For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Fit 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 Fit has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

The Fit EX/EX-L's 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. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn't offer a lane departure warning system.

The Fit's blind spot mirrors use wide-angle convex mirrors mounted in the corner of each side view mirror to reveal objects that may be in the driver's blind spots. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn't offer a system to reveal objects in the driver's blind spots.

Both the Fit 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available crash mitigating brakes.

Honda's powertrain warranty covers the Fit 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 8 times as many Honda dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fit's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 16th in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 23rd.

On the EPA test cycle the Fit Auto LX CVT 1.5 4 cyl. (128 HP) gets better fuel mileage than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door Auto turbo 3 cyl. (33 city/40 hwy vs. 28 city/36 hwy).

The Fit Auto has a standard 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.

For better traction, the Fit has larger tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (185/60R15 vs. 175/65R15).

The Fit LX'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's standard 65 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Fit's turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door's (35.1 feet vs. 36.2 feet).

The Honda Fit may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Fit has 11.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (95.7 vs. 84).

The Fit has 3.6 inches more front shoulder room, 7 inches more rear legroom and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Fit Automatic 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn't offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Fit has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn't as good.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Fit has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn't offer rear vents.

The Fit will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Fit will retain 54.12% to 57.31% of its original price after five years, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door only retains 42.59% to 47.57%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Fit is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because it costs $445 less to do the manufacturer's suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Fit than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $189 less for a water pump, $260 less for a muffler, $56 less for front brake pads, $165 less for a starter, $144 less for a fuel pump, $301 less for a timing belt/chain and $684 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Fit will be $7613 to $14720 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

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

The Fit was chosen as one of Car and Driver's “Top Ten” for 7 of the last 13 years. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Fit was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine's “All Stars” for 2 of the last 11 years. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has never been an “All Star.”