2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2020 MINI Cooper

The 2020 MINI Cooper stood out on the road with its unique design, featuring wide-eyed LED-ringed headlights, a grinning front grille, and vibrant color options. The Union Jack taillights were a crowd-pleaser, adding to the car's charm without appearing wasteful or gaudy. Initially available as a two-door hardtop, the MINI Cooper evolved to include a convertible variant, a four-door body style, and an all-electric SE trim. The SE trim, which we tested, 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 interior delivered a premium feel, unmatched in cars of its size.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, redesigned half a decade ago, received styling tweaks for 2020, including body-color crossbars on the fake air intakes, a new grille, and smoked headlights. The Sport Touring trim, dressed in Platinum White Pearl paint, garnered approval from onlookers. Inside, the Sport Touring trim featured stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though hard plastics were still present. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for the Sport trim, was now available with the Sport Touring trim. The Civic Hatchback offered a quieter cabin, wider seats, and a more compliant ride compared to the Civic Si, making it easier to live with on a daily basis. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2020 MINI Cooper continued its legacy of nimble quickness and corner-carving prowess. The Cooper SE, with its 181-horsepower electric motor and 199 pound-feet of torque, offered performance 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 immediacy of torque delivery made it feel just as quick as the Cooper S, despite weighing 300 pounds more due to the battery. The SE's regenerative braking system was aggressive, allowing for one-pedal driving, though a less-aggressive setting was available. The SE's battery pack, mounted in a "T" shape beneath the floor, kept the center of gravity low, maintaining the classic MINI driving experience. Gas-powered Coopers used either a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission or an eight-speed automatic, while the SE employed a single-speed gearbox. No manual transmission was offered for 2020, but a six-speed manual was set to return in 2021.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, produced 174 horsepower in LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque measured 162 pound-feet with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the six-speed manual transmission. The Civic Hatchback's engine was quiet, refined, and well-mannered, though the transmission's clutch travel and gearbox throws were long. The Civic Si, with its helical limited-slip differential, offered more thrilling cornering and more power. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring trims provided a softer, more compliant ride, wider seats, and a quieter cabin, making them more enjoyable for daily driving. The Civic Hatchback was fun to drive on a favorite canyon road, though the seats didn't hold occupants in place as well as the Si's. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2020 MINI Cooper hatchback was not ideal for carpooling, road trips, or home-improvement projects. 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 version provided 13.1 cubic feet. The Convertible had only 5.7 cubic feet of cargo space. Dropping the rear seats in the SE trim provided a maximum of 25.8 cubic feet, still less than half of what a Volkswagen Golf offered. Despite limited space, the MINI Cooper featured thoughtful design elements, such as two-zone automatic air conditioning, chrome toggle switches, and high-quality materials.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered more cargo space than the Honda HR-V Touring, with 25.2 cubic feet compared to 23.2 cubic feet. While the HR-V had more maximum volume, the Civic Hatchback's better acceleration and fuel efficiency made it a more appealing choice. The Civic Hatchback's low driver's seat wasn't as easy to get into and out of as the HR-V, but the Sport Touring's heated leather front seats provided ample thigh support. The center console storage area was long and deep, with a sliding armrest, tray, and cupholders, accommodating an oversize water bottle. Rear-seat comfort and legroom were good, though the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass could make passengers uncomfortable.

The 2020 MINI Cooper SE featured an "eDrive" driver-information display connected to the steering wheel, which moved with steering-wheel adjustments. The eDrive screen displayed vehicle speed, time, mileage, remaining charge, and drive mode. The SE's 32.6-kilowatt-hour battery provided an EPA-estimated range of 110 miles. The 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment display included Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and Apple CarPlay. The SE Iconic trim offered an 8.8-inch screen, a wireless charging pad, and a head-up display.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback's dashboard featured digital instrumentation and, in all but LX trim, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth and a volume knob. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, text-messaging support, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were standard on most trims. However, the Civic Hatchback lacked a tuning knob, a larger screen, and reliable voice-recognition technology.

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

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driving-assistance and collision-avoidance features as standard equipment. This suite included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. However, the lane-keeping assist lacked smoothness, and the adaptive cruise control occasionally braked for no reason. The Civic Hatchback did not have a blind-spot monitoring system or rear cross-traffic alert, relying on LaneWatch for the right-side blind spot. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to a Poor performance in the headlight category, but it received top marks for crash-test performance.