2021 Toyota Corolla vs 2022 MINI Cooper

Everybody knows somebody who owns or has owned a Toyota Corolla. Thanks to a deserved reputation for affordability, reliability, and efficiency, the Corolla is what comes to mind when all you want is a cheap, dependable, and thrifty set of wheels.

Over the nameplate’s 55-year history, Toyota built a handful of Corollas that were anything but rolling appliances. But those fun-to-drive gems were relative rarities. Under the tenure of Akio Toyoda, the automaker’s current president and a man who loves to drive, the Corolla has become something more than a bore. It’s a car that makes you want to cruise instead of snooze.

We’re talking about the Corolla SE and XSE, of course. Toyota still makes dull and duller versions of its compact car, but the SE and XSE trim levels add some spice to the basic commuter-car recipe.

This year, the 2021 Toyota Corolla SE and XSE are available in a new limited-production Apex Edition flavor. It’s got a track-tuned sport suspension, a lowered ride height, revised steering calibration, a sport exhaust system, and lightweight 18-inch gloss black aluminum wheels that you can wrap in optional summer performance tires. Unfortunately, it also comes with a “Lookit me, Officer, I like to go fast!” body kit.

Fearing this would be the example Toyota sent to us for review, we instead happily accepted the key fob to a Barcelona Red Corolla XSE and discovered that you don’t need the Apex Edition treatment to enjoy driving this car.

MINI characterizes its lineup as the “definitive” premium small cars in the United States market. Based on a BMW platform, equipped with BMW engines, and featuring BMW technology, MINIs can substantiate this claim through engineering. But it’s the range of choices and personalization options that make them unlike any other premium small cars.

Naturally, this is true of the refreshed 2022 MINI Convertible, which is available in Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works (JCW) specification and with Classic, Signature, or Iconic trim. Once you’ve made those decisions, you can select from a wide variety of colors, materials, wheels, packages, and options to make your MINI your own. Or you can choose a pre-packaged special edition like our Sidewalk Edition test car.