Compare the2025 Volkswagen JettaVS 2024 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Jetta 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 as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The Jetta’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’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 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.

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’s warranty.

The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 24 more horsepower (158 vs. 134) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 162) than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Jetta gets better mileage than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Jetta uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Jetta 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 higher (7 out of 10) than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (6 to 7). This means the Jetta produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door every 15,000 miles.

The Volkswagen Jetta comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Jetta, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

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

For better traction, the Jetta has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (205/60R16 vs. 175/65R15). The Jetta SEL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (225/45R18 vs. 205/45R17).

The Jetta S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 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 S has standard 16-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’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (105.7 inches vs. 101.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Jetta is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The design of the Volkswagen Jetta amounts to more than styling. The Jetta has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (.29 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Jetta get better fuel mileage.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Jetta a Compact car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Jetta has 10.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (94.7 vs. 83.8).

The Jetta 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 SE/SEL 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 Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When different drivers share the Jetta SEL, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. 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’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.

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

Both the Jetta and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offer available heated front seats. The Jetta SEL also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Jetta SEL 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 Sport/SE/SEL 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 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Jetta owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Jetta will cost $495 less than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Jetta is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because typical repairs cost much less on the Jetta than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $41 less for front brake pads, $35 less for a fuel pump, $213 less for a timing belt/chain and $620 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volkswagen Jetta will be $4500 to $5912 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.