Compare the2026 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 DoorVS 2026 Subaru Impreza

The MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Impreza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Impreza doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers optional Rear Collision Prevention that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Impreza doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers an optional 360-degree camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Impreza only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and Impreza offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with Cross Traffic Warning also has Brake Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Impreza’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and the Impreza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems and blind spot warning systems.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Impreza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Impreza’s (12 vs. 5 years).

MINI pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door for 3 years and 36,000 miles. MINI will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Impreza.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that MINI vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks MINI above average in long-term dependability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (161 vs. 152) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 145) than the Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 178) than the Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (201 vs. 180) and 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 178) than the Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S is faster than the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Impreza
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.2 MPH	90.1 MPH

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

			MPG
Cooper Hardtop 4 Door
	FWD	S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
Impreza
	AWD	2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Impreza doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Impreza doesn’t offer launch control.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door stops much shorter than the Impreza:

	Cooper Hardtop 4 Door	Impreza
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers an optional 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 Impreza; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Impreza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S handles at .91 G’s, while the Impreza RS pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Impreza RS (26.1 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is 1 foot, 5.3 inches shorter than the Impreza, making the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Impreza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

When two different drivers share the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Impreza doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Impreza doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and the Impreza have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Impreza prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door the driver can close all of them at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Impreza can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Impreza’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Impreza doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru charges extra for heated mirrors on the Impreza.

When the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Impreza’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and Subaru Impreza offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Impreza’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

On extremely cold winter days, the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Impreza doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Impreza.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Impreza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The MINI Cooper comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Subaru Impreza isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door second among compact sporty cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Impreza isn’t in the top three in its category.