2022 MINI Cooper vs 2022 Toyota Corolla

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.

The Toyota Corolla needs no introduction. With 12 generations spanning over five decades of production, the Corolla is the bestselling nameplate in automotive history. And it continues to be a popular choice for new car buyers looking for a reliable and sensible compact car, competing against other established names like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza, and Volkswagen Jetta for sales.

The only significant change for 2022 is the addition of two new colors: Ruby Flare and Windchill Pearl. What hasn’t changed are the number of other choices buyers get. Toyota offers sedan and hatchback body styles, manual and automatic transmissions, and multiple powertrain options—including a hybrid. The Corolla Cross SUV also launched for 2022 but, while it shares a basic platform with the Corolla sedan and hatch, it’s effectively a different vehicle.

Finally, you get the expected array of trim levels. The Corolla sedan is available in L, LE, XLE, SE, and XSE grades, plus Apex Edition and Nightshade Edition versions of SE and XSE, with more limited options for the Corolla hatchback and hybrid (both of which will be covered separately). For this review, we tested the Apex Edition sedan in its lower SE grade. The Apex is the sportiest Corolla variant, at least until the GR Corolla hot hatchback arrives for the 2023 model year.