Volkswagen Jetta vs MINI Cooper

With a base price just over $25,000 Canadian, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta offers plenty of passenger space, a large trunk, and a fuel-efficient engine with plenty of zip. This year, Volkswagen tweaks this compact sedan’s styling, improves the interior, upgrades the handling, and adds more standard technology. Driving enthusiasts will appreciate the Comfortline’s available Sport package and the continued existence of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, which still offers a manual transmission.

Verdict: While the changes to the 2025 VW Jetta are appealing, some are missteps, such as the touch-sensing climate control system interface. Also, the Jetta isn’t a leader in its segment regarding safety ratings. Nevertheless, its sensible German design and engineering shine through, giving it a distinctive driving experience unlike other compact cars.

The Mini Cooper is redesigned for 2025 with a host of alterations throughout. It’s a little bigger inside and out, while sporting all-new infotainment tech and quirky interior design to help maintain the badge’s fun personality. It still weighs less than 1,400 kilograms (3,000 pounds), too, and when combined with a potent turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cooper S, that makes for some truly hilarious fun-to-drive attitude.

Verdict: Although substantially larger than the original BMW Mini that reached North American shores in 2002, and no longer offering a manual transmission as standard, the new Mini Cooper continues to be a stylish and fun-to-drive way of getting around. And it will even return solid overall fuel economy in the process.