Compare the2024 Lexus RCVS 2025 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RC have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The RC’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The RC offers 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 RC’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The RC has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the RC has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. MINI charges extra for Cross Traffic Warning on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

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

The Lexus RC weighs 690 to 877 pounds more than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the RC 2 years and 20,000 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 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 39 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked fourth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus first in overall reliability. MINI is ranked third.

The RC has more powerful engines than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door:

The RC has 5.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (17.5 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Lexus RC, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

All wheel drive, available in the RC, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door is not available with all wheel drive.

The RC’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.

For better traction, the RC has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (235/40R19 vs. 205/45R17). The RC F Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (F:235/40R19 & R:265/35R19 vs. 215/45R17).

The RC F Sport’s 265/35R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s optional 40 series tires.

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

The RC has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the RC’s wheelbase is 9.3 inches longer than on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door (107.5 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the RC is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

For better maneuverability, the RC’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s (34.2 feet vs. 36.4 feet). The RC AWD’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.4 feet).

The RC has 4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door.

The RC has a much larger trunk than the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door with its rear seat up (10.4 vs. 8.9 cubic feet).

With its coupe body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the RC offers cargo security. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s hatchback body style, non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

The engine in the RC 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than MINI. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 13% lower rating, MINI is ranked fourth.

The RC’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The RC’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower both of them with the lock engaged. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door’s standard power windows.

The RC’s standard Smart Access allow you to unlock the doors from either outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. start/stop switch standard on the Cooper Hardtop 2 Door only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the car.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The RC offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the RC has standard extendable sun visors. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the RC keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Cooper Hardtop 2 Door doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Compared to the MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, the Lexus RC eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.