2019 Mazda MAZDA3 vs 2020 MINI Cooper

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 was one of the best-looking cars on the market, despite not being a sports or luxury car. Mazda's designers created a dramatic and captivating design that stood out in the industry. The Mazda3 was available as both a sedan and a hatchback, with the latter showcasing the designers' skills more prominently. The hatchback featured a clean rear quarter panel, a sharply raked rear window, and sports-car-like taillights, making it a head-turner. Inside, the Mazda3's interior was equally impressive, with clean, uncluttered spaces and seamless technology integration. The driver and front passenger sat low and leaned back, surrounded by well-placed controls, including an 8.8-inch screen running the MazdaConnect infotainment system. The Mazda3's interior design and features rivaled those of more expensive cars, offering a premium feel.

The 2020 MINI Cooper, on the other hand, had a unique and charming design that set it apart from other cars on the road. Its wide-eyed LED headlights, grinning front grille, vibrant color options, and Union Jack taillights made it a certified enthusiast machine. The MINI Cooper evolved from its original two-door hardtop to include a convertible variant, a four-door body style, and an all-electric SE trim. The SE trim mimicked the design of the Cooper S but sat slightly higher to accommodate the battery cells. Inside, the MINI Cooper's design was dominated by circles, with circular speakers, air vents, door handles, and a massive circular housing for the touchscreen infotainment system. The Cooper's interior delivered a premium feel unmatched by other cars of its size, with thoughtful design elements and high-quality materials.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 came with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 186 horsepower, paired with either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. The power was sent to the front wheels or the newly available all-wheel drive (AWD), which was only available with the automatic transmission. The SkyActiv-G engine provided responsive acceleration, athletic handling, and composed ride quality. The most efficient version of the Mazda3 was the front-wheel-drive (FWD) automatic sedan with the Premium package, returning 27 mpg city, 36 highway, and 30 combined. The least efficient version was the AWD hatchback, returning 24/32/27. The sedan with AWD returned 25/33/28, while the hatchback with FWD and a manual transmission returned 25/35/29. Both the sedan and hatchback with FWD and the automatic (non-Premium) returned 26/35/30. In a week of combined city and highway driving, the test model observed a fuel economy of 28.2 mpg.

The 2020 MINI Cooper SE excelled in performance with its electric motor producing 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, fed by a 32.6-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The SE's performance was comparable to the Cooper S's 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, which generated 189 hp and 207 lb-ft. The SE's immediate torque delivery made it feel just as quick as the Cooper S when accelerating from a stop. The SE also used regenerative braking to help keep its battery charged, with an aggressive default setting that could be adjusted. The SE weighed roughly 300 pounds more than the Cooper S due to the battery pack, but its low center of gravity helped it feel planted in corners. Gas-powered Coopers employed either a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) or an eight-speed automatic, while the SE used a single-speed gearbox. For 2020, no manual transmission was offered, but a six-speed manual was set to return in 2021.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 sedan offered 13.2 cubic feet of trunk space, while the hatchback provided 20.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 47.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The hatchback's cargo space was serviceable for the class, but the Kia Soul offered more with 61 cubic feet. The Mazda3's low and leaned-back seating position was reminiscent of a sports car, benefiting front-seat passengers but making the second row tight, especially for taller individuals. The center console had a deep tray ahead of the cupholders and a center bin between the driver and front passenger, but the center armrest/console cover design was criticized for its complexity.

The 2020 MINI Cooper hatchback was not ideal for carpooling, road trips, or carrying large cargo. The front-seat space was good, and the large greenhouse prevented a claustrophobic feel. However, the backseat was tiny and best suited for children. The two-door Cooper offered 8.7 cubic feet of cargo space, while the four-door Cooper provided 13.1 cubic feet. The Convertible had only 5.7 cubic feet. Dropping the rear seats in the SE tester provided a maximum of 25.8 cubic feet, still less than half of what a Volkswagen Golf offered. Despite limited space, the MINI Cooper was thoughtfully designed, with two-zone automatic air conditioning, chrome toggle switches, an ergonomic steering wheel, and high-quality materials.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 featured an 8.8-inch screen running the latest MazdaConnect infotainment system, with crisp graphics, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. However, the system was entirely remote-controlled, with no touch functionality, which some users found less intuitive. The test model included a head-up display with excellent graphics and a fully digital center panel in the instrument cluster, allowing drivers to cycle through various content.

The 2020 MINI Cooper SE had a unique "eDrive" driver-information display connected to the steering wheel, which moved with the steering-wheel adjustments. The eDrive screen displayed vehicle speed, time, mileage, remaining charge, and drive mode. The SE's 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment display was housed in a circular unit on the dash, featuring Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and Apple CarPlay. The SE Iconic trim included an 8.8-inch screen, a wireless charging pad, and a head-up display.

The 2019 Mazda MAZDA3 base hatchback trim came standard with Mazda's i-Activsense suite of driver-assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and driver-attention alerts. However, these features were not standard on the base sedan trim and required the Select Sedan trim. The hatchback's large C-pillars created significant blind spots, and the auto-engage system for the parking brake was not intuitive, requiring a series of operations to bypass.

The 2020 MINI Cooper SE lacked advanced safety features, with only front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera included in the Iconic package. Forward-collision warning was standard, but automatic emergency braking was unavailable. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not rated the MINI Cooper, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave it top marks with "Good" scores in all crash tests.