Compare the2024 Volkswagen ID.4VS 2024 MINI SE Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen ID.4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The MINI SE Countryman doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The ID.4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen ID.4 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The MINI SE Countryman doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the ID.4 and SE Countryman have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The ID.4 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The SE Countryman’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Autonomous Emergency Braking in the ID.4 as “Superior.” The SE Countryman scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The ID.4 has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The ID.4 Pro S Plus has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The SE Countryman only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The ID.4’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the ID.4’s standard Rear Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engage the brakes. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the ID.4 and the SE Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The Volkswagen ID.4 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The SE Countryman is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Volkswagen’s powertrain warranty covers the ID.4 4 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the SE Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the SE Countryman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 6 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the ID.4’s warranty.

The ID.4 Pro’s standard electric motor produces 61 more horsepower (282 vs. 221) and 118 lbs.-ft. more torque (402 vs. 284) than the SE Countryman’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder hybrid. The ID.4 Pro’s optional electric motors produces 114 more horsepower (335 vs. 221) and 217 lbs.-ft. more torque (501 vs. 284) than the SE Countryman’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running on electricity:

			MPGe
ID.4
	RWD	Pro Electric Motor	122 city/104 hwy
		Standard Electric Motor	115 city/98 hwy
	AWD	Pro Electric Motors	108 city/96 hwy
SE Countryman
	AWD	Electric Motor	74 city/72 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running its gasoline engine:

			MPGe
ID.4
	RWD	Pro Electric Motor	122 city/104 hwy
		Standard Electric Motor	115 city/98 hwy
	AWD	Pro Electric Motors	108 city/96 hwy
SE Countryman
			MPG
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl. Hybrid	29 city/30 hwy

The ID.4 can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 206 to 291 miles. The SE Countryman has to start its internal combustion engine after only 18 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen ID.4 higher (10 out of 10) than the MINI SE Countryman (3). This means the ID.4 produces up to 36.3 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the SE Countryman every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the ID.4’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the SE Countryman:

	ID.4	SE Countryman
Front Rotors	14.1 inches	13 inches

For better traction, the ID.4 has larger standard tires than the SE Countryman (235/55R19 vs. 225/50R18). The ID.4 S’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the SE Countryman (F:235/50R20 & R:255/45R20 vs. 225/50R18).

The ID.4 Pro S Plus’ 235/45R21 front and 255/40R21 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the SE Countryman’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ID.4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the SE Countryman. The ID.4 Pro S Plus has standard 21-inch wheels.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ID.4’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the SE Countryman (108.8 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The ID.4 handles at .83 G’s, while the SE Countryman pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the ID.4’s turning circle is 5.9 feet tighter than the SE Countryman’s (31.5 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The ID.4 AWD’s turning circle is 1 feet tighter than the SE Countryman’s (36.42 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the ID.4 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the SE Countryman (6.8 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the ID.4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the Volkswagen ID.4 amounts to more than styling. The ID.4 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .28 Cd. That is significantly lower than the SE Countryman (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the ID.4 get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the ID.4 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The ID.4 has 4.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the SE Countryman (99.9 vs. 95.4).

The ID.4 has .1 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the SE Countryman.

The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the SE Countryman with its rear seat up (30.3 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the SE Countryman with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 47.4 cubic feet).

The ID.4 has a 2200 lbs. towing capacity. The SE Countryman has no towing capacity.

Standard trailer stability control on the ID.4 uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The ID.4 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The ID.4 S/S Plus’ standard 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 SE Countryman doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The ID.4’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the SE Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The SE Countryman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The ID.4 S/S Plus’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Both the ID.4 and the SE Countryman have standard heated front seats. The ID.4 Pro S Plus also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the SE Countryman.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the ID.4 Pro S/Pro S Plus keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The ID.4 S/S Plus has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the SE Countryman.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen ID.4 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the SE Countryman Iconic offers wireless charging.

The ID.4 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volkswagen ID.4 outsold the MINI Countryman by over three to one during 2023.