor produces 27 more horsepower (248 vs. 221) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 284) than the SE Countryman’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder hybrid. The XC40 Recharge Twin Motor’s optional electric motors produces 181 more horsepower (402 vs. 221) and 210 lbs.-ft. more torque (494 vs. 284) than the SE Countryman’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the XC40 Recharge Twin Motor electric motors is faster than the MINI SE Countryman:

	XC40 Recharge	SE Countryman
Zero to 60 MPH	4.2 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	12.8 sec	14.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	107.7 MPH	88.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 Recharge gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running on electricity:

			MPGe
XC40 Recharge
	FWD	Single Electric Motor	118 city/95 hwy
	AWD	Twin Electric Motors	106 city/90 hwy
SE Countryman
	AWD	Electric Motor	74 city/72 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 Recharge gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running its gasoline engine:

			MPGe
XC40 Recharge
	FWD	Single Electric Motor	118 city/95 hwy
	AWD	Twin Electric Motors	106 city/90 hwy
SE Countryman
			MPG
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl. Hybrid	29 city/30 hwy

The XC40 Recharge can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 254 to 293 miles. The SE Countryman has to start its internal combustion engine after only 18 miles.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC40 Recharge higher (10 out of 10) than the MINI SE Countryman (3). This means the XC40 Recharge produces up to 36.3 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the SE Countryman every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the SE Countryman:

	XC40 Recharge	SE Countryman
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	11.8 inches

The XC40 Recharge stops much shorter than the SE Countryman:

	XC40 Recharge	SE Countryman
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	150 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 Recharge has larger tires than the SE Countryman (F:235/50R19 & R:255/45R19 vs. 225/50R18).

The XC40 Recharge’s standard 255/45R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the SE Countryman’s standard 50 series tires. The XC40 Recharge Ultimate’s 235/45R20 front and 255/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the SE Countryman’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 Recharge has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the SE Countryman. The XC40 Recharge Ultimate has standard 20-inch wheels.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC40 Recharge’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the SE Countryman (106.4 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 Recharge is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the SE Countryman.

The XC40 Recharge AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the SE Countryman pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC40 Recharge AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the SE Countryman (26.3 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 Recharge has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the SE Countryman (6.9 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the XC40 Recharge to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The XC40 Recharge has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the SE Countryman (98 vs. 95.4).

The XC40 Recharge has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the SE Countryman.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 Recharge has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the SE Countryman with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 47.4 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40 Recharge’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC40 Recharge. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The XC40 Recharge has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The SE Countryman has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 Recharge uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC40 Recharge has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the SE Countryman only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC40 Recharge offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The SE Countryman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The XC40 Recharge Ultimate’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.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the SE Countryman have standard heated front seats. The XC40 Recharge also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the SE Countryman.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 Recharge has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the SE Countryman Iconic offers wireless charging.

Model Availability

The XC40 Recharge is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

The Volvo XC40 outsold the MINI Countryman by over two to one during 2023.